Gym fever bites as summer nears

Cape Town - Gyms across South Africa are readying themselves for an increase in members who are scrambling to get their bodies ready for summer after having hibernated all winter.

And several, they say, are opting to use personal trainers.

According to Planet Fitness and Virgin Active, two of the country’s largest gym and fitness groups, between five percent and 10 percent of their members make use of personal trainers.

“Personal trainers are definitely not only for the rich and famous any more,” says Piet Oostehuizen, national personal training manager for Virgin Active.

Oostehuizen says the service has become a lot more affordable and accessible to ordinary members.

Manny Rivera, Planet Fitness chief executive agrees that having a personal trainer is no longer considered a luxury.

Both gyms have made this more affordable by introducing group training at a reduced rate. Because memberships are now cheaper due to medical aid offers, there is more disposable income to invest in health options, including personal trainers, says Rivera. People don’t need to use their trainers every day as even one session a week could yield good results, he says.

Oostehuizen stresses that to achieve the desired results, it’s crucial to choose the right personal trainer. The trainer’s speciality – whether weight loss, rehabilitation or sport – along with personality, does play a role.

In the US, personalised fitness is following a similar trend, with studios providing one-on-one fitness for clients who prefer to exercise far from the all-purpose gym crowd, Reuters reports

“This is definitely a growing area,” said Meredith Poppler of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), the trade association of the fitness club industry.

In 1999, four million Americans were using personal trainers, according to IHRSA, but now the number hovers around 6.5 million. Poppler said personal-only trainer facilities run the gamut from franchises to independent, boutique clubs that pop up in major cities.

At Virgin Active,

as part of their contracts, Oostehuizen says trainers are required to continuously educate themselves about the new techniques and trends that are available.

Rivera says the busiest times for trainers are mid-September, and January until April.

“As soon as the sun starts to set earlier, people disappear,” he adds.

However, while there are many who have gym memberships and personal trainers, South Africans in general, are a lazy nation, says Rivera.

“Although we claim to be a physically active nation, we always fall into the infamous top five. This is the list of the most obese and physically inactive countries internationally.”

According to Rivera’s statistics, Gauteng has the most gym facilities and active people, followed by Cape Town. - Cape Argus

• One-on-one gyms a growing area