PERSONAL TRAINING
Recreation & Wellness offers personal training services to assist you with your fitness goals. Whether one-on-one, in a partner setting, or a small group, our certified personal trainers will work with you at a time that fits your schedule. All Swarthmore College certified personal trainers are certified through the
National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and continue to provide personal and small group fitness training to the Swarthmore community at no cost. The certified personal trainers work to continuously educate themselves and others about the role of exercise in a healthy lifestyle. With this education, our trainers are qualified to create science-backed training programs catered to your specific goals and guide you safely through learning and performing exercises.
Questions? Email
Max Miller, Assistant Athletic Director for Recreation, Wellness, & Physical Education.
Meet Our Personal Trainers
Scheduling
For the fall semester, personal training will be offered for a 10 to 12-week block from September through December.
To apply to work with one of our trainers this spring, please complete this application by Friday, September 12 at 11:59 PM. Due to demand, we unfortunately cannot promise that you will be offered to work with a trainer if you apply. If you are not offered personal training this semester, we highly encourage you to further your physical well-being and explore other fitness options Swarthmore offers, such as the
group exercise program.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can my trainer help me with?
Your trainer can help you reach your fitness goals within their scope of practice. Based on your fitness level and goals, your trainer will use the Optimum Performance Training (OPT) model to create a suitable training program for you with your input. Based on your consultation, your trainer will work from where you’re at and gradually introduce new skills, activities, and challenges into your programming. While the training progression for each client is different, your trainer will direct your training plan toward your specific goals. Your trainer will take a holistic approach to your fitness, introducing you to various activities, including flexibility, cardio-respiratory training, core, balance, plyometrics, speed and agility, and resistance training (weightlifting). However, depending on your goals and current stage of training, some modalities will be emphasized over others.
How can I fit this into my busy schedule?
The time commitment is whatever you want to make of it. While you can only schedule a 1-hour in-person session 1-2 times a week, your trainer will create a training program that includes a regimen for other days of the week that you would like to train independently, if any. Based on your training schedule, an appropriate training program will be made to maximize your time and achieve attainable results. Your trainer will never assign you an exercise to do on your own that they haven’t done with you before.
Do I provide my trainer compensation?
No. This service is completely free of charge for Swarthmore students, faculty, and staff.
What if I’m new to fitness and don’t have many specific goals?
This is more than okay! It just means you have more room to learn and explore fitness-related activities. Your trainer will introduce you to many skills, including strength and resistance training, cardio, balance, flexibility and mobility, and speed and agility. Once you find something you're interested in, let your trainer know, and your training program can always be changed to focus on your interests and new goals.
I am interested in becoming a personal trainer at Swarthmore College, what should I do?
We constantly seek to grow our program to provide quality training to more of the Swarthmore community. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a personal trainer in the future, please contact Max Miller at mmiller5@swarthmore.edu.
