Owning a gym is tough at times. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s the best but it can be tough explaining to a potential client that they have a lot of hard work in front of them to achieve their goals. I mean, we’re asking people to give us money in exchange for physical discomfort. While there are numerous benefits to this “discomfort”, it’s well … uncomfortable.
I used to think it was my job to only utilize “best practices” with clients when they joined our gym. We aimed to use the best, most up to date methods. Ten years later, I’ve now come to realize that it doesn’t (mostly) matter what program or methodology your clients are using so long as they are consistently participating.
In other words, showing up ALWAYS trumps super-sciencey best practices. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t necessarily have to be one or the other. On occasion, we’ll have a client that has the option to train 90 min, 3 or 4x per week, it just isn’t the norm.
What is the norm?
Training for Real Life
Most of our athletes, they are able to train 3x per week for about 1 hour. That’s it. It’s our job to design a program that gives them the most bang for their buck AND keeps them coming in week after week. It’s no easy TBH but here is how we do it.
#1: We Ask
Before anyone joins our gym, we meet with them to make sure it’s a good fit. We capture a lot of their data around goals, schedules, and experience. From there, we lay out how we would best be able to help them. If it fits, it fits!
#2: We Find and Entry Point
Our Intro Program is 4 sessions with a coach in a 1 on 1 setting. We teach each athlete everything they need to know about our gym. How to set up a power rack, what barbell to use, what weights to use, what exercises specifically to do, how to do them, when to add weight, how to use our app, and all they care to know about shoes and belts. Athletes walk out of our Intro Program with a ton of new-found confidence!
#3: We Customize Their Experience
Want to see a coach 1 on 1? Want to work in a group with like-minded individuals? Or, want the best of both of those worlds? We got you. Every client in our gym gets to pick their ideal coaching relationship.
#4: We Assess
Every 90 days, we ask the athlete how they’re doing. We also ask them how we’re doing. Finally, we ask them what they want to work on during the next 90 days.
All this shapes out to give the athlete a great experience at our gym. And, none of this speaks to our fantastic community. Honestly, it’s the best part, I should have just led with that. Over time our gym has changed from it’s initial design but I wouldn’t change it. Everyday we get to work with folks just like us. Busy, over 40, and still wanting to be in kick-ass shape. We’ve all got kids, careers, and a ton on our “to do” plate but that doesn’t keep us from enjoying our training.
Want to talk more about what this could look like for you? Book a Meeting with one of our coaches and we’ll get to work for you.
Talk soon,
James