What’s Happened To Personal Training?
December 23rd, 2008
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by Mark Nutting · Filed Under: Personal Training Business
Small group or semi-private training, boot camps, training people for a half hour or less, what’s happened to personal training? Well that’s evolution of a profession. It’s time for many Personal Trainers to realize that the one-on-one, hour long sessions (that used to be all we did) is only one small piece of the market these days. When started offering 30 minute sessions, they took off. When we offered hour long small group training they started becoming a real part of our program, and when we began the 30 minute small group, another explosion.
While I’m still a big believer in being a specialist, owning a niche, within that I think you need to have a variety of offerings. While I can work with people in almost any area, my self-professed specialties are weight loss and post-rehab conditioning. Let’s think about the offerings that I could have within those areas.
1) Time variations:
Post-rehab may easily be done in a half hour or even smaller segments (I’ve started with some people in 15min appointments)
Weight loss can also fit in half hour segments with a focus on high-intensity resistance training.
2) Multiple participants:
Groups can offer greater accountability, increased peer challenge, and more fun at a lower price which can make more attractive to many potential clients.
Post-rehab I have to say that initially I need to work one-on-one, but as people progress, get to know the exercises, and gain body control, why couldn’t you do a small group surrounding that area of focus. Imagine a “healthy back”, or “knees & hips” small group training.
Weight loss can easily fit into the multiple participants scenario with small groups or even weight loss bootcamps.
*A note: It’s more difficult in groups to focus on any one individual. So know your people. My personal recommendation is to have a one-on-one session to cover medical health history, fitness experience, and check form in some of the exercises.
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Small group training is the waive of the future as well as a blast from the past. Group X instructors realized in the 80s that they could rake in the cash by offering exciting group formats. (That’s one of the reasons why GX instructors still expect salaries from $50-$125 per hour – volume counts). Today, GX budgets are being slashed and PT with its “cash is king” approach is the big industry player. Finally, the two ideas converge! At our club we call multi-talented trainers “Hybrids”. Both PT and GX seek to hire trainers with Pilates, atheletic coaching (boxing, cycling, track & field0, re-hab, AND personal training backgrounds. They’re easier to promote, and they’re squeezing single-track GX instructors out of the way. It’s a new world everybody!