Bio: Allison Westfahl grew up on a farm near Haven, Kan., where her twin passions were music and sports. Like any farm kid, she had her share of chores to do, but that didn’t stop her from her other pursuits — learning to play the piano, singing, gymnastics, and later, volleyball, basketball and track.
“I was always busy,” says Westfahl, now 29 and personal training manager at Flatiron Athletic Club in Boulder. “My mother only half jokingly called me a jack of all trades.”
Now she’s on yet another path, studying for a master’s degree in exercise science after winning an award from the National Academy of Sports Medicine to get her master’s degree in exercise science from California University of Pennsylvania.
She says the online program involves a lot of studying that she’s fitting in between duties at the health club, her own training business, Body Evolution, and singing with a chamber choir and at a church.
“I’m shocked at how much work it is,” she says, adding that her goal is to be as well-informed as she can be in order to focus on training elite athletes.
The journey: Westfahl’s first love — music — took her to Yale University, where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in classical music. While in college, she pursued individual sports like running, and decided to compete in a marathon her senior year.
It was a cathartic experience.
“I had no knowledge of training,” she says. “I think my longest run before the marathon was 12 miles. I gutted my way through it. I can’t believe I finished,” she said of the five-hour endurance contest.
The experience made her think about studying the science behind human performance and training. After graduation in 2001, she moved to Boulder for what she thought would be a one-year stint with AmeriCorps.
The pay was so low she got a job working the desk at a health club. It was her first exposure to personal training and she was soon learning new physical skills and preparing for a triathlon.
“I wasn’t really a swimmer, but my trainer taught me how to do laps,” she says. “And I learned to bike for the first time.”
Westfahl’s love of physical pursuits made her want to train others, so she earned her certification from NASM in 2003. By then she was a trainer at the Flatiron Athletic Club and took over as training director there in January 2005.
Westfahl says the atmosphere in Boulder was infectious. “When I was in school, running a marathon made me the exception. In Boulder it wasn’t impressive at all.”
Her competitive spirit and desire to push herself propelled her. “I really like tackling projects that I’m scared of,” she says.
She says she helps other people reach their fitness goals by breaking the tasks down. When you’re training for a sprint-level triathlon, for example, “it’s just a matter of three sports in two hours,” she says. Think of it as just 20 minutes in the water, getting on the bike for 45 minutes and then running three miles.
“I’ve had people who can only do one lap spend a couple of months working at it and then can swim a mile continuously. It’s just a matter of diligence, practice and having a schedule,” she says.
Westfahl typically does three or four sprint triathlons a year, and coaches a women’s triathlon team each year to help other women meet their goals.
And what about dealing with injuries or setbacks? “I’m a big believer in listening to your body and to your emotional health,” Westfahl says.
Break down the task to fit your goal
Exercise: Westfahl trains about 15 hours a week in six workouts, varying easy, medium and hard sessions that include endurance, strength and flexibility training. She says she’s meticulous about writing down programs for clients but has been doing it for so long for herself she doesn’t keep a record. While she sings chamber and religious music professionally, her tastes lean toward contemporary when exercising. She listens to everything from Madonna to Pearl Jam.
Nutrition: She says she tries to eat mostly fruits, vegetables and lean proteins but has food allergies to gluten and peanuts. When intensively training, she makes sure to eat healthy carbs before a workout, and good proteins and electrolytes after. Her weakness? Chocolate ice cream.
