The Center of Clayton

Personal Training

The Center of Clayton offers Personal Training services through its staff of qualified trainers. Personal Trainers at The Center of Clayton hold health and fitness degrees and/or nationally-recognized certifications that enable them to provide safe and effective exercise prescription. A personal training certification provides a recognized standard of technical skill, theoretical knowledge, and safety guidelines for fitness professionals. Qualifying organizations include the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), World Instructor Training Schools (WITS), and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).

We provide services to address your specific goals.  Everyone has their reasons for consulting a trainer, and every workout that our trainers provide will be different from the next.  Our personal trainers are the epitome of providing the "personal" part of personal training.  They will thoroughly assess your present condition at your first appointment so they can get you started on a program that will help you work towards your goals. 

Some of the common programs offered are as follows:

• Improving athletic performance for specific sports;
• Helping your high school athlete prepare and qualify for collegiate sports;
• Breaking through plateaus in weight loss and strength building;
• Exercising safely in preventing injury and promoting longevity of bones and muscles;
• Providing a post-rehabilitative bridge between physical therapy services and unsupervised gym participation. Exercising incorrectly at this stage may prevent healing, cause further injury or even promote chronic immobility;
• Working with metabolic issues such as hypo- or hyperthyroid conditions or diabetes to manage weight;
• Losing weight, gaining flexibility, improving balance, lowering blood pressure, decreasing body fat, improving reflexes, managing chronic pain;

• Working with injuries safely; or, working out efficiently prior to surgery for faster recovery.  Post rehab clients who have undergone "prehab" services often leave surgery stronger than other individuals who have already completed physical therapy. 

Getting Started

Step 1:

Complete a Personal Training Request Form and return to The Center of Clayton.  These forms are also available at the welcome desk.  You may also contact Christi Gleason, Fitness Supervisor to sign up via phone by calling her at (314)290-8511 or email her at cgleason@claytonmo.gov.

Step 2:

The fitness staff will contact you to help you select a trainer that best suits your availability and preferences. If you have specific health concerns or would like to be matched with a trainer, you may call Christi Gleason, Fitness Supervisor at (314)290-8511 or email cgleason@claytonmo.gov.  You can also view our personal trainers' biographies online or in the fitness center to get an idea of who you would most enjoy working with and request sessions with that trainer.  To get the most time with your trainer during your first workout, please complete the Health History Survey prior to your appointment.  

Note: You may be required to have your physician fill out a release prior to your starting an exercise program with a trainer.  This process has been established by the American College of Sports Medicine in order to ensure your safety, rather than to expose you to unnecessary health risks.  Individuals are asked to obtain a physician's release if 2 or more of the following conditions are present:

1. You are currently leading a sedentary lifestyle.
2. You are currently a smoker, or have quit smoking within the last 6 months;
3. Your Body Mass Index is over 30. (To calculate yours, see http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/);
4. You have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or are taking medications to control either;
5. You are a male over 45 or a female over 55;
6. You have an immediate family member who has had a heart attack or stroke at a young age (males under 55, females under 65).
7. You are currently struggling with issues specific to a specific muscle or joint and have not had the problem evaluated by a physician.
8. You have known heart problems, cancer, diabetes, or other chronic illness, and are under a physician's care.  (If so, please obtain a physician's consent form even if none of the other listed conditions are present.)

If the above listed health concerns are present, your trainer's certification requires that they have a Physician's Consent Form completed by your doctor prior to working with you.   We are able to assist you with this process.   All we ask of you is that you: 1) provide us with your physician's information; and 2) phone your physician to let them so they know that the form is on its way.  We will take care of the rest.  If your physician is interested in monitoring your progress, our trainers are happy to work with them to ensure you the safest, most effective workout available.