News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC) August 12, 2004 Teens turn to trainers By: Vicki Cheng Forget Trapper Keepers and trendy togs. Triangle teens are spending their money -- well, their parents' money -- on a new must-have accessory for school this fall: A personal trainer. No statistic exists to show more teenagers are working out with personal trainers, but there's anecdotal evidence of the trend, said Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. More and more trainers are calling ACE to find information about how to work with youth, he said. "Most teenagers have busier, more hectic schedules than their parents," Bryant said. "Just like everything else, if they can schedule it, just like they schedule piano lessons, they're more likely to do it on a regular basis." Some seek personal trainers to get a competitive edge in sports, he added. Trainers say the obesity epidemic makes it even more important for kids to learn good exercise habits early, especially when schools are cutting back on P.E. But many are too young to be set loose in a gym, where they could easily hurt their growing bodies without close supervision. About 15 percent of children ages 6 to 19 are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Todd Durkin, 2004 personal trainer of the year for the American Council on Exercise, is based in San Diego. He said hiring a personal trainer for a child "is not something that is an indulgence or luxury, because we're talking about someone's health. If you're willing to sacrifice an extra few trips to Starbucks or nights out with the family, you can afford a personal trainer." Last year, Jay John of Cary decided it was worth taking on a little extra debt to hire a personal trainer for his son, Harry, now 13. Last year, Harry tried out for the football team at Daniels Middle School in Raleigh. He didn't make the cut. The coach said he was too easily winded. John tried taking Harry out for runs, but that didn't last long. "He kind of doesn't listen to me anymore," the IBM employee said. So John found Cory Perlman of Phase II at Millpond Village in Cary. Perlman's routine includes drills outside for football. He paces around his client as he's working on the weight machine, checking his form. He teaches Harry to keep going when his body wants to stop. "Sometimes, I'd look over at the treadmill, and if he got a little bit tired, he would just quit," Perlman said. "Instead of working at 20 to 30 percent, he's giving it 80 or 90 percent." Harry, 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 215 pounds, has added muscle. The eighth-grader can lift two to three times more weight than he could when he started last winter, Perlman said. "I'm pretty confident I'll make the team," Harry said of tryouts this fall. His father wants him to play football, but more important, he wants him to learn to love exercise. He thinks $1,200 for five weeks of intense training this summer has paid off in more ways than one. "I think his confidence is being built," John said. "I think he's learning how to train. The first time something hurts a little bit, you don't necessarily stop." For Harry, it's all about football. Last week, his throat felt as if it was closing up. He felt lightheaded and had to lie down for a minute. But then he got up and kept running. Perlman helped him with his cool-down stretches. They high-fived. "All right," Perlman said. "Now we're going to do it all again tomorrow!" Harry said he looked forward to it. Then he strapped on a helmet, and rode his bike home. Copyright 2004 by The News & Observer Pub. Co.