Tufts offers unique personalized fitness program

The Tufts Personalized Performance Program, offered this semester for the first time to students, alumni, faculty, and staff, had attracted over 60 participants as of last week, with no official advertising. The program intends to give participants a well-rounded and individualized perspective on their health and fitness.

Sponsored by the Department of Athletics, the School of Nutrition, the Community Health Department, Health Services, the Counseling Center, and the Office of Residential Life and Learning, the program is a "first-of-its-kind," Assistant Director of Public Relations Siobhan Houton said in a press release.

For participating students, the Personalized Performance Program _ available to approximately 100 clients on a first-come, first-served basis _ focuses on improving or preventing some of the lifestyle patterns that students develop during the college years. It also features a nutrition research component.

Trainers develop an individualized health and fitness program that utilizes the facilities and resources of the University. Programs may include performance training for athletes, personal training or group exercise classes such as aerobics, and spinning and yoga sessions.

The program was created through the efforts of Athletic Director Bill Gehling, Assistant Athletic Director Branwen Smith-King, and Mike Pimentel, Tufts' Director of the Lunder Fitness Center and a lecturer in physical education. The program was proposed to the Board of Athletic Overseers and President Larry Bacow, and was implemented this fall.

The main purpose of the program is "to enhance the experience of being a member of the Tufts community by offering a customized and integrated program, within the University, to assist with achieving your personal best," Pimentel said.

The first five sessions are free of charge to students, but faculty, staff, and alumni must pay $20 per session. All participants must pay $25 per session after the fifth session.

The first session entails an interview and a consultation with a personal trainer to share pertinent information, such as exercise history, goal setting, and a medical and lifestyle questionnaire.

The following sessions include assessment tests in the areas of posture, flexibility, strength, and endurance and the design of a customized four to six week fitness program. Participants also have a workout with a trainer to learn proper technique and progressions. After the final session, clients are asked to provide feedback on the program by filling out a confidential questionnaire.

"The program is not designed to be a one dimensional program offering only personal training," Pimentel said. "It will benefit the Tufts community by integrating the various aspects and services the University has to offer, such as Nutrition, Health Services, Physical Education, mini courses, and workshops."

The program currently consists of a team of five student trainers and two coaches. Clients are identified and trained according to their individual performance profiles, based on fitness (strength, flexibility, endurance and speed), competition, and performance (for athletes at the varsity, club and intramural levels). Workshops on nutrition deal with the area of "wellness," as do activities in kayaking, marathon training, stress management, meditation, smoking cessation, and financial planning.

The integration of various University departments will enhance the experience of its participants and make the program unique.

The program represents the Physical Education/Athletics Department's continual attempt to "meet the needs of the Tufts community," Pimentel said. "The requests for a broader scope of course offerings and educational services have been on the rise. This program will help to meet individual needs while cooperating and integrating with many of the other services on campus."