FERRUM, VA, May 28, 2026 – It’s never too early to make healthy choices for your well-being. A new free Personal Training Program started this spring at the Ferrum College Fitness Center. This initiative is co-sponsored by the Health and Human Performance Program and the Employee Wellness Program through Human Resources. It is designed to support health and wellness goals while providing valuable hands-on experience for student interns. Health and Human Performance interns assisted students, faculty, and staff in building confidence at the fitness center, setting goals, and developing sustainable workout routines.
The program was free for participants, and the commitment was a minimum of one hour per week during the spring semester. The personal student trainers were available Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The spots were limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. In the spring semester, the student trainers were Bradley Viers, Payton Rausch, Javon Myers, and Jonah Harding, all seniors. Each trainer took on more than one person out of the 21 registered, depending on the trainer’s availability.
“I first did this with my students when I taught at another institution, and I know how valuable it was to take what they were learning in the classroom and be able to work with real people, goals, and people outside of their classmates,” said Dr. Johanna Ferguson, assistant professor of Health and Human Performance and chair of the School of Nursing and Allied Health. She created this program to give her students a hands-on internship.
The training program enables interns to create and manage their own development plan for each individual they train. Every person is different in age, in what they are trying to achieve, and in what they are physically capable of doing. “A lot of them are athletes, so that’s a different population than maybe working with adults or even students their own age who aren’t familiar with exercise,” said Ferguson.
A part of this program is giving back. The seniors draw on what they’ve learned over the past four years to help others. “Hearing the students’ excitement for the start of the training program is exciting. When students are starting and trying to do these things, it can be intimidating. With this program, it’s giving them confidence in the skills they’ve been learning and building on,” said Ferguson.
Starting or trying something new can be difficult, or even scary, especially when it can make people feel uncomfortable. “It’s getting that first session out of the way, meeting with the student trainer, and setting up the plan. It’s small, gradual steps aimed to make people feel comfortable visiting the fitness center and eventually using it independently. They are great students; they are all eager to work with anybody,” said Ferguson.
Rausch, one of the trainers, is considering a career in personal training or physical therapy after college. He says this program is giving him good experience in personal training and helping him see where he can take it in his career.
“At first, I was just doing it for my internship, but now that I’ve been involved with it, I’ve had to make plans and schedule people. It’s been really fun and opened my eyes to the world of personal training and how it makes me feel good,” said Rausch.
“I would say to people, don’t be scared; just get started. It’s a good thing to be active. Don’t worry about being judged; come out and do it. I think it’d be beneficial to everyone,” said Rausch.
What Harding wanted from this program was to take ideas from the books and classroom and put them into practice, giving him hands-on experience. He wants to help people who aren’t as active, haven’t thought about it, or are nervous, and steer them in a direction that would be rewarding for him to see them take.
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; you’re not going to be judged. People want to see you succeed and do better for yourself,” said Harding, on how he would encourage people to come out to the fitness center and give the training program a shot.
“I was nervous at first, but I think through the courses I’ve gotten here and rely on personal knowledge about working out. Being able to piece it all together will be beneficial to elevate people,” said Myers, on how he was feeling about taking on the role of a personal trainer.
Taking it one step at a time is the initial move when starting something new, and Myers reinforces that idea. “Take it one step at a time. I feel like once you get your foot in the door, it’ll bring in more consistency. It’ll get easier with every class,” said Myers.
Jason Powell, Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Strategic Planning, and Justin Muse ’05, Senior Director of Admissions, have started their fitness journey with student trainer Viers. He started Powell and Muse off with a 10-to-15-minute walk/run on the treadmill to build cardio, then a light warm-up targeting the muscles they’ll use during the workout. The plan slowly builds up as Powell and Muse build strength. At the end, they do some form of core exercise and stretch to wrap up the training session. Powell and Muse both do hour-long sessions at their own pace while working toward their goals.
In many ways, two is better than one, and for Muse, having a trainer helps reinforce that old saying. “It holds me accountable, because I want to show up for them but also for myself. It puts accountability on both parties,” said Muse.
Muse offers words of encouragement to those who feel scared or hesitant about signing up for the training program. He knows nerves hold people back, but he wants people to look past the nervousness and pick a time that works for them. He doesn’t want people to worry about what others say. Everyone starts somewhere. Muse wants people to see that they are trying to become a better version of themselves.
“The fitness center is a welcoming place; everyone is there to do their thing and not judge anybody. The fitness coaches meet you where you’re at and help you set reasonable goals with a good pace,” said Powell, on what he would tell faculty, staff, and students who didn’t join the fitness program the first time around.
Viers sees this as something he wants to continue working on in the future and as a career path. He also echoes what many of his classmates have said: “It’s never too early to make healthy choices for your well-being.”
Ferrum College alumna Bernice Cobbs ’98, Special Programs Coordinator, who is an avid walker, does half marathons, and plays pickleball, has also started working with Viers. She signed up to work on her upper body strength along with her core. She’s happy that Viers pushed her beyond her limits.
“When I get to a certain spot, I want to stop, but Viers talks about how getting to your failure point is a good thing because it pushes you to go to the next level,” said Cobbs.
Cobbs thinks it’s natural for people to be nervous about training with someone who has experience. She’s had a trainer before and was a nervous wreck, wondering if she was going to do this right. Cobbs wondered whether her first trainer would give her criticism she didn’t want to hear. Viers was the opposite; he helped soothe Cobbs’ nerves and ease any worries from past experiences.
“Viers was very reassuring, but most people will be nervous, and that is natural, but do it anyway. The trainers have the skillset to get people to feel comfortable,” said Cobbs.
Cobbs’ favorite part of this training experience is knowing that she told him what areas she wanted to work on. Cobbs says that Viers agrees with her that those are areas she needs to work on. That made Cobbs feel good, knowing that she knows her body better than she thought.
The organizers plan to offer the fitness program again in future semesters, pending student interest and availability.
