In the early ‘80s, personal training was virtually unknown except for the “Body by Jake” business in Hollywood. I have seen the explosive growth of the industry through the decades. For example, fitness facilities developed their own personal training staff while restricting outside access from non-staff trainers, and began revenue sharing between trainers and the facility (most at a 60/40 split). Gyms soon began to realize the large revenue stream that could be gained from marketing personal training services to their members.

Individualized personal training has also developed in line with sport-specific athletic interests, pediatric concerns, weight management and nutrition education, injury rehabilitation, balance training, small group (two or more people training together), martial arts, yoga, Pilates, indoor/outdoor cycling, running/walking and multi-sport efforts.

Along with this diverse set of options has come a sizeable increase in pricing (I started out charging $20/hour) as well as an acceptance of personal training as a credible service delivered by knowledgeable, academically-trained, credentialed professionals and experiential exercise enthusiasts.

People were very cautious about weight training then and women were limited to aerobics classes. Weight lifting for ladies, and even skilled athletes, was taboo because coaches thought that it would make you muscle-bound. We now know that everyone benefits from weight training.

The evolution of nutrition counseling is amazing. Back in the ‘80s, only bodybuilders were eating advanced nutrition plans. There was no glycemic index to monitor the rate of carb digestion, no Atkins Diet, or South Beach Diet. You ate from that old standby: the Food Group Pyramid. Now we measure our food with scales before we cook it, and we not only know the exact amount of protein, carbs, and fat, but we also know whether the carbs are sugars, and even if the fats are saturated or a trans fat.

I think there were maybe three major exercise equipment companies then. Now there are hundreds in a multi-billion dollar industry. A lot of the gyms back then were dark and gloomy places, but today’s new equipment makes for a lot more glitz and glamour. Today, more people exercise than ever before. Doctors even prescribe it as a healing remedy. That is something that never happened in the ‘80s.

During the 1980s, bodybuilding type training was in vogue, so most everyone trained the body as separate parts with many different exercises. Barbells and dumbbells ruled, but Nautilus machines were still around. During the 1990s, I was working for the U.S. Air Force overseas and saw the rise of triathlons and endurance training and the functional training movement.

When I became a professional fitness trainer in 1998, I witnessed a focus away from bodybuilding and more toward performance based training, particularly the stability training concept. Then along came stability balls, one-leg movements, core exercises, machines providing unilateral movement, and pretty, rubber coated weight plates that were not supposed to be noisy. At the turn of the century, came kettlebells, TRX suspension trainers and more core concepts.

On the nutritional side, desiccated liver tablets were the rage in 1982, but now it’s the latest super ion exchange whey protein peptide supplement, along with antioxidant vitamins, creatine and Acai drinks. In 1998, the going hourly rate was $45. Now it is around $60 to $70/hour.

Hardly anyone had a computer back then, so phone conversations and handing out hard copies of training schedules was the norm. Hourly rates have gone up tremendously from $20 a session to $60 or more now. Clients also demand more certifications and degrees in your specialty.

Obviously, a lot has changed in the sport of running since 1995. Participation in half marathons and marathons has exploded among the general runner population, while extreme races, stage races, adventure races and triathlons fill the runner’s race schedule now.

In the old days, you could go to any race and sign up the day before or the day of the run. Now you must commit and sign up six months to a year in advance just for that race’s lottery.

Running shoes have changed greatly as well. They have become more expensive, and now you have to be analyzed to determine if you’re a supinator or pronator, or have a high arch, no arch or a flat foot. We used to run in cotton and nylon, but now there’s Cool- Max, Gore-Tex, and countless other materials to keep us dry, cool and warm.