FOCUS ON HEALTH

You see them everywhere ? in the office, on the bus, at cafes, even in the gym.

And these days, nearly everyone has an iPod, the wildly popular personal music system created by Apple. And although this technology has been popping up everywhere, one of its most often-sighted locations is at fitness centers and health clubs.

Now several trainers are using iPods to do more than give their clients an inspirational playlist for workouts and runs. The popularity of podcasting, creating downloadable tracks for iPods, has led to the creation of the workout podcast: Clients can download the day’s workout from the trainer’s website.

“There are some people that are just really busy and can’t squeeze a workout in during normal business hours,” said Rakan Moxley, a personal trainer from Newport Beach who runs a small house-call workout service. “They want the flexibility to be able to work out late at night, but they also want the care and attention to detail that comes with personal training.”

Moxley is one of a new generation of technologically savvy personal trainers making their workouts available to clients through the click of a button. Here’s how it works: Several times a week, Moxley records voice instructions into a microphone on his computer, detailing a workout targeting a specific muscle region. If he wants his client to work their shoulders, he tells them to do three exercises, explains the intricacies of each activity and gives them suggestions along the way.

His clients then program their Apple iTunes application to automatically download his podcasts whenever a new one comes out. Once they upload the prerecorded workouts to their iPods, the clients can listen to Moxley while they work out, following his pace as he counts their repetitions and tells them how long to rest. Moxley even pipes in music to inspire his clients, he said.

“Everything they need is there for them ? all they have to do is follow my instructions,” he said.

Other trainers are skeptical of the program. Janet Thalen, a Crystal Cove personal trainer at Fitness Zone, said she doubts an iPod would ever be able to replace the experience of working with a professional.

“It’s too easy to cancel an appointment on an iPod. An iPod won’t hold you accountable and make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly,” she said.

Other trainers, like Mike Rockwell at Mesa Sports Medicine in Costa Mesa, said iPods can be used to remind clients about exercises they might have forgotten in the past. Rockwell said he gives all his clients a CD-ROM with more than 200 workout images, demonstrating bicep curls, pull-ups and other exercises. Many of his clients load the photos onto an iPod and use the player’s picture-viewing application as a reference tool in the gym.

Rockwell said he’s heard of people saving their exercise DVDs on their iPods and taking them on the road for business trips and vacations.

“I even have clients who train different playlists they compiled for workout music,” he said. “Some guys like to listen to rap music when they’re doing cardio exercise and punk rock when they’re doing their free weights. Personally, I like Willie Nelson when I’m trying to cool down after a workout.”

Exercise fans don’t need to hire a trainer to get personalized workout programs on their iPods. Sites like www.pumpone.com have begun offering downloadable workouts for nearly every exercise regiment. Just remember, there is a fee to use the service.dpt.14-health-2-BPhotoInfo2C1RUV5Q20060614j0twrdnc(LA)