Tales From the Gym: “My PersonalTrainer Was Killing Me” (NAPSA)—Nobody expects to hire a personal trainer and beleft in worse shape than when they started, and yet it happens. Most health clubs are careful to check for certifications, but not all do. There was the Minneapolis trainer, for example, who encouraged his class members to jump three feet into the air. (One person shattered a tibia and another sprained an ankle.) And a New York City trainer swears she'll “never forget” the loud popping sound she heard when a co-worker pushed his client’s torso too far forward in a seated straddle stretch. “The woman tore muscles in both of her inner thighs,” the trainer recalled. “She needed surgery and spent nine months in recovery.” To play it safe, Michele Stanten, fitness director at Prevention magazine, offers these tips to help you spend your time and money wisely and avoid injury—including an alternative solution to the traditional personaltrainer: “Make sure the potential trainer takes classes to stay educated,” Stanten says. “Certifications from organizations like the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, or American Council on Exercise mean the instructor has invested in his or her career.” Share a trainer with a friend to save on fees that can run anywhere from $75 to $150 an hour, depending on where youlive. * Use home fitness DVDs. Choose a workout DVD that addresses your specific needs, follow the instructor’s advice and directions, and begin a homeregimen. Top trainer Chris Freytag appears on a new DVD that allows users to create their own personalized workout. With these concerns in mind, the experts at Prevention have created a DVD that delivers safe and dramatic results for far less than theprice of a training session. The “Prevention Fitness Systems: Personal Training” DVD ($15), led by one of the nation’s top trainers, Chris Freytag, allows users to create their own person- alized workout routine. They can also choose to work on specific goals such as losing weight, getting firm or flattening thebelly. The DVD suggests different routines for each day of the week, given yourfitness goals. Nearly 10 million readers turn to the pages of Prevention each month for healthy lifestyle news, moves, and tips. The “Prevention Fitness Systems: Personal Train- ing” DVD is sold wherever fitness videos are sold, as well as www.preventionfitness.com and (800) 287-5149.
