27 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,A ugust 8,2019 theifp.ca Beach season may be coming to a close, but beach body season doesn't have to end. A new gym in Acton is offering carefully tailored personal training sessions and small classes geared toward finding the right fit for athletes of all skill lev- els. Robert Smith opened Going the Distance Fitness in June, expanding his per- sonal training business to a dedicated space. "I was already operating out of my garage," Smith said. As a young man, Smith - an avid athlete involved in martial arts, boxing and kick-boxing - cracked his L2 vertebra and as a result, said he started learning more about anatomy and ways to control his own in- jury. "I was initially teaching boxing skills," Smith said. "but that turned into deal- ing with people's injuries, particularly post-rehab." But Smith said he felt frustrated with the way big-box gyms operated. Smith's training part- ner, Tyler John, met at Bry- an College in Toronto. "Our emphasis is on pri- vate sessions," Smith said, adding that the trainers al- so run a number of classes to prepare people for per- sonal training. "We want to get a sense of where everyone is and put them in a program spe- cifically for their needs," Smith said. While training packag- es can be purchased on a per-week basis, clients can take advantage of the space several times during the week. The space, when not in use, can be booked by up to two clients at a time for their own personal work- outs, always with a trainer on-site. "We book only two peo- ple at any one time, then you don't have to wait for machinery and you don't have a lot of people staring at you," Smith said. Though all levels of fit- ness are welcome, Going the Distance trains ath- letes for various sport-spe- cific workouts. "We want to move away from machine training," Smith said. "The only class of athlete that should be moving to machine train- ing is bodybuilders. Those dudes look really nice, but their performance capaci- ties tend to be reduced." Smith said his goal as a trainer is to make himself obsolete. "I want you to learn to fish for yourself," Smith said. "The idea that every- one needs a personal train- er for life, I don't agree with that." Training packages start at $60 per hour for one ses- sion a week, with better rates for more sessions. "Personal training is an expensive process, there's no way around that," Smith said, "but I'd like to try to make it as accessible as possible." Going the Distance Fit- ness is located at 56 Mill St. E. in Acton. GOING THE DISTANCE TO MAKE PERSONAL TRAINING BETTER Robert Smith, owner of Going the Distance Fitness in Acton, is offering a Chi-Kung session among horses on July 20 at Corner Stone Equestrian Centre in Erin. Bryan Myers/Torstar BRYAN MYERS bmyers@metroland.com NEWS Summer Scottish Social Hosted by Ted Arnott, MPP Sunday, August 11th, 2019 2:00 to 3:30 pm Butterfly Garden St. James Anglican Church, 171 Queen Street East, Fergus Everyone welcome! Open year round Endless possibilities CELEBRATING all of LIFE'S MOMENTS EAGLE RIDGE GOLF CLUB | RR #4, 11742 TENTH LINE, GEORGETOWN, ON | eagleridge.clublink.ca BAPTISMS and CHRISTENINGS BABY SHOWERS BRIDAL SHOWERS REHEARSAL DINNERS WEDDINGS BIRTHDAYS CELEBRATIONS of LIFE FUNDRAISERS HOLIDAY PARTIES BRUNCHES MEETINGS GOLF COURSE - Thank youHaltonHills! For more information contact Chuck Stratton | 905-877-8468 ext 2223 | cstratton@clublink.ca