For Life Time Fitness member, Rick Jamerson, his PT's use of creative workouts helps keep him motivated and excited to exercise every time he comes to the gym. Rick has built an incredible relationship with his trainer, Maryann Dean, and credits her for getting him into the great -- or "buff", as his wife calls him -- shape he's currently in. Read on for Rick's story:

My personal trainer is Maryann Dean at the Vernon Hills Life Time Athletic club.  I met Maryann in December of 2008.  I started my personal training on 12/18/2008 on a two times a week schedule.  I now train three days a week with her.

My original goal was to lose 10 pounds and tone up a bit.  This doesn’t sound like a very big goal, but I’m 51 and never really spent much time “working out” other than swimming laps.  After my second session, Maryann suggested that I get a CardioPoint assessment done.  I followed her advice, and discovered my zones as well as my VO2max, which, at somewhere around 30 put me in the 5th percentile for my age.  Not so good.

So, we started out slowly working on my core.  After the first few months, I lost 15 pounds, 2 inches in my waist, and actually started building muscle.  During this time, Maryann made suggestions regarding nutrition and just kept plugging away at me.  She had learned during our first meeting that my exercise of choice was swimming and one day she suggested that we try a Hydro-Tone workout in the pool.  It sounded intriguing to me, so my next PT session was in the Life Time pool.  Wow, what a workout!

I think what kept me coming back, especially in the first few months, was the total lack of routine in our workouts.  Sounds counter intuitive, but I never knew how, or what, we would work on when I arrived at my sessions.  Maryann introduced me to equipment I never dreamed I’d ever use such as the Stairmaster, the Octane, the Elliptical, and the Arc Trainer.  We’ve worked with TRX straps, medicine balls, free weights, kettlebells, and various weight machines.  On the third floor soccer field, I’ve bounced medicine balls, pulled the sled (with Maryann as a passenger), and skinned my knees doing bear crawls!  There’s no way I could ever get bored working out with Maryann.  I began looking forward to our lunchtime workout sessions, and was surprised to hear her tell me I needed to eat more!

Last month, I had another CardioPoint assessment done.  Not surprisingly, my zones shifted.  What was surprising was that my VO2max doubled to 61!  That now puts me in the 95th percentile for my age.  I feel better and have more energy.  My Polar watch tells me I’m burning between 1100 and 1200 calories during a PT session.

This month, I was able to challenge Maryann’s creativity.  Normally, challenging her creativity just means weirder, and usually harder, workouts.  I broke a toe on my right foot.  We never missed a beat.  The first session was easy for her, as we worked on my upper body.  The second session two days later I was able to do exercises that kept my foot flat.  We rotated between an elliptical machine and squats.  Her gentile, but firm, encouragement produced a total of 360 squats and high resistance elliptical work in 2 minute intervals.  The next session we worked on upper body again with one of the exercises being one-legged push-ups. Two weeks after breaking my toe, I threw her another curve when I had a woodworking accident and chewed up the tip of my right middle finger.  I did take a week off, but when I came back, still bandaged, Maryann was prepared with exercises I was able to perform.

I’ve been asked how many trainers I’ve “gone through” before finding a trainer that I could really work with.  My answer is always “one, and her name is Maryann”.  I think I’ve made a great deal of progress.  My wife calls me “buff”, although I don’t really feel I fit any reasonable definition of buff.  I’ve had to buy new pants as my old ones became so bunched up at the waist that they became uncomfortable and looked bad.  I have to credit my progress to Maryann, her varied workouts, her motivation, and her “just fun to be around and talk with” personality.  I look forward to a long future with Maryann as my personal trainer.

Do you think your personal trainer deserves to be PT of the Month?  Email your nominations to Marissa Kristal.

Here is the criteria you must include:

1. What was your goal - the reason you began going to your personal trainer? (i.e. "lose weight")

2. Did you meet this goal? What was/is your progress (i.e. "I lost 30 pounds in 3 months)

3. Share your story! Tell us the tale of you and your PT!