HOME TRAINING

It's the morning after a long night of indulgence, and you're feeling like a slug. Coffee can't clear the cobwebs or rouse your spirits, let alone work off the excess poundage. Whom you gonna call - or, more accurately, summon on a smartphone app - for help?

The gut-busters of WeTrain, Philadelphia-based personal trainers on call "when and where you want it" to jump-start the heart and pump you up.

"You're doing great! That's it! Just two more!" WeTrain's Mitch Brudy said with enthusiasm, leading a private pep rally last weekend at this writer's abode.

Admittedly, I'm an exercise wuss. Doing 150 toe touches and 50 trunk rotations in the shower and then walking most days to work and back (1.2 miles each way) are my major, OK only, daily exertions.

But after a nervous start, Brudy had me confidently doing more bends, stretches and planks than I'd ever imagined I could do. Made it all seem almost fun.

And even five days later, my pants still feel looser from the aerobic magic he worked on my belly, while my puny arms have finally stopped hurting. (No pain, no gain.)

"Just going on a diet to lose weight, you also lose muscle mass," Brudy explained. "You need to micro-tear and rebuild the muscles, to lose weight and gain strength at the same time."

WeTrain answers the call of the app at an affordable price "that makes what used to be considered a luxury item available to everyone," said cofounder Jonathan Sockol.

To summon its services, you tap on WeTrain's mobile app, then choose the workout duration (30 or 60 minutes) and session type you crave/need: Health Heart; Liposuction (weight loss); Belly Buster; Sports Endurance; or the BLT (butt, legs, thighs).

Then "pin" your location and the time and place you want to meet up with the trainer. Could be at your home. Could be at a park. Could be at the office.

"All we need is enough floor space for you to lie down and do a snow angel," said Zach Hertzel, lead trainer and a founding partner of WeTrain along with Sockol, a second-year Wharton MBA candidate who handles the finances, and Juliano DiSimone, an ex-track-and-field athlete with a zeal for sports training.

Immediately, the profile of the trainer who has accepted your session - 60 are now on call - pops up immediately on the screen of your phone.

"If you're within five miles of Center City Philly, we can be there in 15 minutes," said Sockol. "We've got trainers on call from 4:30 a.m. to well into the evening."

If you're seriously suburban, it's best to book a day ahead of time. "And we work with clients at all levels - from people who can't even sit up, to guys training for the Olympics," Sockol said.

Google-search "the Uber for personal trainers," as the WeTrain gang likes to characterize itself, and you'll discover that on-call trainers are also operating in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

But you're not likely to find the value proposition of WeTrain, starting with a free first half-hour of personal assessment ("important so we protect you," said Hertzel) and workout. Sign up for that at wetrainphilly.com.

For subsequent visits, the going rate is $17 for 30 minutes, $25 for a full hour of coaching. Six-week shape-up programs start at $250. There's no additional cost of membership, and WeTrain service and pricing can be split with a pal if you've got the space and sharing instinct.

For anyone who's trained at a gym, paying an average $60 an hour for a private session, these numbers are so good that you might think the WeTrain staff is not.

"But we've signed up some of the top trainers in town," said Sockol. "Everyone has studied in a reputable program, been vetted with our personal investigation, and must carry insurance. And before we let a new trainer go out alone, we send him or her out with one or our senior guys, like Zach."

Besides his phys-ed focus in college and eight years as a professional personal trainer, Hertzel did a whole lot of body repair in the Army, stationed as a medic in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is currently studying for a physician's assistant degree at Jefferson.

How does WeTrain attract top talent?

"The ugly truth is that being a trainer at a gym is a terrible, demeaning job," said Hertzel. "You're on duty for eight hours. But you only get paid for the three hours or so when you're actually working, and still give most of the fees you earn to the gym. Then, when you're not working, you're supposed to 'talk up' gym people who are exercising: 'Oh, I can help you with that.' Pitching like a used-car salesman.

"Even with our much lower price structure," he said, "trainers make more money with us, because we only take a small cut. And all they're doing is the job they love."

takiffj@phillynews.com

215-854-5960

@JTakiff