So I did a little experiment recently and called all the gyms in the area to see what they offered as far as personal training is concerned.
I typically don’t care what most big gyms are doing, but I was curious so I wanted to see if there was anything even close to comparable to what we have to offer in our area.
I won’t call out specific businesses because I think that’s a little unprofessional but I will tell you the results of the phone calls.
Gym 1
I called to ask them if they offered any personal training. He proceeded to tell me about the group exercise classes that they offer on certain nights that are included in their $10 a month membership.
I asked him if they had anything with personal attention to which he said no. I then asked him if they had any free weights which he responded with it’s mostly machines with some dumbbells.
So I’m curious to know how much fitness are you really going to get a facility that doesn’t offer any type of free weights (the most effective way to train), and probably pays it’s group exercise coach a minimum hourly wage since they have a giant foot print to pay for with $10 a month memberships.
I’m also curious to know how much service could they really provide to the individual since they have to have 3,000 members on their books to at least break even.
By the way, they serve pizza and bagels on different nights at the gym, so nutrition doesn’t seem to be much of a belief system there, but job security is definitely in the cards.
Gym 2
I called to ask them the same questions. They responded with yes you’ll get personal attention from the attendant on duty who will set you up with a program to do on your own.
My question is, isn’t the point of wanting to work with someone so that they’ll push you, motivate you, and make sure you’re being educated and moving safely, effectively and efficiently? Plus, how involved do you think the front desk guy will be with you, while he’s trying to make his quota of cheap membership sales for the month.
Again with the price of the gym being so low, the gym has to maintain a massive amount of volume just to keep the doors open, so I wouldn’t be expecting too much service on their end for you.
Gym 3
This gym is newer with all the bells and whistles. It’s also the only gym that offered personal training.
When I asked for more details the person that answered the phone couldn’t tell me anything about it. He told me to call back at 4 to talk to one of the trainers.
I’m interested to know what type of service you’d get at this facility if the person that is supposed to be able to answer the phone and answer all your questions can’t even tell you the prices of the services offered, nor do they care enough to take down your name and number to find out and give you a call back.
If I were shopping for gyms in the area I would look at several criteria.
1) How much service do you want?
Are you looking for guidance and coaching with what you’re doing, or are you an expert and already know everything? If you’ve got a degree in exercise then or have spend many many hours studying exercise, then by all means you’re probably good going to one of these gyms, unless of course you want free weights, then I’d avoid Gym #1.
If you do want guidance and coaching, don’t believe the hype of getting all that for $10-$15 a month. Anybody worth their salt will charge you way more then that. Would you hire the cheapest lawyer in town, or the professional expert in the field you need help in? Would you hire the cheapest doctor, or the specialist in your area of need?
Professionals charge accordingly, and if you’re looking for amazing results, you’ll get what you pay for, or you can keep trying to figure it out on your own by reading Shape magazine or Muscle and Fitness.
2) Do you want someone who genuinely cares about your results, looking at your progress all along the way, or someone who by the nature of their business (very low price model) is more concerned with a ton of volume (aka members) in order to keep their doors open?
The low price gyms by their very business model must have thousands of members on their books just to keep their doors open. It’s expensive to run a business and if you’re only charging $10-$15 a month you have to constantly get more people in the door to stay afloat. If you go to a gym that charges higher prices, their amount of members can be substantially less which allows for the availability of more service.
3) Do you want a cheap alternative to check the exercise off your to do list everyday, or even worse, have it ring up on your credit card every month and not go, or do you want accountability, exciting programs, and coaches who care that make sure you get results?
Most cheaper gyms pray on your good intentions. They want thousands of members on their books and they want nobody to show up. If everyone showed up they’d be sunk, and you’d be waiting in line to use everything. These gyms expect you to sign up with good intentions, and every month when you look at your statements think, ‘It’s only $15 and I’m planning on going next week.’ Instead if you go to a higher quality facility, they’ll be calling you asking you where you’re at. Your friends who come to class with you every day will be hitting you up on Facebook wondering where you’ve been.
In summary, there’s no right or wrong answer. It’s all about what you want….
CrossFit Bartlett is a group personal training facility. We have personal trained for years, and offer a program that will get you better results then a one on one training scenario. The community is what makes it happen. The prices are set high enough to allow for great coaches and facilities, and low enough to be affordable compared to a personal trainer 2-3 times a week.
So if you’re looking for a program that offers amazing service, great coaches, and stellar results, give us a call 901-388-3101.
By the way, for January we are offering a 2 week Free Trial to the first 50 people who take advantage of it, so if you want to check it out hit us up quickly and claim your spot!
1/20/2015 WOD
Strength:
Back Squat
Met Con:
Rowing x 1 minute
2 minute rest
5 rounds for total meters
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