Trainer to Work With Woman Told Too Fat for Gym Equipment

A metro woman who says a gym told her she was too fat to work out on certain equipment now has a new story to tell. A different gym has stepped up to offer her one-on-one help.

Friday, June 11th 2010, 11:39 am

By: News 9


By Amanda Taylor, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A metro woman who said a gym told her she was too fat to work out on certain equipment now has a new story to tell. A different gym has stepped up to offer her one-on-one help.

Steve Clausen is the personal trainer to the NBA Thunder dancers and now he's also Sandra Ruiz's own personal motivator.

"I think it's very disheartening that someone would make an effort to come to a fitness center where they think they're coming for help, and they get turned away," Clausen said. "That's basically what made me call."

He called us after he saw Ruiz's original story on NEWS 9. She had signed up for a membership at Mademoiselle Fitness in hopes of transforming her 380 pounds self, but when she was on one of their stationary bikes, an employee told her to get off and suggested she walk around their aerobics room instead.

"The lady said that I couldn't get on the machines because we are overweight," Ruiz said. "Everybody was watching, seeing what was going on and I got very sad because I'm so emotional about my weight right now."

The gym's owner said they did it for her safety and the weight limit of the equipment, and after NEWS 9 talked with them, they waived her cancellation fee so she could get out of their contract. But that didn't sit well with Clausen.

"Eighty percent of them are probably not the actual people that need to come. The people that need to come are too scared to come, so when they finally make that step, I was like, man, she made a step. We need to encourage it, we don't need to discourage that step," Clausen said.

So he's taking it one step further. Clausen works at Transformation Fitness Center and the gym has offered to let Ruiz work out for free while Clausen donates all the personal training sessions.

"I never thought something like this would happen, someone would even care," Ruiz said.

For the next six months, Clausen will be working one-on-one with Ruiz three times a week. Clausen said Ruiz didn't put on the weight overnight, so it won't come off overnight, but he's going to help her lose two pounds a week through training and a specialized nutritional plan, and that will add up over time.

More: Gym Tells Woman She's Too Fat for Workout Equipment

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