Civilian personal trainer helps service members reach their goals

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Teresa M. Jennings
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) --  With today's fitness standards, more Airmen are making an effort to improve the quality of their training regimen. One way they can do that is by enlisting the help of personal trainers who are available through the base fitness centers.

That's what Staff Sgt. David Johnson did. About three months ago, Johnson was passing his PT test with 75.

"I wanted to get into better shape," said Johnson, a gym operations manager assigned to the 375th Force Support Squadron. "I knew I needed to change my lifestyle."

That's when Johnson met Omar Acosta, a personal trainer working at the gym here.

"Until I met Omar, I thought I knew what I was doing," Johnson said.

Acosta has been a personal trainer, power lifter and body builder for more than 30 years.

"I work on a progressive learning program," Acosta said. "I show my students how to properly perform the exercise, what muscles it works and why the exercise is important."

Acosta works with all body types and different goal sets. His main focus for military members is passing their PT test, but he also works on weight loss, muscle gain and nutrition. Acosta currently has 20 clients on base, but can see 40 to 50 people a week.

"I provide a customizable program that hits level, target and goals," Acosta said. "I start with a consultation where you tell me what your goals are, and I will tell you what I can do to help reach those goals. Then we will do two to three trial workouts to see where I need to make changes to the workout plan. After about four to six weeks, I stop with the easy stuff and let a person get used to the workout. That is when we start playing the game my way."

Though the road to a healthier, fitter life may be difficult, Johnson knows it's worth it.

"His workouts are so intense," Johnson said. "At first everything was so hard; I couldn't finish one set of a workout. But over time, my endurance and strength have improved. Mr. Acosta is so passionate about what he does. I enjoy coming to the gym and (working out) with him because I know I'm getting an awesome workout and improving my physical fitness."