Group Policy Ensures Long-Term Fitness

Finally ready to get serious about getting fit? Step 1: Drop that rugged individualist shtick and get with the group.

If you’re not already in a solid routine, going it alone can strike down even the best intentioned of fitness plans. That’s because, well, most of us have a little less self-discipline than we like to think. Busy Southern Californians who set off in search of a trimmer physique or greater endurance often end up with something else instead: home exercise equipment collecting dust in the garage, a gym membership card that never makes it out of the wallet, even nagging injuries that result from over-training or improper technique.

“I really believe that [working with a group] is the single most important factor in getting fit,” says Robert Kahler of Santiago Cycling Inc. in Tustin. “Exercising alone is so difficult. There are really few people who can do that successfully.”

Kahler has had plenty of opportunity to watch the group dynamic at work through an indoor cycling program he runs at his shop. The seven-month program builds skill, endurance, speed and power through twice-weekly workouts of increasing intensity--he doesn’t call the intermediate session the “torture clinic” for nothing.

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When you work out with a group, Scott says, “you know people are doing what you’re doing. You know they’re feeling the same discomfort you’re feeling.”

Group settings also provide structure, which can help a beginning exerciser build a program that will survive those precarious first months and translate into a real lifestyle change. Perhaps the most important thing that working out with a group can provide, however, is motivation to stay with the program.

“It’s easy to slough off if it’s just yourself, but if you have a group depending on you, it’s much easier to get out there and do it,” says Richard Scott, who leads marathon training workshops in conjunction with A Snail’s Pace running shops in Fountain Valley and Laguna Niguel.

Over the years, his program has helped hundreds of people, many with little or no running experience, complete their first marathon after just six months of training. Last year alone, 250 people took part.

Knowledge is another part of the group equation. When embarking on a fitness program, “most people don’t understand what to do,” says Kahler. That can translate into poor results, frustration--even injury.

“The most common mistake [among people starting a workout program] is trying to do too much, too soon, too fast. Over-training will result in injury or exhaustion,” Scott says. “One of the reasons our program works is that we have a specific distance to cover a specific day. We have plenty of rest built into our program, which is just as important as the working out part.”

To get active with a group, one can sign up for a program such as Kahler’s or Scott’s, or seek a club in a particular area of interest.

There are large clubs such as Orange County Wheelmen (for cyclists) or South Coast Roadrunners (for runners), as well as myriad smaller groups. Check out a shop specializing in your favorite pursuit--they’ll have the lowdown on local clubs, and may even run one themselves.

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Some fitness activities don’t lend themselves as well to the group dynamic, weight training being a prime example. Gym regulars and active body builders might feel at home in the weight room, but beginners might find the atmosphere “extremely intimidating,” says Jill Koval Kahler, a personal trainer and owner of Mr. Jill’s Body Firm in Tustin.

Hiring a personal trainer can be an excellent--though pricey--way to gain knowledge, confidence, motivation and at least a hint of the social aspect of group programs. In fact, Koval Kahler (wife of Robert Kahler) has sessions for groups of two or three at a discount from the individual rate. Her business charges $50 an hour for individuals, $35 for groups, well within the range for such services (which can commonly run $60 or $65 an hour).

Among her clients, weight loss is the most common goal, although some are looking to improve their fitness for cycling or other sports. Many are in their 40s and older. “They’ve spent time on their jobs and with their families and now they’re ready to spend some time on their own health,” Koval Kahler says. “A lot of them don’t feel really good about their bodies, because they haven’t done anything in a long time,” she adds. “They need education on proper form and technique.”

Clients tend to stay with personal trainers for two to three months, although some clients have stayed with Mr. Jill’s for several years. The most important thing is to set clients on the right path and to make exercise part of their routine. The turning point takes several months to hit.

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Kahler, of Santiago Cycling, says the turning point in his cycling fitness classes is marked in a couple of ways. One is when people begin to feel a part of the group in a social sense. Many of those who graduate from his program go on to join the shop’s cycling club, as a way to keep their momentum going and to maintain new friendships made in the class. Another marker for when fitness becomes a lifestyle change is when people begin to see the physical results of all their hard work, he says. That’s something Koval Kahler sees with her customers as well. She tells of a new client, a woman of 55 who after about eight weeks had cut her body-fat percentage in half. “She looks awesome,” Koval Kahler says, “and she’s on top of the world.”

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Here Are a Few Classes to Get You Going

Santiago Cycling Inc. starts its next round of indoor cycling workshops in October. Each session (there are three) lasts eight to nine weeks and costs $199. Customers bring their own bikes, but the shop provides the equipment to adapt them for stationary use. Classes tend to fill up. Information: (714) 544-6091.

Richard Scott begins his next six-month marathon workshop, and a new jog-walk fitness program, in August. Weekly sessions are offered in Huntington Beach and in Laguna Hills. The cost is $125. Information: (714) 842-2337.

Mr. Jill’s Body Firm offers personal instruction on weight training in Tustin. (714) 838-5751.