These days film stars, models, socialites, sportspersons, industrialists, professionals from every field, politicians, students and senior citizens call in personal trainers to make them feel and look good
Today, personal health and fitness is a Rs.2,000 crore per annum industry with swanky gyms offering an array of equipment and facilities for fitness and body shaping sports such as aerobics, kickboxing, yoga and sundry workouts. Moreover whether at home or in fitness centres, engaging the services of a personal trainer has become a new fashion statement.
Once upon a time only professional athletes who needed help for injury management or sporting excellence, engaged personal trainers. Today film stars, models, socialites, sportspersons, industrialists, professionals from every field, politicians, students and senior citizens call in personal trainers to make them feel and look good.
As indicated in the job description, a personal training professional provides one-on-one health and fitness services to clients either at a gym, health club or in their homes. Exercise and workout routines and regimes are customised to suit clients’ requirements.
To qualify, aspiring trainers need to enroll for professional training programmes. Certifi-cation can be acquired from Gold’s Gym University (GGU); the K-11 Fitness Academy (promoted by Kaizad Kapadia); Leena Mogre’s Fitness Academy; Talwalkar’s Fitness Academy; or Reebok Instructor Courses. Some of these Mumbai-based institutes have branches in major cities across India. Certification can also be obtained by enrolling in the online study programmes of the American College of Sports Medicine offered by Q1 Gym, Mumbai and Dhananjay More of K-11 Academy. In India, two levels of certification are offered by GGU — personal trainer and trainer for special needs (e.g. clients suffering from diabetes, arthritis, hypertension etc).
After a basic certificate course, trainers have the option of graduating to ACE (American Council of Exercise) certification. ACE holds examinations in Mumbai regularly and once a trainer is ACE certified, opportunities to work abroad open up as well. The minimum qualification for enrolling in fitness training programmes is a class X or XII school leaving certificate.
With gyms, health clubs, spas and fitness centres springing up countrywide, demand for qualified trainers is rising sharply. A floor trainer starts with a remuneration package of Rs.7,000-10,000 per month with fast learners progressing quickly to the status of personal trainers, who can earn as much as Rs.100,000 monthly.
Moreover with additional certificates and specialisation, pay and remuneration packages get bigger. Acquisition of international — especially American — certification opens up the possibility of foreign assignments and contracts which come with huge fee packages.
A highly-qualified personal trainer is Rajen Kara, who after successfully working for several years in accoun-tancy, advertising and market research, changed course to qualify as a personal trainer. “The satisfaction you get when your client’s body composition changes, and he or she is free of aches and pains is immeasurable. I have a 76-year-old client who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, bodyache and giddiness, requiring heavy medication. After a few sessions with me, he’s free of pain, feels fantastic, has stopped all medication and looks forward to his sessions with me,” says Kara who has an impressive roster of clients including top doctors, lawyers, housewives and corporate executives.
A commerce and accountancy graduate of Jai Hind College, Mumbai and Oxford Brookes University, Kara returned to India in 1992 and after stints with Everest, Saatchi & Saatchi, ORG Marg and Ogilvy & Mather, he quit to pursue his fitness passion. He signed up with the K-11 Fitness Academy, Mumbai, promoted by health and fitness pioneer Kaizad Kapadia. After completing the basic trainer’s course in 2003, Kara was appointed trainer and supervisor at Exert Gym (now known as Gold’s Gym) where he worked till 2004. In the same year he got his first big break at Matrix Gym, a personal training studio in Mumbai and worked there till 2007, acquiring special training skills in aerobics, step training, gym ball, yoga, and pilates.
Kara advises aspiring personal trainers to continuously update their skills and knowledge. “I teach my clients innovative workouts so there’s no monotony. This is very important as your body will respond only if you surprise it by varying your movements. I keep abreast of the latest developments in the field by attending workshops and interacting with other trainers. I believe that trainers themselves have to be highly motivated to motivate their clients. It’s the trainer who builds a gym’s reputation, not the equipment,” says Kara.
With people from all strata of society becoming fitness conscious, this career has a very healthy future. “The trend in Bollywood where the top stars change their body composition for every movie has given a fillip to the fitness industry,” quips Kara.
For a nation notorious for ill-health and destructive lifestyles, this is a profession which needs to come of age asap.
Indra Gidwani (Mumbai)