"Being fit" is inherently difficult--that's the point of a workout. But if you're not already into it, getting started is the hardest part.
The task of deciding "how to start" can make it even more overwhelming: between gym memberships, different kinds of classes and a host of DIY options like P90X make the question of how to work out a needlessly difficult one. Enter amSTATZ, a website that bills itself as something of a "LinkedIn for fitness."
That's how co-founder and Lincoln Park resident Michael Piermont, 28, describes the site, which is headquartered in Lincoln Park also. Its mission evolved partially out of Piermont's own experience with a free personal training session after joining a new gym, after which he never saw the trainer again.
"I felt good, but after the session, I had nothing," he said. "I didn't know how to reach the trainer, didn't know what I did so I could do it myself... I was like, 'Ohh, we've got something here.'"
His site tries to unite those aspiring for better fitness with such trainers and gyms. Current or potential clients for trainers can search amSTATZ to find those whose expertise or style best fits them. They can record workouts and results, ideally resulting in a better way to monitor your workout and progress, Piermont said. It becomes a more comprehensive way to think about fitness.
"If you're with a personal trainer for six months or a year, and there are no records, you don't learn what you're doing," he said. "What's the point of staying?"
The site is getting ready to move past its private beta phase, where it's had trainers giving feedback about ways to reach out to consumers or improve the functionality. Piermont said amSTATZ will launch as a private beta no later than the second week of April. The site's trainer search function will be fully functional, he said.
Piermont is planning to integrate one more element this spring. "We're also going to on-board large-scale events, so you can find and sign up for things like Tough Mudder, Color Run, Fleet Feet," he said. "So not only can you find an instructor and stuff in one area, but you can find all these events so you and your trainer can train for something specific."
Ultimately, Piermont said he hopes the site will simply make working out an easier, less-intimidating process for everyone.
"Everyone is involved in it, even my 66-year-old mom. What we're doing is make it easier to work out and be fit," he said. "If it's not easy, if it's not streamlined, it's really hard to play catch up."
Visit at www.amstatz.com.
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