Freshman Peter Moore offered a simple incentive for any student to get involved in personal fitness at Tufts. "It's free," he said, "So why not?"
Moore was referring to the Tufts Personalized Performance Program (TP3). Operating out of Gantcher, TP3 offers Tufts students, faculty, staff and alumni a largely untapped opportunity to strengthen or establish their commitment to fitness with help from a group of experienced personal trainers.
To draw students in, the program is offering five free personal training sessions to students, regardless of age or ability.
TP3 begins when the client completes an initial inquiry form, with information regarding exercise and dietary habits, medical history and personal goals. Clients are then matched up with a student-trainer who can accommodate their scheduling preferences.
In the first five-session starter package, which is free of charge for students and $100 for faculty, staff and alumni, the client receives an initial consultation, fitness and flexibility testing, and three supervised workouts.
Subsequent sessions cost $25 each for all participants. Smaller sessions for two to four clients are also available.
According to Program Coordinator Jackie Desmarais, TP3's key feature is its individualized nature.
"We do a really good job of making it about you," she said. "In the first session, our trainers will sit down with you and pay attention to your goals. The trainer makes the experience what you want it to be."
Desmarais said that clients enter the program with a variety of health and fitness aspirations. She cited weight loss as the most popular goal but included general fitness, muscular strength and reduced stress in a list of other common objectives.
"When you look at many of our clients, they want to bulk up," she said. "If you're a runner, but you're missing the strength component, we're here for you."
The program's services also extend beyond the fitness center.
"We'll collaborate with health services for you, or we'll hook you up with a nutritionist," Desmarais said.
Moore, who began his training in the fall of 2006, signed up for TP3 with the hope of boosting his confidence in the fitness center - a desire common to many beginning a workout regimen in a new place.
"I did it just to figure out what to do when I go to the gym," he said. "In high school I had run cross country but I didn't really do any weight workouts."
For Moore, who has opted to continue working out with his trainer after the initial five sessions, TP3 is serving its purpose.
"Now I feel like I can go to the gym and actually get something done," he said. "I know what exercises to do, how to stretch, and how to work each muscle group."
The program also employs 30 student trainers, all of whom are Tufts undergraduates. Each has successfully completed the course PE 145, "Advanced Principles of Exercise," while some have further advanced their training qualifications by receiving national certification.
Senior Alia Hastings, a trainer who received her national certification in 2005, said the most rewarding part of her job is the ability to influence the attitudes of her clients.
"Watching people go from feeling really intimidated by the gym to really confident is pretty amazing," she said.
Hastings' decision to become a trainer stemmed from her own positive experience in the program as a client.
"My trainer freshman year helped boost my confidence when I was having a rough time," she said. "I wanted to be able to do that for other people."
Tufts alum Janice Blatt signed up for TP3 six years ago, when her resolutions to become familiar with the gym, lose weight and improve muscular strength brought her back to the Medford campus.
"It's such an opportunity to take advantage of for anyone who is in or around the university, for a fair and reasonable price," she said.
Blatt said that her trainer's consideration of her initial consultation in addition to her own personal goals have made the experience a resounding success.
"I've really been able to achieve my goals staying in the program," she said. "I don't think that I had the same knowledge about working out that I do now."
According to Blatt, the program is valuable because of its emphasis on keeping up with cutting-edge methods in exercise and fitness.
"It's great for staying up to date with all the new techniques," she said. "They are constantly changing and adapting the program."
Hastings said that there's no criteria for who can sign up to TP3 - the program is available to "anybody who is interested in learning more about anything in the gym, whether you don't know what you're doing or you want to change your workout," she said.
Blatt viewed the program as an especially good opportunity for students who are brand new to fitness.
"I would clearly recommend it to anybody who might not be around the fitness center as a way to become part of that area on campus," she said.
Desmarais said she is looking forward to serving many clients to come. "Our hope is for people to realize that we're here for them," Desmarais said. "What a great time to start a routine that can be a lifelong style of healthy living."
