Sioux City personal trainer says variety is key to any fitness routine

Instead, the JT Training owner simply says he wants to make their lives "one click better."

"If I can make them do one more pushup or help them avoid eating something unhealthy, I'll do it," Todd said, inside an office at his 2122 Fourth St. fitness studio. "The best things in life are done one click at a time."

Todd ought to know. A sports medicine professional with more than 25 years of experience, he has taught at colleges while training clients who run the gamut from athletes to beauty queen to people off the street. 

But each assessment starts with the same question: what goal are you hoping to achieve regarding your athletic ability or persona fitness?

"I'm working with clients, ranging in age from 8 to 80," Todd explained. "While I can train an elite athlete, most people don't want to become elite athletes."

In fact, they may simply want to lose weight, tone lean muscles and while getting into better shape.  

"We personally create every program based upon evaluations using proven scientific principles of exercise physiology," Todd said.

That may include everything from weight loss and body fat reduction to muscular strength and endurance to reducing pain and improving balance and flexibility.

Plus Todd promises to such activities will be done in a non-intimidating fashion.

"Walking into a fitness facilities can be challenging for people," he said. "It is a misconception that everybody who goes to a gym is in perfect shape."

"That simply isn't true," Todd said, shaking his head.

A recent noontime class had a mix of fitness buffs as well as people simply wanting to get back into shape after the holidays.

OK, level with us. How much time is this really going to take? 

"Most people have neither the desire or the flexibility to spend two hours at a gym," Todd said. "That's why we try to pare everything down as much as much as possible." 

For instance, his clients do the work of a typical 60-minute session, only in half that time.

Indeed, Todd and his assistants choreograph sessions into rapid-fire section, having clients go from station to station or exercise to exercise with little rest in between.

"You have to keep programs fun, challenging and ever-changing," he explained. "Every time a person comes to work out, it will be to a different routine."

"Nobody gets into a rut around here," Todd said while putting his noontime crew through the motions.

This can make exercise the ultimate stress reliever.

"My clients come to me in all shapes, ages and abilities," Todd explained. "If they commit to a program, they'll learn proper technique, get into shape while having a blast doing it."

Which is, ultimately, what Todd's clients want. 

"They're looking for individual results from programs designed with them in mind," he said. "Nothing is worse than a boring exercise class and we don't do boring here."