His fervor for fitness turns clients into believers

IT’S not difficult to find a personal trainer in Southern California, where they’re as ubiquitous as Starbucks. But not all trainers are created equal. What puts Los Angeles-based trainer Harley Pasternak at the top of his game are his methods for motivating clients.

Forget the stereotype of a trainer yelling “Feel the burn!” during a lat pull-down; Pasternak’s specialty is helping clients to understand the true benefits of exercise: feeling better and more energetic, being healthy and enjoying life.

Pasternak, whose well-known clients have included Halle Berry, Orlando Bloom and Val Kilmer, tells people to look beyond losing weight for an upcoming vacation or high school reunion, or as a temporary means to an end.

Instead, he encourages them to think of exercise as a necessary daily ritual. He favors uncomplicated workouts that are fun, quick and challenging, often requiring no expensive equipment.

Pasternak also conveys to clients the enthusiasm he has for fitness: “I can’t be in a gym and not want to lift something,” he says. “I try to impart how excited I am -- I say, ‘Come on, you’re lucky to have time off in your day to work out, you’re healthy enough to be here -- enjoy this, this is amazing!’ Usually it works, and they get excited on their own.”

Most clients, however, begin exercising for reasons other than health--looking better, or fitting into a smaller size, for instance. While he says that’s not the best reason to start a fitness program, it may act as a catalyst for catching the exercise bug.

A friend of Pasternak began attending Spinning classes to be near a guy to whom she was attracted.

After six months, he says, “She lost tons of weight and felt great about herself.” She went from being this overweight girl with low self esteem to being really confident.”

Michael Massee, an L.A.-based actor, says Pasternak motivates him by making the workout “not a laborious thing. He switches it up, and makes it almost like a game. For me the whole idea of training is such a headache, but I’m not sitting there thinking I have to lift something one more time.”

His wife, children’s clothing designer Ellen Massee, calls Pasternak’s training technique “subtle. He’s got the perfect combination of gentle encouragement and a lack of tolerance for excuses like, ‘I’m tired.’ He just ignores that.”

Pasternak, who grew up in Canada and started weight training as a teenager, has a masters in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto. He also holds certifications from the American College of Sports Medicine and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. His new book, “5-Factor Fitness,” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2004) offers a no-frills exercise and diet plan.

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He offers these tips to start and keep up a fitness program:

Short-term goals don’t work for everyone.

One of Pasternak’s clients lost 75 pounds for an entertainment industry event at which he was being honored. Then he gained back all the weight.

“His motivation should have been his health because he was fat, had high blood pressure and his father died of a heart attack,” he says. “But none of that motivated him.”

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Before starting a program, put some thought into it.

“If you don’t like exercise, then you’re going to need to think about what your motivation is,” says Pasternak.

Beyond looking better, he believes people should concentrate on the fact that they will feel better, have more confidence and be healthier overall.

“No one on their deathbed says, ‘I exercised too much over my life,’ ” he says.

One of Pasternak’s former clients was a woman in her 70s who, after getting into shape, began training with her overweight 15-year-old grandson. “Her motivation,” he says, “became seeing him change how he felt about himself and his body. Part of his motivation was spending time with his grandmother.”

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Keep the workout simple but be flexible too.

Devise a workout that’s simple but can be changed; it shouldn’t be so repetitious that boredom sets in after a few weeks.

But avoid putting too much thought into a program, says Pasternak.

“People think they have to go to a gym and have a trainer. Instead of going for a walk, they’ll say, ‘I have to get a great pair of running shoes, and I have to get an outfit to wear, and I need a walking partner.’ Just start with something. Stairs are great. Get a weight bench and a set of dumbbells. You can get a jump-rope for $5.”

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Little things count too.

In addition to big-picture incentives such as better health, Pasternak says to appreciate the smaller things that can also inspire one to work out. Some people find the social atmosphere of gyms enticing, and busy parents may enjoy the quality “me” time away from the children. Others may find motivation in outdoor workouts near the ocean or in the mountains.