Student Supervisor over Personal Training Charles Crouch shares his perspective
Emily Nickles, Page Editor
Some students may be wondering what a personal trainer can do for them at a university that isn’t dominated by athletes. Aren’t there are plenty of treadmills, bikes, weight machines and even a climbing wall in the university Fitness and Recreation Center? Sometimes, though, it’s not easy knowing where to begin a workout plan or how to reach health goals, which is where a personal trainer comes in.
Meet a personal trainer
Finding a passion
Student Supervisor of Personal Training Charles Crouch began working at the TWU Fit & Rec as a personal trainer in summer 2011, right before the gym opened. His role has changed a bit, but so has Crouch.
Crouch began his undergraduate at Texas Tech University in Lubbock studying Architecture. After one semester at Tech, Crouch realized that it wasn’t the place for him, but discovered then that he loved the gym and working out. His mom suggested that he transfer to TWU to get a degree in Kinesiology. Crouch agreed and began an undergrad here in Adaptive P.E.
A real sense of direction came when Crouch took a personal training course in 2009 “because I knew I would be interested in it.” He then spent a year studying for his training certification and was later awarded the certification in 2011. He shared: “I realized what I really wanted to do was train, and not so much A.P.E., so with my advisor, we decided I should go ahead and switch majors because it [Kinesiology] wasn’t really where my passion was.”
What he does
As the Student Supervisor, Crouch’s job is to keep the program integrated and involved with the rest of Fit & Rec. He is there to help keep the personal trainers as a whole united under a mission, but he does not only oversee; he still takes clients too. Crouch realized that there was a need for someone to help coordinate the personal trainers, but not be just a manager.
He shared: “The trainers have a lot of autonomy, but I felt like there should be a position connecting us better with the Fit & Rec overall, so I suggested it to my bosses…I wasn’t even suggesting myself, I just thought we needed it.” The position was created this past fall and given to Crouch.
Clientele and goals
Crouch describes his clients’ experience when they set goals and are able to reach them: “My main clientele is actually older adults because I have a certification in it [personal training]…the biggest changes I see, is that when you’re training an older adult, who would come in and be very slow and very timid about moving because they worry about being able to support themselves,…over time, they get more comfortable in their ability to catch themselves and become stronger overall.”
About the program
Crouch described a key group of the university population the TWU Fit & Rec attempts to cater to when thinking about services, sharing: “Since the population is mostly 18 to 22-year-old females, a lot of the demographic may be intimidated by the gym. So I would say a big reason why we offer the personal trainer program is to educate, to help everyone understand that cardio isn’t the end all be all.”
The personal trainer program at TWU is a separate cost from that of the Fit and Rec usage fees, which are covered and included in student services fees at the beginning of each semester. Students receive a major discount and reap benefits while using the university personal trainer program at $18 for a single session and further discounts when purchasing more than one session. Crouch emphasized that students and faculty can receive a free evaluation session before signing up with a personal trainer.
What is a personal trainer?
The personal trainers at TWU are students who meet specific qualifications that certify them for the position. According to Crouch personal trainers are not required to have a certification, but have to meet a certain set of requirements and must be working on a degree in a related area, primarily Kinesiology. Trainers must go through quite a bit of training before they are allowed to take clients. The main purpose of a trainer is to help their client reach their fitness goals, and that means determining the best set of exercises and training that will achieve the desired result. Often the workout plan is accompanied with instruction on form and how to use machines correctly.
If you are interested in a free evaluation or setting an appointment with a personal trainer visit http://www.twu.edu/fitandrec/personal-training.asp.