By Sue Moore
“Exercise is fun and I’m having fun every day.” The speaker is Aaron Baker, who recently opened his strength and conditioning business at the corner of U.S. 131 and XY Avenue near Schoolcraft.
Baker exudes high energy from the moment one walks through his door. “Most of my clients come to me without a lot of energy. My job is to help with motivation and train their body with movement exercises that allow the person to feel good about themselves,” Baker said. “I could talk about the psychological effects of exercise on one’s body every day and how it makes you feel good about yourself.”
He begins by doing an evaluation session with clients to see how well they move and how strong they are. “I want to get a sense of their motivation. Is it to look good or be strong and healthy? Their personality helps me to then plan exercises that fit their needs. I like to do a lot of small group training of four to 10 people who can challenge each other. There is great camaraderie in this type of coaching. Plus, it’s less expensive for the individual.”
Baker charges $15 per hour for group strength and conditioning training and $40 per hour for an individual session. He has the usual conditioning machines available that encourage joint free movements. He recommends training two or three times a week to achieve the best results.
He is learning to run a business, having started four years ago out of a neighbor’s garage in Constantine where he’s from. He was the quarterback on the school’s state championship team in 2004 when his dad, Tim Baker was the coach. He first went to Adrian College, then transferred to Albion College after a year and a half. He played wide receiver there.
“I wanted to go into college coaching and had stops at Olivet College, Lewisburg in North Carolina, Kentucky Christian University and Texas Christian University where I served an internship. I did the weight room for staying in shape and fitness and found that I really liked the energy in this environment. That’s where I found my calling,” Baker said.
“I’m also a runner and found that I needed the strength and conditioning training to become a better runner. I do distance running now with several half marathons per year and one full marathon in 2017. I do coach people on nutrition but not too much in depth. I stress the basics about what people are putting in their bodies. It’s the weekends where we fall apart, so I tell them not to waste the effort they have made throughout the week by stopping at MacDonald’s on the way home.”
Baker is a certified strength and conditioning coach through a special licensing service for exercise coaches. He can be reached at coachbaker83@gmail.com or 269-816-3105.