By Mandy Lind Staff Reporter

Research indicates that using a skilled personal trainer can significantly improve your chance of getting into better shape than exercising on your own.

The problem is finding someone who will help you reach your goals and not just keep you company for an hour.

Enter one of the top 55 personal trainers in the country, Doug Jackson.

For the past year, Jackson has been has operating his own high-end coaching service called Personal Fitness Advantage out of St. Julian’s Fitness in Bowling Green.

His business, which serves over 50 clients per-month, specializes in customizing exercise sessions for clients based on their individual fitness goals.

“I worked with two other personal trainers, and they didn’t address me on a personal level,” Sharon Biggins, a Personal Fitness Advantage client said. “Doug individualized every program. He sits down with you for at least an hour before you train and talks about your needs and goals.”

Jackson tailors an exercise program that is ideal for each client and incorporates proper fitness equipment and regimen for them to meet goals. Jackson says he also pumps his clients with information which will help them reach their desired fitness level.

“My goal is to not only coach but to educate my clients,” Jackson said. “I want to teach people to do it one their own.”

Not only has Jackson been a certified personal trainer for the past five years, but he holds a Bachelors degree in Exercise Science and a Masters degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University. Before he began at Personal Fitness Advantage, he served as the University’s head personal trainer.

Jackson has also co-authored a book that just came out this month entitled “The Power of Champions,” which is a compilation of writings from the top 55 personal trainers all over the United States and Europe. It is aimed at helping people see through the fraud and deception that exist in the fitness and weight-loss arenas.

“There are so many trainers out there, but unlike them, Doug’s went just beyond getting a Masters Degree,” Shane St. Julian, co-owner of St. Julian’s Fitness, said. “He’s written articles and books and is on top of all of the personal training issues, which just gives state-of-the-art training to his clients.”

Jackson works with a wide range of clients. Approximately 75 percent of his clients seek the primary goal of fat loss, however he also works on areas of athletic enhancement and post-physical therapy conditioning.

“I provide people with a variety of options when working with me,” Jackson said. “I offer both thirty-minute and sixty-minute sessions. I work with people anywhere from three times per-week to once per-month.”

Biggins says Jackson’s approach works.

“I’ve been working with him for over 6 months, and I’ve seen a vast improvement in my overall health and well being and that is backed up with recent tests from my personal physician,” Sharon said.

To contact Jackson and find out more information about Personal Fitness Advantage and his book visit www.personfitnessadvantage.com or call (419) 260-9064.