Star Workouts: How do personal trainers stay in shape?

Jan. 11, 2009

Everyone knows that a personal trainer can help you get in the best shape of your life by tailoring a workout to fit your needs and then seeing that you keep at it.
But how do personal trainers keep in shape? Do they practice what they preach? Here’s a rundown on some notable fitness experts in the area:

Jennifer Cutler Pampu
Jennifer Cutler Pampu gets much of her exercise at her Pure Pilates studio, located at 124 Cass, above the Omellete Shoppe in downtown Traverse City.
“I definitely do pilates five times a week, doing about 45 minutes each day on the Reformer and other core-strengthening exercises,” she says. “Then I add an occasional yoga class for meditation and extra stretching.”
But that’s not all, because Pampu also runs 15-20 miles per week, keeping the mother of two girls in tip-top shape.

Rhonda Brandt


“I’ve been a personal trainer for 30 years now, going back to the days of the Jane Fonda workout,” says Rhonda Brandt, 51, who runs a packed schedule at the Fitness Center in Traverse City.
“I probably have 20 clients -- I’m booked!” she says. “I’m very blessed and I also teach about 15 classes a week.”
Her classes are part of her workout. Four days a week, Brandt leads a spinning class, riding a stationary bike for up to two hours a day. She also enjoys weight-training every other day, and completes two hours of cardio workouts daily.
She likes to trade tips with personal trainer Carrie McCardel. “We help each other out. If we see any new moves or articles on fitness, we work on each other to see if they’re worthwhile.”

Barb Wilson

“What kind of workouts do I do? That’s hard to answer,” says Barb Wilson of Bay Tennis and Petoskey Health and Fitness. “I have three group classes each day, so I don’t have to plan any workouts outside of my job. I have the luxury of working out as part of my job.”
A resident of Harbor Springs, Wilson, 48, averages three hours of fitness each day. That can include two spinning classes, an aerobics class, and group exercise classes every day. “I work six days a week, so Sunday is my recovery day.”
Fitness has been a lifelong interest. She started doing serious workouts in 1981 and has enjoyed the fitness lifestyle for 28 years.

Daniel Siderman

As the manager of Running Fit in downtown Traverse City, Daniel Siderman, 35, has plenty of ideas for keeping your running regimen on track, including cold-weather workouts.
“Normally, I run more in the winter than in the summer,” he says. “It’s easier to do, as long as you dress right. You can’t do anything about dealing with heat in the summer, but in the winter you can add layers of clothing, wear spikes, and off you go.”
Siderman has been running since he was eight years old. He completes six-eight races per year, including a couple of marathons and a number of local races. He also weight-trains twice a week or so.
So, how many miles does he run each week?
“It varies quite a bit, depending on injuries and my level of fitness, but anywhere from 20 to 50 miles,” he says. “This year I’m coming off an injury, so I’m nowhere near the top end, but last year, I was logging 50 miles a week.”

Lauri Brockmiller & Doug Petersen

Launching a new gym is adding zest to the workouts of Doug Petersen and Lauri Brockmiller. The Rock Bottom Training Gym in Building 50 at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons is part of the new “trainers gym” movement, which will provide workouts for small groups of 4-10 people. The gym will also be open to business owners and residents of the Building 50 complex.
As a member of the Hagerty Cycling Team, Lauri Brockmiller, 34, enjoys 10-14 hours of cycling each week to stay in shape. “I use an indoor trainer and also enjoy spinning, which is part of teaching two or three classes per week,” she says. “Then I do some weights and core exercises along with the basic stuff like push-ups and sit-ups -- probably for another two hours a week.”
Doug Petersen, 43, is incorporating general fitness activities into his lifestyle.
“I get paid to exercise all week,” he says. “So during my time off, I go to Bikram Yoga and do purposeful stuff like taking long walks.
There was a time when Petersen was doing a lot of marathon training and also intense weight-training with heavy weights (ie: 300 lbs.) which resulted in some joint injuries that prompted him to back down. “I feel better now not doing the extreme stuff,” he says. “Now that I’m over 40, I want to keep moving and avoid injuries.”