Tuesday, November 10, 1998

A personal trainer brings the workout home
By Dave Berns
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
Twice a week at one-hour a pop, James Woodall hauls his home workout machine to a Rancho Drive house where Christy Coffey is ready to work the circuit.
 
She works her upper body, then the lower body, toning her muscles before setting aside time for a three-mile run. Woodall stands at Coffey's side, pushing his client to complete the routine, while encouraging her to pay attention to the strictest of mechanics.
 
Their client-trainer relationship is not particularly unusual, but the setting is. Woodall meets his clients at their homes and not a gym. "He brings everything to you," Coffey said. "It's like the lazy-way person to work out. It's like a buddy thing."
 
Woodall's at-home training concept evolved from the experience of a 33-year-old client who saw no results at the gym. The customer lifted the health club's weights, worked its aerobics equipment but the inevitable wait for equipment as others used it detracted from the client's workout. Woodall suggested they give it a try at home, with the assistance of some portable equipment.
 
Within weeks, the client had toned up and found a new dedication to the workout regimen. "We did more exercising at home because we didn't have to wait for machines," Woodall said.
 
The 27-year-old certified personal trainer long has been a fitness fanatic. A former high school jock, Woodall regularly hits the weights, runs and hikes. So, it wasn't particularly surprising that he used his fitness and sports management degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to open his own business.
 
"I've always had to be the person in charge no matter what it was," Woodall said. "Not a control freak, but I couldn't handle anyone telling me what to do." Today, he has 17 clients who pay as much as $60-an-hour for at-home visits or $35-an-hour for the occasional gym session.
 
Several are top executives who have little time to drive to and from a gym, change clothing and work out. Instead, they prefer the convenience of working out at home. "I found working out at home was much easier for clients," Woodall said. But with the home workout, the ready-made excuses that are familiar to the gym -- there was too much traffic, it's too crowded -- are unacceptable.

"I have a no-excuses policy," he said.
 
Woodall's job is something akin to that of a bartender, with clients often relating their deepest secrets as they work their way through their routine. "More than anything I help relieve stress," Woodall said. "I get confided in. I try to be more of a friend-slash-fitness-buddy rather than a hard-nose trainer."
 
He specializes in programs for weight loss, flexibility, coordination and balance, strength training, endurance, cardiovascular and post-rehabilitation fitness. He also hosts monthly seminars at area bookstores to teach concepts relating to fitness, rehabilitation and nutrition.
 
His services include fitness consultation, fitness training, individual or family workout programs, seminars and workshops.
 
Since beginning his training business in 1995, Woodall has become something of a small businessman. He's purchased a van and workout equipment to haul, and developed a client list that keeps the endeavor profitable.
 
He offers a few keys for anyone interested in becoming a roving personal trainer.
 
For example:
--Get a college education with a background in human physiology.
--Possess good people skills.