Ann Horowitz trains with Mike Quinn. (photo by Brian Hollander)
Ann Horowitz puts down the dumbbells and says she has been working out in a gym for 20 years — slowly. “It’s something to do, everybody’s into it,” she says. “It makes me feel better. This morning I felt like an 84-year-old woman … now I feel like … 82.”
Alongside, her trainer, a buff sort of youngster, Mike Quinn, who just turned 70, gently encourages her.
“There are more referrals for older people in Florida,” says Quinn, who trains young and old clients for half the year there and the other half in Kingston and MAC Fitness in Kingston Plaza. “I spend half my time in Florida at the YMCA as a trainer. Here I have four or five clients who come two or three times per week. With a trainer you get commitment, encouragement and expertise. People want the commitment. A trainer has to keep coming up with new things. You have to throw a few curves at your muscles ….”
Quinn says he had been overweight in high school, but that the Army straightened that out. “I was drafted after college, ended up as a DI (Drill Instructor) in the U.S. Army and had to give a lot of basic training. It got me in the best shape of my life.”
Quinn liked the way he looked and changed the way he ate and stayed like that for 45 years. “After the military, I normally just did aerobics to keep in shape,” he continued. “I play a lot of golf and for many years carried my clubs. Ten years ago I decided to try weight training, particularly for my upper body. I used my legs a lot on the golf course. I went into a gym and watched what other people did. I became a personal trainer in Florida. I asked friends who were trainers about certifications. The best place was the National Academy of Sports Medicine. It was a complete program, including anatomy, kinesiology …. it talked about cardio, fixed form resistance training (machines) and free form resistance (free weights), strength, balance, core work, flexibility. It provided a model so you can take someone at any level of fitness and move forward. I came in here [MAC Fitness] and talked to Kerry [Dotson, the director of the training program] three or four years ago. I had certification. There’s plenty of room here and lots of equipment.”