I’ve been a Personal Trainer for over 15 years and I’ve always struggled with the sales aspect of my role. Health, fitness and wellness are my passion and I love to share what I know. When it comes to getting clients, I rely on the fact that I’m experienced, and that I have the knowledge to provide the solutions to my client’s fitness problems.
I’ve been away from the Sydney gym market for a few years and since returning, I’ve noted a few observations around developments in the industry. One of the things that is most challenging, is a level of what I will label as mistrust. The issue, as I see it is, that most of us in Sydney have had a gym membership before; almost every person who walks through the doors of any club has been through an induction for another facility. When I observe these inductions going on, I question whether this person leaves feeling excited about their new club and the opportunities that exist for them to further their health and wellness and achieve goals they may have had for some time.
A lot of the trainers delivering these inductions are fresh out of their certifications, with limited experience. I can imagine that a lot of members walk away feeling unsure of their next step and, understandably, this can be due to a lack of knowledge from the trainer along with the time constraint of these induction sessions; as trainers, we have to find a balance between giving enough information to get you started but not so much that you feel overwhelmed.
Possibly as a result of this, and partly as a result of the drive for money, some in this industry have gone down the path of producing apps, or providing programs online, to capture part of the market. Many members bring their devices on to the gym floor in order to follow these programs and what I see, is poor form, lack of understanding of the exercises performed (their purpose, the reason they have been programmed), a lack of specific programming for their body type, level of skill and mobility leading again to poor form, and a lack of intensity that would actually be required to achieve the goals most of these members have come in with.
Goals are easy to set, a lot harder to achieve. A lot of us work long hours, possibly have long commutes, plus outside commitments such as study and/or family; and these all conspire to make those goals seem more and more difficult to accomplish. We need fixes, tips, tricks, hacks to keep us on track. We need the right programming in both exercise selection, intensity and load. More than ever, we need to be making good choices around our food. We need to be hydrated, getting adequate sleep and managing our stress levels.
I’ll be upfront and say that I haven’t look at all these online offerings and so cannot say whether any or all are sufficient to get you results. What I will say is that having a Personal Trainer on your team, someone to whom you are accountable, someone to guide you with all the elements required to achieve lasting results, is the quickest and most cost-effective support system. They will inspire you, challenge you, listen to you, care for you, monitor you and they will make sure that it is money well spent.
Many years ago, when I first started out in the industry, a friend suggested I ask one of the more experienced trainers to be my PT. I approached someone and asked him to train me. For some reason, instead of just booking me in, he suggested we go for coffee to talk. He then set out a sales pitch to me which included drawing a rough graph on the back of a napkin. He said if I worked by myself, I would achieve this basic level of results in 6 months, but that if I worked with him, I would achieve this, higher, level of results in 3 months.
At the time, I was annoyed with him for wasting my time, I just wanted to start training and I wanted to start now. However, that graph was the most simple and accurate representation of what working with a good trainer would look like.
If you want to achieve goals, be they fat loss, muscle gain, reshaping, increased fitness, recovery from injury, increased wellness, your best investment is to commit to a minimum of 3 months with a PT.
Personal Trainer Lucy B 