Bring the Big Gym Experience to your Private Training Studio

Bringing the big gym atmosphere and experience to your own private studio will help you grow your business.

By this, I mean bringing the exclusivity and excitement of walking into a popular fitness club like LA Fitness or YouFit to your own fitness practice. Here are some ways.

Have Proper Presentation

Nothing says QUALITY like a well-groomed/dressed, and well-spoken person. In the business world, the term “quality” equates to professionalism. Looking, being, and acting professional can go a long way in growing your business and brand by having that “corporate” feel.

When you place foot into your chain gyms like LA Fitness and YouFit these clubs are usually clean and well-kept, which sparks a good impression. In addition, the staff sport the company’s apparel with a name tag or catchy logo of sort catching your attention.

What do some of these things convey to clients?

How about being:

• Well Groomed/Dressed– This shows that you put great care into your appearance, thus reminding your client that your attention to detail must translate to your attention towards their fitness goals.
• Well Spoken – This shows that you are confident in engaging in conversation so you must be knowledgeable in the areas of health and fitness and know ways of getting the results they are seeking. 
• Well Equipped – Having a variety of industry-current equipment available shows that you are serious about having adequate options for your sessions with clients.

Here’s more detail on how you as a trainer can grow your personal training business by bringing the gym to your clients.

Dress for Success

Being well-groomed means that your hair is nicely kept whether it be long, short, or you have no hair at all like myself! (Make sure to manage your hair with frequent care and visits to your stylist or barber).

Your clothes should be wrinkle free, free or food stains and perspiration. From your hair to your clothes and finally your shoes.

As minor as it sounds the type of shoes you were as a trainer says a great deal about you; if you are attending a business event/meeting then dress shoes are the most suitable.

However, if you are going through the training rounds then a pair of comfortable and athletic footwear fits best and it sends the message that you are an active and engaging trainer that understands the importance of the proper footwear.

Speak Like a Professional

Nothing says competence like well put together and cohesive sentences as a manner of communication. As a fitness professional, it is important that you are expressive and articulate with your peers and clients.

Why? You are sought out for expertise in your field and responsible for giving directives concerning your client’s fitness goals and ultimately their health.

For example, if you are explaining to your client proper squat form a great description would be “after you mount the weight on your back, keep your back straight, poke your butt out as you descend slowly, keep you chin up and chest out and make sure your knees don’t go past your toes.”

As opposed to “ take the weight, bring it down and go back up.” The former sentence is more instructional and informative.

Provide a Variety of Equipment

As an avid or mild gym goer, you may be familiar with the different types of equipment and machines fitness clubs offer. Some of which include your standard treadmill, dumbbell rack, bench press platform, and even a stretching area.

At my private studio Tailored Fitness we do not have everything that large clubs offer but over the years we have invested in similar equipment: as our business grew we were able to purchase a dumbbell rack as well, barbells and plates, jump ropes, resistance bands, sleds, battle ropes, punching bags, and the list goes on!

Much of what I listed can be found at your nearby fitness club but some can only be found out our studio which is appreciated by our existing members and potential clients.

This way, minus a treadmill or other cardio equipment, our business stands firm not only in quality service and professionalism but also providing functional and up to date exercise equipment; all of which can help grow our business and give our clients the gym experience.

Let’s take it a step further and see the many ways some equipment can be utilized.

Get Creative With Studio Equipment

As a trainer which workout machine or piece of exercise equipment is your favorite? Personally, I love the bench press. Perhaps a few clients of yours gravitate to the bench as well but most private studios do not offer that particular equipment, a huge bummer!

Thankfully as trainers, we are “equipped” with the ingenuity and imagination to bring such machines as the infamous bench press to clients! As an example, I create a makeshift bench press using two boxes, both measuring about a foot and a half in height and two feet in length; I then place them together and add two mats to their surfaces.

Still with me? Here’s the fun part: now that we have our “bench” all we need now is our barbell with plates and the proper weight. Similar to what you may see at your fitness clubs, your client will lay on the surface and you or I as the spotter will guide him/her as they perform X amount of repetitions for Y amount of sets.

Voila! You just brought the gym experience to your client minus the guy grunting next to you as he squeezes in his final reps. This is just one example. Another gym favorite of many is the leg press machine.

At our studio, we have smaller rectangular boxes which have many uses depending on the workout or body part being focused on. In this instance, it’s the LEGS and it’s two major muscles: the gluteals and quadriceps. You simply:

• Have your client lay down flat on their backs on two mats on the floor
• Have them raise both legs at a 45-degree angle
• Have them place both feet inside the box
• Carefully lay your chest on the box while their legs are extended so your weight is fully supported
• Have them slowly bring their knees to their chest as your weight is being supported by them (as seen when someone is performing this move on the “real” leg press machine)
• Have them slowly return to starting position without locking out their knees

There you have it! Who says you can’t bring the gym to your client? With a bit of creativity and innovation, you can be on your way to grow your relationships with clients and your business by bringing these experiences to your clients.

Now sit back and watch how they rave to friends, family members, and even strangers on how great of a trainer you are…simply by doing your best to bring them a great experience and top-notch personal training service.

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