Most of us like to know the proprietors with whom we do business.  Putting a name and a face with an company helps us feel more comfortable about giving them our time and money.  When it comes to our personal wellness, it's even more important to know those we trust with our health are highly qualified.   As co-owner of Mountain Home Athletic Club and a fitness professional who provides health care to those in the Twin Lakes Area, I feel it's important to share a little about myself and my wife Kim, co-owner, certified trainer and fitness professional of Mountain Home Athletic Club.

Kim McDonald, NSCA-CPT, ACE-CGFI

Kim grew up in Flippin, Arkansas and was an All-State basketball player for the Bobcats.  She received a basketball scholarship to a top Junior College in the nation.  After two years of playing at the junior college level, she received a scholarship offer to play for the Lady Razorbacks but chose instead to attend Harding University where the women's basketball program was in its infancy.  There, she led the conference every year in multiple categories, became an All-American both in sports and in academics and eventually had her jersey retired.  Subsequently she was inducted into the North Arkansas Community College Basketball Hall of Fame. She graduated from Harding Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Business Management. 

Kim is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the nation's leading personal trainer certifying organization.  She is also a certified group fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the nation's leading group fitness certification body.

In 1989, Kim began competing in women's body building at the state level.  After placing second in her weight category 3 straight years, she won the overall state title in 1992.  During that same year Kim chose to retire from body building competition due in part to her staunch opposition to the prevalence of illegal performance enhancing drug use within the sport.  

Kim received her ACE Group Fitness training certification in 1988 and her NSCA personal training certification in 2000.  She began her personal training business in 1998.  As the business grew, the garage at our house became overly crowded with training clients and we decided to open a small studio from which she could work.  In late 1998, we opened the original Body Solution Personal Training Studio in Georgetown Square.  For the next few years Kim worked early mornings and evenings as a personal trainer while working her day job.  In 2001, deciding to dedicate herself to personal training, she went full time.

By 2001, Kim had recruited me into the personal training business and together our client base continued to grow.  Still working a full time job, I would train during the early mornings and evenings as Kim managed the studio and trained during the day.  The business expanded several times over the next couple of years and by 2004 it was obvious we needed to build a larger facility. 

Jerry McDonald, NSCA-CPT, Cooper Institute-CFT, ACSM

I was born and raised in Mountain Home Arkansas.  I graduated from Mountain Home High School where I played football, basketball, baseball and any other physically competitive sport I could.  Upon graduating from high school, I attended DeVry Institute of Technology in Chicago where I earned a degree in Computer Science.  After living in the Chicago area for 6 years, I returned to Mountain Home and went into business for myself filing insurance for the medical community and private sector.  The company, called Insurance Filing Systems, eventually became InFoSys, a computer and network consulting company specializing in helping businesses implement information systems and technology.

After working for myself for several years, I sold the business and went to work for one of my largest clients as the Information Systems Director. In 2005, I resigned as Systems Director for the manufacturing company to pursue the family personal training business. 

I earned my American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Personal Fitness Trainer Certification through Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas in 2001. In 2009, I earned my National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Personal Training Certification.

By the end of 2005, Kim and I were the full-time owners, operators and personal trainers of the newly renamed Mountain Home Athletic Club.  To this day we look back and smile at the way things have unfolded from our garage to a 10 acre, 25,000 square foot facility.  For nearly 20 years, we have provided the highest level of fitness knowledge and personal training to the citizens of the Twin Lakes Area.  We help people of all ages and in all stages of health.  We have built a close relationship with the local medical and physical therapy community to provide supplemental health care to their patients and we are well known for our expertise in working with individuals who have special health and fitness needs. 

In order to maintaining our NSCA certification, Kim and I are required to obtain the highest number of continuing education hours in the industry and year in and year out we exceed these requirements as standard practice.  We are the most experienced and knowledgeable trainers in the Twin Lakes Area and although there are a number of other local trainers and clubs, none have the qualifications we offer.  Of all the training certifications on the market today, NSCA, ACE and ACSM are second to none.  Today, Kim and I continue to expand our knowledge of health and fitness through education not only because of our passion for health and wellness, but also as a way to set ourselves apart from the competition. 

Kim and I currently go well beyond managing our club and training business by giving back to our community which has supported us so consistently over the years.  We serve on several boards and wellness commitees, we offer public speaking services on health and fitness to local businesses and organizations, we provide consultation and support to our local school, and are available to help anyone interested in improving their health. 

Certifications - How They Rank

There are more personal training certifications today than ever and obtaining one is as easy as taking a quiz on the internet.  For the consumer of health and fitness services, its important you know who you are dealing with.  As an example, an important part of a quality personal training certification includes education on health club managment, safety and liability issues which may have a dramatic effect on you and your health.  If you frequent a health club or gym, do your research and make sure those who are running and managing it have your health as their priority and not just your membership dollar! 

Of the 12 most popular personal training certifications,  nine are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and of those nine, there are only five recognized as the leaders in the fitness industry.  Of these five, NSCA ranks 1st, followed by ACSM and ACE respectively, all three of which are held by Mountain Home Athletic Club.  To put this into perspective, read the following excerpt from the NCCA.

NSCA Personal Trainer Certification

Personal trainer certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is one of the toughest certifications to achieve. The exam covers a whole range of topics from anatomy to nutrition to club management and safety. The NSCA personal trainer certification was the only program to be recognized by the NCCA until the American College of Sports Medicine was also certified. Now many certifications have caught up with NSCA by becoming accredited but it still shows that the NSCA is leading the charge toward cleaning up the personal trainer certification industry.

NSCA established the NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) in 1993 and is very widely recognized as the most reputable personal training certification in the industry.

What's so Special about the NSCA-CPT?

One of the biggest differences between other certifications and the personal trainer certification from NSCA is it enables a trainer to work with clients who have special needs in addition to healthy clients. Special needs clients include the obese, seniors, people with eating disorders, pregnant women, orthopedic disorders, diabetics, post heart attack and stroke rehab, and many more.

This is a serious certification.

The NSCA-CPT is not something you will be able to earn after attending a 3 day workshop. In fact, if you look at the numbers, only 9,600 NSCA-CPTs exist in a program that's been around since 1993. It definitely attracts those who are serious about health and fitness.