Travis Neighbor Ward

Time-crunched Doctors Take Heart: Trainers Do Make House Calls.

By Travis Neighbor Ward

For some physicians, getting to the gym can be as difficult as taking a vacation. That's why a growing number are opting for a more convenient alternative: in-home personal training. "Many doctors just wouldn't find time for themselves during the day otherwise," says Jeff Rutstein, owner of Custom Fitness, a Boston-based personal fitness training company. "They schedule it when the kids aren't home, then turn off the pager and phone. It's such a stress release." Karen Voight, owner of Entertaining Fitness in Los Angeles and a member of the American Council on Exercise's faculty advisory board, agrees. "Many of my physician clients are very disciplined people who nevertheless need the structure. In-home training is very focused and result-oriented."

The basic concept behind in-home training, which can take place at any time, is simple. By avoiding the first obstacle-the time it takes to travel to the gym-your enthusiasm for the actual workout stays high. "A successful exercise schedule is one in which you don't burn out, physically or mentally, while trying to maintain it," says Rutstein. "You have to like what you're doing. You can't think of it as work. That way you'll look forward to it and you'll get it done."

Ken Baldwin, owner of Premier Fitness, a personal training and fitness consulting company affiliated with Harvard Pilgrim HMO in Cambridge, Massachusetts, estimates that 60 percent of his clients prefer to work out at home. "It's grown a lot in recent years, and it's still growing," says Baldwin. "We're often hired to train someone and then their spouse joins in. Sometimes their children do too." Baldwin's clients range from 10 to 85 years of age, but on average they are baby boomers from 55 to 65 years old. "I've trained fathers and sons, mothers and grandmothers," he says. "Everyone's so busy these days, and they want to spend more time around their families."

The main disadvantage to working out at home is that you won't have the same variety of equipment, particularly machines, as in a gym. "If you're really serious about running a marathon or entering a body-building competition, you should go to a gym," says Elizabeth Crutchfield, director of Homebodies, a personal fitness training company in New York City. But if you want to stay healthy, working out two to three times a week at home is wonderful-because it gets a lot of people to work out who otherwise would not."


FINDING YOUR MATCH
As with so many services, the best way to find a personal fitness trainer is by asking people you know for recommendations. Then you will want to conduct an interview to see whether the trainer has had experience working with clients of your age and fitness level, and who share any special needs you might have. One way to check trainers' qualifications is by finding out whether they have current certification from at least one of the four major fitness organizations-The American College of Sports Medicine (317/​6379200; www.acsm.org), The American Council on Exercise (800/​825-3636; wwwacefitness.com), The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (800/​968-7263; www.afaa.com), and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (719/​6326722; wwwnsca-cc.org)-that require that trainers complete courses and pass rigorous exams on such topics as exercise programming and instruction, anatomy, health screening, and nutrition. Finally, the interview will show you whether your personalities match. "You have to mesh with the trainer," says Custom Fitness' Rutstein. "If the trainer's a body builder, he may want to take you through his own workout. You have to find someone who responds well to your needs."

WHAT TO EXPECT
In-home personal trainers normally charge from $50 to $100 per hour. The first session is often preceded by a fitness evaluation to analyze your body-fat percentage, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. (Some trainers charge an extra flat fee for this.) Then the trainer will create an exercise program based on the results. The actual exercises you do depends on the trainer you choose. When you work out with a Premier Fitness trainer, a session lasts one hour and takes place one to three times per week, with heavy emphasis on stretching. At the end of the workout, clients do 20 minutes of intense, aerobic exercise, often on a treadmill or stair-climbing machine. "The longer the aerobic part lasts, the less chance there is that most people will want to do it again," says Baldwin. "But it should be intense. If you can chat comfortably during it, you're not working hard enough."

Custom Fitness' Rutstein also focuses more on stretching than weight lifting, with emphasis on improving flexibility. "Six-pack abs are so unrealistic for most people; you need to spend a lot of time developing those," he says. "The focus should be on staying healthy."


CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT

Usually in-home training sessions take place in the basement, family or TV room-not the bedroom, which experts say is a bad idea. "You're already in your bedroom eight hours a day," Rutstein points out. "You need to get away from it; it's too hard to motivate there." Whichever room you choose, the floor should be hardwood or carpeted with a short pile. "Hardwood is great because it gives a little," says Crutchfield. "But generally the flooring isn't crucial, since most people don't do pounding aerobics anymore." One thing you should definitely buy: a rubber floor mat. Pros advise purchasing a two-inch mat for any exercises in which you'll be lying on your back, and a thinner one for other exercises.

Whether or not you invest in weight and cardio machines is a matter of personal preference, budget, and available floor space. Trainers generally feel that weight machines and multiple-station gym machines are unnecessary, but they tend to like cardio machines, such as treadmills. "You can spend $50,000 if you want on weight machines," says Rutstein, "but you can do everything with a pair of dumbbells, a mat, and a plain, flat bench. Free weights are a much better deal for the money." He recommends getting a multi-purpose bench that can go from a decline position to a military position, and that includes a leg extension and a leg curl attachment.

Voight's clients use hand weights and their exercises include pushups, ab curls, stretching, squats and lunges. "If you want 300-pound weights, you need to go to a gym," she says. "That's luxury equipment and it's only necessary if you're looking to get into extremely good shape. If you want to look good, feel toned and conditioned, and not be sore the next day, mat exercises are great." If you do decide to add equipment, she recommends adding one universal weight machine, which allows you to do various exercises on it. "But you really need a trainer to teach you to use it well," she adds.

"Most of our clients have some equipment, usually a treadmill or bike," says Crutchfield. "Weight station machines can be good, and some of them are fairly compact. But free weights are easier to deal with and are much better if you're just starting out. We use a lot of tubing, resistance bands, step boxes, and light weights. Sometimes we'll do kickboxing. You should start with a few things, then see if you like them before buying more. Ultimately, the best piece of equipment is the one you'll use."

And the best fitness regime is, of course, the one you will actually follow. Hiring an in-home trainer will help get you started and keep you going along the way to better health.

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SOURCE BOX:

GETTING STARTED; FINDING A TRAINER NEAR YOU
Jeff Rutstein, Custom Fitness, Boston, MA 617/​699-4427, www.customfitness.com
Karen Voight, Entertaining Fitness, Los Angeles, CA 800/​735-3315, www.karenvoight.com
Ken Baldwin, Premier Fitness, Cambridge, MA 858/​458-9877
Elizabeth Crutchfield, Homebodies, New York, NY 212/​586-7160