DC personal trainer

October 31, 2010 7:54 AM

Any recommendations for a personal trainer in DC?

It's approaching the anniversary of my rebooting of my fitness routine, and I've established a happy, satisfying gym routine. Now I want to get stronger by getting some help with the basic lifts everyone always crows about - bench press, squats, and deadlifts. Can anyone recommend a smart, experienced and responsive trainer in metro DC? (My gym's in Chinatown; bonus points if you can recommend someone nearby.)

posted by grrarrgh00 to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

I was pretty impressed with the staff at Balance Gym in Kalorama when I lived in D.C. last year. They tend to know what they're talking about, and since several (most?) are Crossfit-oriented, you'll get some solid instruction in the holy trinity of squat, bench, and deads, probably taught a la Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength. Even if you get a trainer, I'd recommend buying the book anyway to study. It's worth its weight in gold. (One caveat, IMO: His powerclean instructions aren't particularly good... might want to ignore that section and find an olympic-lifting coach to learn those or the other classical lifts.)

As for personal recommendations, I haven't been trained by them, but I've spent some time hanging around Tom Brose ([e-mail]) from City Fitness and Mike Choi ([e-mail]), and are both stand-up guys.
posted by AAAAAThatsFiveAs at 9:33 AM on October 31, 2010

My gym out in the DC burbs doesn't allow free lance trainers. Only the trainers employed by the gym can work there. I think that is standard for a lot of gyms. So before you spend a lot of time looking for a trainer make sure you actually have the option of bringing an outside trainer into the gym.
posted by COD at 12:07 PM on October 31, 2010

I'd recommend Custom Fitness Concepts. I used them four years ago and had wonderful results. I only stopped using them b/c my office moved. The owner will work very hard to pair you with a trainer who meets your needs.
posted by elle.jeezy at 3:29 PM on October 31, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers, folks! I'll explore some of these options.
posted by grrarrgh00 at 10:37 AM on November 1, 2010