Madonna (left) and ex-trainer Tracy Anderson.

Remember when personal trainers were once regarded as a luxury, when it seemed like only celebrities famous enough to be known by a single name – such as Oprah, Cher or Madonna – could afford a trainer to whip them into shape?

Holly Holton does.

“People thought it was something that was only for celebrities or the really wealthy,” says the owner of Pink Iron, a women’s gym in West Hollywood.

“But I think more of the general public is seeing that they can have a trainer, they can afford one and they can make the investment to do that because it really is a huge investment in themselves and in their health.”

Indeed, personal training has gone mainstream in recent years.

An employee of a new gym that opened last month in south Edmonton told me that the national fitness chain he works for plans to open three more locations in Alberta’s capital in the near future. And that means the company anticipates hiring as many as 100 personal trainers – just in Edmonton.

Last year, an employee from another gym chain proudly told me that personal training was one of the few industries that actually grew during the recession. And future projections for personal-trainer demand are astronomical, he said.

Selling memberships is no longer the sole focus for fitness clubs. Rather than turning members loose to fend for themselves in a jungle of complex fitness equipment, health facilities now offer one-on-one training – as well as group classes – like never before.

It makes good business sense.

Holly Holton

But it also makes good sense from the public’s viewpoint, notes Holton.

The 25-year-old photogenic entrepreneur who’s based in the fitness mecca of Los Angeles – which is absolutely saturated with an abundance of trainers and fitness experts – tells me that personal trainers are viewed there as preventative medicine.

“I’ve had clients who were pre-diabetic, who were severely overweight, and they lost a lot of weight and now they have no health problems,” she says.

“If you don’t know the proper way to work out and to train yourself, then it’s great to get a personal trainer, at least for a few sessions. … It’s not just a luxury. I think it’s something that most people need. Everybody needs a coach. That’s what we are as trainers – we’re coaches … and we’re a friend there to listen to them whenever they hit rough patches in their programs.”

And sometimes we just need a good old-fashioned kick in the gluteus maximus.