ISU students, faculty and staff now are able to plan and complete workouts with their own personal trainer through a new program at the Lied Recreation Center. Larry Cooney, director of recreational services, said the program was put in place to fill a void for those with specific fitness goals in mind. “We were the only school in the Big 12 without one,” said Trisha Vennink, fitness coordinator and trainer for the program. “Even the University of Northern Iowa had one.” One-hour sessions with trainers include weight training, stretching, flexibility and abdominal exercises, said Vennink, senior in exercise and sport science. Cardiovascular work is left for the participants to do on their own time. The cost per session is $10 for students and $15 for faculty, staff and their families. The prices are relatively inexpensive compared to the cost for an hour session with a personal trainer at the Ames Racquet and Fitness Club, which is $35 per hour. Participants buy packages in six-week intervals and may train one, two or three times a week. Vennink said six-week packages are necessary because “it takes that long to get in the habit of doing something.” The trainers are certified juniors or seniors majoring in exercise and sport science who are “very capable of training,” Vennink said. “If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have been hired.” Vennink said many students don’t have an efficient workout plan. Instead they “wander around from machine to machine without knowing what to do,” she said. With a personal trainer, a person is able to get the maximum benefit from the machines, she said. Hosanna Hanson, junior in finance and entrepreneurial business, worked with Vennink for two months. She said she decided to start working with a trainer because she wanted to be more efficient in her workout and to learn different techniques. “If you have a question, there’s someone right there to help you,” she said. A trainer can be a source of new ideas for people who have been exercising a long time or simply a way to become oriented to all of the equipment at the rec center, Vennink said. Diana Nelson, wife of a faculty member, said the program is especially beneficial for people who are older than the traditional student. “It can be intimidating to walk in and see mostly young faces,” she said. “[The program] makes you feel like it’s appropriate to be there.”