Well, for this week's column, I'm moving into some uncharted territory. I have to tell you a story about Bill, but in order to do that, I have to make a rather personal confession. I'm a big fan of Pilates.
For the athletically unwashed out there, Pilates is a callisthenic exercise named after its creator that strengthens important muscles in the abdomen, lower back, and buttocks. And yes, it is a form of exercise that has been embraced by suburban mothers across the country and also by yours truly, a regular guy in his late 20s.
If you would have asked me to go to a Pilates class a year ago, I would have growled at you in between bench presses. I was introduced to this graceful yet effective exercise series by Bill, a personal trainer at my gym.
Bill is an ex-college football linebacker, and is a hulk of a man. This guy, whose ancestry is linked to both Hercules and Godzilla, is the reason we men often spend too much money on protein shakes and raw eggs.
Personal Training Insurance: Growing Risks Accompany a Growing Profession
One day, I asked Bill for some advice. I told him that as a jogger, I was getting slower and slower because I always felt like I couldn't loosen up. I thought that if I could work on my flexibility, I could regain some of my running speed. He agreed with me, but instead of giving me some stretches to do, he suggested that I start taking his Pilates class.
As a demonstration, he had me do a few exercises on a machine built specifically for Pilates aficionados. While doing an exercise that required me to hook my feet into a strap and perform something like a sit-up, my foot slipped off of the strap and I fell through this machine and hit the floor. Other than incurring a big bruise to my ego, I was fine. Bill, however, was worried sick about me.
After I assured him many times that I was fine, he confessed to me why he was so worried. Apparently, the number of lawsuits between personal trainers and their clients has grown along with the personal training profession. Some personal trainers have been held liable for injuries incurred by their clients during a training session. For this reason, Bill had recently purchased Personal Trainer Liability Insurance.
Personal Trainer Insurance is a Safe Bet
This was all news to me. I felt bad for the hulking giant while he was checking my various vital signs. I guessed that Bill had many more important things to spend his money on other than personal trainer insurance - like his weekly testosterone injections, for instance.
He said that he was happy he bought the insurance, because it was relatively cheap and covered other risks associated with his profession, such as potential lawsuits concerning sexual harassment and equipment failure, for example. I then asked Bill if I could sue him if his Pilates class turned me into a wimp.
After telling me sarcastically to look in the mirror and draw my own conclusions, I promptly shut my mouth and put my feet back in the straps. Giant wise guys are the worst.
About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is an artist, manager, and singer working in Chicago, IL. His previous experience includes consulting for technology companies in the Silicon Valley and serving as a field director and publicist for a statewide political campaign. Kirk holds a B.A. in government from Harvard University.
