You’re ready to make the commitment. We’re here to offer support every step of the way. No matter your fitness level, limitations, or goals, our Personal Trainers have the expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm to help you on your fitness journey. Stop by for a single Fitness Assessment—just to get you started —or opt for a package plan that delivers long-term results. Whatever your need, we’ll help you stay focused, safe and motivated.
To begin working with a personal trainer, please submit the following registration form. Within a few days of completing the form, you can expect an email from our program manager to discuss your goals and to begin the trainer match process. Once you’ve been matched, your new hand-selected personal trainer will reach out to you to discuss your specific goals, barriers, and needs, and will schedule an assessment session with you.
Services
Body Composition Analysis
We use the three-site skinfold test to measure your body fat percentage. The trainer will explain your results and discuss next steps. Please wear shorts and a t-shirt. Allow 15 to 30 minutes for the analysis.
Fitness Assessment and Program Design
This one-hour assessment includes an evaluation of your movement patterns, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, balance and overall health. Assessments are made while you are exercising and while you are at rest. This information will help to establish a fitness baseline and will be useful in setting goals and monitoring your progress.
Based on the completed assessment, your personal trainer will develop a comprehensive training program for you and will review it with you so you are prepared to undertake your own fitness regimen or to begin one-on-one sessions with your trainer. Wear comfortable clothing and gym shoes.
Starter Package
This package includes the Fitness Assessment & Program Development module plus one 60-minute training session.
Training Sessions
Use these 60-minute one-on-one training sessions to stay motivated and accountable, and to help you establish a top-notch exercise routine. Working with a trainer on a regular basis will help you to push beyond your normal boundaries, monitor your exercise to be sure you understand and use the correct form, and provide constructive feedback on your use of exercise machines, free weights and other fitness tools. Sold in packages of 2, 4, 6 or 12 sessions. Sessions may be used anytime within four months of the purchase date.
Prerequisites: Fitness Assessment & Program Development or Starter Package.
Partner Training Sessions
Train with your friend, spouse or partner when each of you purchase a package of training sessions at the partner rate and meet with your trainer together. Each session is 60 minutes. Sessions may be used anytime within four months of the purchase date.
Prerequisite: Both partners must complete either the Fitness Assessment & Program Development or the Starter Package.
Rates
Package
Students
Recreational Sports Members
Body Composition
$25
$25
Fitness Assessment and Program Design
$50
$55
Starter Package
$85
$95
2 Training Sessions
$90
$100
4 Training Sessions
$170
$190
6 Training Sessions
$240
$270
12 Training Sessions
$450
$495
2 Partner Training Sessions
$45/person
$50/person
4 Partner Training Sessions
$80/person
$90/person
6 Partner Training Sessions
$115/person
$130/person
12 Partner Training Sessions
$210/person
$240/person
Become a Trainer
For New Trainers
Apply for a mentoring position. Our Mentoring program offers a paid position with Recreational Sports and practical experience. The mentoring program is highly recommended for newly certified trainers, and required for those who do not have a nationally accredited certification.
Become certified by a nationally accredited organization. Our top four preferred certifications are ACE, ACSM,NASM, and NSCA. If you are not currently certified, a requirement is to schedule your certification exam before you complete the mentoring program.
Mentorship Program
The mentoring program is a paid position that provides practical experience for University of Michigan students. The program consists of group workshops, shadow sessions, mock assessments, mock programming, and mock training sessions. This is a requirement for aspiring trainers to complete prior to working with clients.
Please see the dates below for the Fall 2023 mentoring process. Applications are due September 15, 2023. Apply here.
Mandatory Workshop Dates: Every Wednesday from 3:30 pm-6:30 pm starting September 27 – November 15, 2023
Enrolled U‑M students can register for a session with a Physical Therapist and Personal Trainer who will assess your shoes, flexibility, strength, and movement patterns; analyze your running biomechanics using video taken on your smartphone, and provide personalized recommendations to improve your stride. Provided by University Health Service in collaboration with Recreational Sports. Registration opens two (2) weeks in advance of upcoming clinics.
Major/Area of Study: Nutritional Sciences in Dietetics
PT Certification: NASM
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I want to empower people to get active in the ways that make them happy and confident! I also love increasing confidence in the gym.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): I love working with women who are new to the gym and are looking to begin lifting weights.
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… lifting, reading, thrifting, cooking, and spending time outside.
Fun fact: If you look up my name on PubMed, I come up twice!
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: Through my own fitness journey, I discovered a love for health and wellbeing when the gym became my happy, stress-free place. I want to share this feeling and create this environment for others while also helping them reach their own fitness goals.
Specialty area/preferred client: strength training and general fitness, clients who are new to the gym or want to gain more confidence in the gym
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy…trying new foods/restaurants (I’m a foodie), long walks, listening to new music, skiing, and working out
Fun fact: I am an Aerial Silks performer (aka an Aerialist) and I used to coach in high school!
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I remember feeling lost surrounded by all of the gym equipment, but with consistency and friends who made the gym feel like home, I eventually learned more and more and gained so much confidence. Now, I want to be that friend to help others find confidence and joy in fitness and walk with them in their journey to improving all areas of their lives.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Those interested in strength/hypertrophy, functional training, or anyone new to the gym
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… recreational volleyball, spending time with friends, working out, and listening to music
Fun fact: I broke my arm while arm wrestling (for fun)
Major/Area of Study: Nutritional Science with Dietetics
Certification: ISSA
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I was encouraged by friends who were my trainees (for free and for fun) to be a certified PT because they thought I am gifted at explaining exercises and motivating people to go to the gym.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Glute specialty; Any clients who want a transformation in their life.
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy….. playing violin and talking to my cat.
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I want to share with other people that you can achieve much more than looking good through training – to achieve and break your limits. Each individual is built unique. I would love to be part of each individual’s journey towards recognizing their own uniqueness and power.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Functional Training, Strength and Conditioning
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy…..watching documentaries (ya YouTube…), playing the violin, writing planners…
Something that you didn’t know about me/fun fact: I have perfect pitch!
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I had awesome experiences with a couple of personal trainers who helped get me back to sports after injuries in high school. I fell in love with fitness through their mentorship, and decided I wanted to help others in the same way!
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Endurance Training (runners, cyclists), Athletic Performance
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… running, lifting, watching sports w/ friends, and listening to country music
Fun fact: I love all things outdoors, especially hiking and rock climbing!
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I became a personal trainer because fitness has always been a hobby of mine and I want to help others achieve their fitness goals
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Beginners looking to familiarize themselves with fitness and the gym
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… singing, playing the piano, and working out
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I have gone through periods of athletic training, weight loss, marathon training, and clean muscle gain throughout the last several years. I believe my personal experiences can greatly assist those looking to achieve their fitness goals.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Clients looking to increase their strength or begin working out.
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy working on projects for my consulting group, and my other club involvements.
Major/Area of Study: Nutritional Science/Dietetics
Certification: Canadian Fitness Professionals Personal Training (CanFitPro)
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I really enjoy being a positive influence on people and helping them better themselves through physical activity and healthy living.
Specialty area/preferred client: Athletic Performance (Strength and Conditioning)
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy…Hiking, biking, kayaking! Anything outdoors. I also really enjoy baking and art.
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I wanted to be a trainer to teach more people about the benefits of exercising and spread the love of exercise further.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Prefer clients on the younger side beginning their fitness journey.
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy…breakdancing and playing video games
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: When I started lifting in my bedroom towards the end of high school, I saw a gradual but drastic increase in my confidence, self-efficacy, and body image. Lifting helped me reframe my views of failure, consistency, discipline, and self-love in a more productive way. It took a while for me to really understand the overlap between mental and physical wellbeing, but once it began to click, the personal development I experienced was unmatched. Helping others create and work towards a vision of who they want to be (inside AND out of the gym) is a highly personal process that I would be absolutely honored to take part in.
Specialty area: Strength and Conditioning, Speed/Quickness/Agility, Bodybuilding
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… lifting, curating perfect playlists for very specific moods, trying to keep my plants alive, and spending time with my friends.
Something that you didn’t know about me/fun fact: I have lived in 4 countries thus far!
Major/Area of Study: Major in Computer Science, Minor in Entrepreneurship
Certification: ACE
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: When I was younger, I absolutely hated the way that I looked. I did not feel confident at all. I felt insecure in my own skin and felt terrible. But after finding the gym, and learning exercises and routines, I started to gain more confidence. I started to gain more love and more self-efficacy for myself. I learned and trained and gained more trust in myself. I would like to share that feeling with others. Teaching others about the gym, and helping others find that confidence and love for themselves inside the gym… as well as outside. I wanted to become a PT to help individuals transform themselves in all aspects of life: physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): Muscular hypertrophy and strength, powerlifters, individuals that want to better themselves in all aspects.
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy…working out (more specifically, powerlifting), playing video games, reading, walking in the Arb, eating No Thai!, and listening to podcasts.
Something that you didn’t know about me/fun fact: I can play the: guitar, piano, violin, drums, and know how to produce music!
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: Since a young age, being active and playing sports was a part of my everyday life, and it helped grow my passion for health and fitness. As a personal trainer, I hope to share this passion with others and help people build their confidence in the gym.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): General fitness & strength training.
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… hiking, water sports, skiing, watching hockey & football, road trips, country music, and puzzles.
Fun fact: I was on the rowing team for two years and then played club softball.
Major/Area of Study: Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience
Certification: ACE
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: I enjoy fitness and setting different fitness goals and working to achieve them. Since the world of fitness can seem overwhelming at first, I want to help others overcome this and achieve their fitness goals in an understandable, sustainable, and enjoyable way.
Specialty area/preferred client(s): People new to the gym/people interested in strength training
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… watching sports, working out, and listening to different kinds of music.
Reason for becoming a Personal Trainer: When I started going to the gym consistently, the biggest difference people around me noticed was my newfound confidence. It is very fulfilling for me to see others gain this confidence from the gym.
Specialty area/preferred client: clients with goals of muscular strength, hypertrophy, speed & agility, power, or bodybuilding
When not studying or personal training, I enjoy… lifting, playing the piano, fishing
Something that you didn’t know about me/fun fact: I haven’t outgrown my love of Legos