Progressive Fitness - Interview with Terrell Lambacker
Terrell Lambacker has been working as Personal Trainer for 22 years. He has either been a trainer or manager for several of the major health and fitness companies in the US. He is hosting his own internet radio show called The Progressive Fitness Radio Show on Blogtalk Radio in Antioch, California. We made a short interview with him.
As a Personal Fitness Trainer yourself, what do you think is the most important value of your training services?
I believe its the accountability I provide my clients. The key to successfully reaching your health and fitness goals is the consistency in which you train. By giving my clients precise workouts that go after the goals in which they presented to me upon beginning this journey and making sure they are consistent in their training regiment makes my value to them immeasurable.
Which are the on-air fitness shows and radio appearances that you have been so far? Which is your favorite and why?
I have been very fortunate in my fitness career to have made appearances on TV and radio programs over the years to be able to talk about proper fitness and health related issues. I was the on air fitness personality for the Weekend Today Show out of New York for about a year. A position I was very proud of. I made appearance once or twice per month to talk about exercises or fitness events happening around town. I also married my assistant who use to help demonstrate exercises on the show while I talked about them to the audience. I also was the lead trainer on a FOOD Network television show called "The Fat Spa Chef Challenge". On that program I trained a prominent chef from a spa in New Mexico and his two friends to see who could lose the most weight. It was an early precursor to The Biggest Loser. I've done local news shows both in New York and San Francisco but I think my favorite was the fitness consumer spot I did for KRON-TV in San Francisco. In that spot I tested fitness products and gave my opinion on them for the fitness consumer. This really allowed me to talk about what worked and what didn't when it came to fitness products, which for me was a blast!
What makes you start on the internet radio show called The Progressive Fitness Radio Show on Blogtalk Radio? Were there any challenges as compared to an on-air appearance?
My wife and I started the internet radio show because we wanted a forum on fitness that was not tied to any gym or health club so we can have an honest dialog about the fitness industry. For the consumer as well as the employee in the fitness industry. We felt with our combined experience in this industry (44 years combined) we have done and seen a lot in fitness and we have our own opinions and insights into fitness and internet radio provides a great platform for us to talk about what we feel fitness is, from the gym members to the personal trainers.
The challenges in putting on your own show are the ones putting on any public presentation would be. You wear all the hats. Content, music, commercials, the whole nine yards. And its all you, its challenging but a really fun thing that my wife and I really enjoy doing.
Based on your experience, what do people generally really want from a personal fitness trainer?
In a word. . . RESULTS. Really that's the bottom line. When a person seeks out a personal trainer, most times its because they have tried on their own to make changes and have failed or not stuck to it. That's where I come in and get them over the hump. I find out what they are capable of and then I push them beyond that. That "beyond" point is where changes to the body take place. That's usually a place that most people are not really able to take themselves or not willing to go on their own. People have an image or idea in their mind about what personal training should be like and I pride myself on delivering on their ideas and exceeding them.
In five years time, what do you foresee the demand for Personal Training being?
I see the demand for good personal training being very big in five years. With health cost, obesity out of control and the general public's thirst for healthier lifestyles growing by the day, the need for good, honest and passionate personal trainers will be in great demand. Personal fitness is leaving the big box gyms and returning to the private training studios, its returning to its roots. The really good personal trainers who worked for the big box gyms see that the corporate owned health clubs and gyms don't really care if their members succeed in getting healthy, they just want "numbers" and member money month after month. Where as the trainer wants to see every member they come in contact with get healthy and get to their fitness goals. And when that trainer starts to become the reason those members are coming to the gym regularly and then the trainer wants to negotiate a better rate of pay for the service level they are providing the gym or health club they then find a reason to get rid of the trainer in order to hire another trainer of lesser skill level because they will work for a much lower rate of pay. Thus losing a valued trainer and giving the fitness member lesser value for the fitness money. Those wonderful and passionate trainers have ventured out and opened their own studios so that they can provide the level of personal fitness training and customer service that the fitness consumer expect and deserve. In five years the big box gyms will be a thing of the past.
Find Terrell's Fitness Studio on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PFTC1
Website: http://myprogressivefitness.com/
The Radio Talkshow: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/progressivefitness
