There are many reasons why AFAC gym members work with our personal trainers. Some need a program to support their weight loss goals, while others are hoping to build muscle. Our newer members often want to learn how to use our gym’s many equipment options. Regardless of the reason, there’s no doubt a personal trainer can be a great addition to your fitness program.

Occasionally, however, people hesitate to invest in a personal trainer at the gym. They might worry about cost or scheduling constraints. They may even be a little shy about working with a pro.

Whether you’ve just started on your fitness journey or have been grinding at the gym for a while and would like to see better results, the certified personal trainers at AFAC gym are a fantastic option. In this blog, we’ll introduce you to our team of personal trainers and list all the benefits you can enjoy while working with them at our gym in Thornton, Colorado. Make sure to ask us about our Christmas special!

Meet Our Gym Trainers and Learn About Our Christmas Special!

AFAC gym has three NASM/NCSA Certified Personal Trainers on staff, including our gym owner Susan Schaffner. Our personal trainers are certified in many disciplines and have years of experience working in the fitness industry.

Susan Schaffner, Owner of AFAC Gym

Susan Schaffner’s life passion is the health and wellbeing of her gym members and everyone in the greater Thornton, CO, community. Her credentials include the following and more:

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer and Group Instructor
ACE Certified Group Personal Trainer
Certified American Nordic Walking Association (ANWA) Personal Instructor
Bariatric Support Group Leader Certified with Bariatric International
Indoor Spin Certified
RAD Mobility 1 and 2 Certified
Cross Core Instructor
Cyro Innovations Cryotherapy Certified
Power Plate Certified

In addition to being a personal trainer at her gym, Susan teaches many group classes at AFAC and holds monthly free Bariatric Support Group meetings that are open to the public.

Jamie McGehee

Jamie McGehee has 15 years of dance and fitness instructing experience. In addition to being a personal trainer at AFAC gym, she teaches several group classes here. She has earned the following credentials:

National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Nutrition Coach
Power Plate Certified
CrossCore Bridge Certified

Nicholas Roehrick

Originally from Orlando, FL, Nick Roehrick was a professional MMA fighter from 2012-2021. As a champion with a 10-2 record, he fought in both the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This experience inspired Nick to become a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer. In addition to being a personal trainer at AFAC gym, he also teaches kickboxing, MMA, and several other classes here.

Our Christmas Special!

For a limited time, you can get a 4-pack of personal training with Susan, Jamie, or Nick for a special price of $268! Each session is 1 hour. Ask any member of our staff for more information.

Top Reasons to Hire a Personal Trainer at AFAC Gym

Now that you’ve met our amazing team of personal trainers, let’s discuss the top reasons why working with them could be the best decision you’ve ever made during your fitness journey.

Your first question might be, what does a personal trainer do?

Personal trainers work with you one-on-one to learn about your fitness goals. They’ll ask you about your background and any physical challenges you’d like to overcome. Prepare to answer questions like: Why do you want to work out? What are you hoping to achieve? What kinds of exercises have you done in the past? Do you have any injuries or joint discomfort?

Once they get to know you a little better, a personal trainer can help design an exercise regimen that’s focused on your wants and needs. They can also assist you with maintaining proper form, avoiding injury, and working all of your muscle groups. Personal trainers are an excellent resource for beginners who don’t know where to start at the gym, as well as seasoned athletes who want to push themselves to the next level.

Here are some ways that personal trainers accomplish all of the above, and much more!

Personal Trainers Can Help You See Results at the Gym

Have you been going to the gym for weeks, months, or even years and you’re not quite where you want to be? Whether you’re trying to change your body composition, lose weight, or build muscle mass as you age, a personal trainer can:

Evaluate your current exercise program. By taking a look at what you’re doing now, a personal trainer can recommend ways to tweak your workouts to make them more efficient and effective, especially as it relates to your goals.
Motivate you. Sometimes, gym members don’t see results because they’re not working as hard as they could be. It might feel like you’re pushing yourself to your limits, but having a personal trainer challenge you can make all the difference in maximizing your efforts. A personal trainer can even set up weekly goals for you, push you toward those goals, and hold you accountable.
Give you an educated opinion. Sure, you can join online support groups, read articles, and watch videos, but nothing can match the knowledge you’ll gain from speaking with an expert. By talking things through with a personal trainer, they’ll learn the nuances of your situation, answer your questions, and set up a plan that fits your unique goals. They can give you objective feedback and offer a new perspective that you hadn’t considered before.

Personal Trainers Can Show You Where to Start at the Gym

If you’ve never been part of a gym before, it can be overwhelming to know what to do or even where to begin. Should you do cardio? Start a weightlifting program? Take a group class? All of the above? How does all this equipment even work? Will I embarrass or hurt myself?

A personal trainer can teach you everything from square one. They’ll never make you feel embarrassed about a lack of knowledge. With a personal trainer, there are no stupid questions — on the contrary, personal trainers are proud of you for wanting to improve yourself and your health.

For beginners, a personal trainer can:

Help you determine the frequency, intensity, time, and type (F.I.T.T.) of exercise you should do.
Suggest workouts that align with your fitness level, schedule, and the equipment available.
Teach you about weights, reps, and sets.
Educate you about the role diet plays in your fitness program.
Introduce you to tools like activity trackers, body composition assessments, and cryotherapy that can enhance your workouts.
Show you how to get the most out of your workouts while avoiding injury and overtraining.

A Personal Trainer Can Alleviate Boredom at the Gym

If you’ve been working out at the gym for a while, you might think you’re so experienced that you don’t need a personal trainer. But this is not always the case! A personal trainer can provide you with some variety in your fitness program.

It’s far too easy to fall into a rut when you go to the gym regularly. You can find yourself doing the same workouts, over and over again. This can lead to boredom, lack of motivation, weight loss and muscle building plateaus, overuse injuries, and fatigue.

If you’re a gym veteran, you might consider working with a personal trainer to get a fresh perspective on your workout possibilities. A personal trainer can adjust your workouts to make them more challenging, interesting, and fun! They can also look at your performance and tell you about areas where you could push yourself harder to improve.

Remember that personal trainers are experienced in a multitude of different workout options. If there’s a workout you’ve always wanted to try like Tabata, MMA, the resistance sled, TRX, tire training … you name it, your personal trainer can show you the ropes.

A personal trainer’s fresh approach can challenge your body and your mind. Even if you only commit to a few personal training sessions or meet with a personal trainer twice a year, it can be exciting and motivating to try new equipment and exercises.

A Personal Trainer Can Challenge You

Have you hit a plateau with your progress? Do you have a weak muscle group that you’d like to strengthen? Are you trying to prepare for a competitive event?

A personal trainer can give you that extra boost you need to reach the next level. Some examples of how a personal trainer can challenge you include:

Adding volume, reps, and/or intensity to your workouts
Engaging in workouts with you to add a competitive edge
Being there to encourage you to do one more rep
Exposing your hidden strengths, which can motivate you to do that much more

A Personal Trainer Can Teach You How to Exercise on Your Own in the Gym

If you love to exercise alone, you’re not alone! Many gym members cherish their workouts as their “me time” to unwind and relax.

That doesn’t mean a personal trainer is of no use to you, though. Even if your goal is to workout at the gym by yourself, hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions can teach you:

The correct way to perform exercises
The correct way to lift weights if you’re new to strength training
The many different exercise varieties available to choose from and which muscles they target so you’re able to create your own full-body workouts
How to do each exercise with proper form so that you’ll get the results you’re looking for and avoid injury
Whether it’s best for you to work with resistance bands, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, the landmine, or another type of strength training equipment
How much cardio you should incorporate into your workouts and when
How many reps and sets to complete for each exercise
About all your different muscle groups so you can design a workout program that hits each one sufficiently

Even after you stop meeting with your personal trainer, you can still keep in touch and schedule a few sessions whenever you need to learn more or refresh your program.

A Personal Trainer Gives You Motivation and Accountability at the Gym

Different people are motivated by different things. Some people have an internal drive that keeps them motivated. Others are motivated by other internal factors like wanting to reverse type 2 diabetes or be healthier for their family.

It can also be helpful to have external motivation to go to the gym, which usually comes in the form of a workout buddy or other human in your life who holds you accountable. A personal trainer can be that motivator, too. Here’s how:

Your personal trainer will ask you about how your diet and workout plan have been going. When you know that you’ll have to answer to someone, you’re less likely to skip your gym time or cheat on your diet.
You’ll have a standing appointment with your trainer, and you’ll feel guilty if you cancel on them.
Since you paid your personal trainer, you won’t want to lose that money by not following through and meeting them when you’re supposed to.
You’ve invested time into your training program. Time is more valuable than money, and you won’t want to waste that time you’ve invested by quitting.

Your Personal Trainer Can Be a Part of Your Treatment for an Illness, Injury, or Condition

Many illnesses, injuries, and conditions are treated by exercise. A few examples include high blood pressure, depression, arthritis, obesity, broken bones, and strained tendons.

But if your doctor prescribes exercise as a treatment, you might be concerned that you’ll do it wrong or make your condition worse. Plus, if movement causes you pain, it sounds counterproductive that exercise can make you feel better.

This is where a personal trainer can be of assistance. Personal trainers work with all kinds of people with special needs, including those who are exercising to reverse or heal from a condition.

How can a trainer help?

Creating a fitness plan that works on your condition without risking a new injury or re-injury
Showing you how to exercise when you’re dealing with a chronic condition like heart disease, diabetes, or back pain
Increasing your core strength, balance, and stability if you’ve had a fall and need to work on those areas to prevent future falls
Introducing you to exercises that are designed to combat neck or back pain

Before you work with a personal trainer to deal with a medical issue, make sure to:

Talk to your doctor and get clearance for exercise at the gym. Your personal trainer might even require a doctor’s permission before working with you.
Work with your physical therapist (if you have one) and ask your trainer to get in touch with them to find out which exercises you should or shouldn’t be doing.

A Personal Trainer Can Help You Train for a Specific Sport or Event

Whether you’re a skier, snowboarder, golfer, runner, cyclist, or bikini fitness competitor, a personal trainer can help you improve your game.

With the right background and credentials, a personal trainer knows what exercises to focus on for specific sports. They can develop workouts for you that strengthen the areas you need to work on while helping you avoid overuse injuries. They can also advise you on how much recovery time you need and introduce you to recovery tools like active recovery, cryotherapy and hydromassage.

One major concern for athletes in particular sports is that they can get overuse injuries from making the same motions over and over again. A personal trainer can provide you with cross-training options that will allow your muscles and joints to move differently and rest.

Personal Trainers Can Supervise and Support You at the Gym

Instead of instruction, sometimes you just need some support and supervision at the gym. A personal trainer can provide these, too. How can a trainer help?

By being your workout buddy — In addition to telling you what to do, a personal trainer can do workouts alongside you.
By keeping you motivated — If you need motivation to even show up at the gym, having an appointment with a personal trainer — or even working out at the same gym they do — can give you the push you need to show up and do the work.
By spotting you — If you’re lifting heavy, a personal trainer can keep you safe by spotting you. They can help rack your weights, as well.
By being part of your social support network — A personal trainer is there to help you with your overall wellbeing. They care if you’re stressed out or feeling down, because those emotions will impact the kind of food you’re eating and your motivation to work out. Your relationship with your personal trainer will leave you feeling supported. You can voice your concerns and struggles, knowing that your personal trainer has your back.
By supporting your mental health — It’s a well-known fact that physical exercise can help with mental health challenges like depression and anxiety. Many doctors prescribe exercise to help people cope with these challenges. Your personal trainer can choose the right exercises to positively impact your mental health and be one more person in your support network that you can lean on.

A Personal Trainer Has Experience with Other People Just Like You

One of the main reasons to hire a personal trainer is because they can educate you on all aspects of your health. Not only do personal trainers have diplomas and certifications to back up their knowledge, but they’ve also worked with other clients who deal with the same challenges you do. Personal trainers know what’s worked for their other clients, and they can share that real-world experience with you. Knowledge is power when it comes to achieving your fitness goals!

A Personal Trainer Can Show You How to Minimize Wasted Time and Maximize Results at the Gym

There are usually two types of people who go to the gym.

Those who wander around, do a few exercises aimlessly, and wander out.
Those who have a plan in mind and hit the machines with a purpose.

If you’re like person #1, a personal trainer can help you become more like person #2 — a person with a plan and purpose at the gym.

If you’re like person #2, a personal trainer can identify what changes you need to make to take your training to the next level — saving you time at the gym and enabling you to make the most out of each workout session.

A Personal Trainer Can Give You Guidance on Nutrition

A good personal trainer will have some education on how nutrition affects fitness (hint — diet is a huge part of it!) They can guide you on maintaining a healthy diet with the proper amount of calories, protein, and the other nutrients you need to achieve your fitness goals.

The Personal Training Pros at AFAC Gym

Whether you need a few sessions with a personal trainer to hone your skills or you want ongoing support with one-on-one coaching, a personal trainer at AFAC gym can give you the tools and knowledge required to reach virtually any health and fitness goal. Thanks to the accountability, education, and personalized planning they give you, you’ll find a personal trainer is well worth the investment. And now, you can even take advantage of the Christmas special at AFAC gym!

If you’re looking for a gym that has highly credentialed personal trainers on staff, we hope you’ll consider joining Adventure Fitness Athletic Club. The team at AFAC gym is here to give you a tour and show you why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado. Our personal trainers can assist you with tailoring a strength training and cardio program that will provide maximum results for your efforts.

If you’re not a member of AFAC gym but would like more information, please stop by and speak to our team. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.