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What to expect when you join a gym
Are you about to join a gym or considering it? Well let’s sit down for a little chat beforehand.
I’ve been a member some of the best gyms in the country and worked at a couple over the years. I am going to tell you what you are in for when you sign up to a gym.
What I am going to tell you is going to pull back to curtain a little bit on the industry, but it’s stuff you should know. By no means am I saying to not sign up for a gym. No way! I just want you to know what to expect.
Your Gym Signup Experience
So you are considering joining a gym. Sweeeeet! This means that you have personal development on your mind more than ever. This is one of the best choices you’ve ever made. The financial cost will never outweigh the benefit of personal growth. You made the right move. Now what?
When you join a gym they will be glad to have you, but you will always be a number that helps them hit their monthly revenue goals .. hey, it’s business. But know this.
This is Why: Gym Revenue
Each gym has a monthly revenue goal they must hit. The gym or trainer has a certain amount of new business units they must get every month. Gyms also have a set goal of revenue they must get from personal training, both in terms of money and new units (new clients). Trainers and gyms can also have a conversion rate for the amount of new members that sign up and get converted to training sessions. Gyms must continue to bring in new members and new clients for personal training on a monthly basis. This is how they survive. Note that at the end of each month, all hands are on deck at the gym. Everyone is there to help the gym hit goal. When this happens, people get bonuses. The bonus is their incentive to hit goal every month.
When you first sign up you will be offered a variety of free assessments and consultations. Why? Because this is an opportunity to sell you on the products and services that they offer.
Free Assessment
When you become a member you will be offered a free physical assessment to see where you are physically. They will tell you your percent body fat, amount of muscle, etc. They want you to know where you stand. They will do this so that they can point out where you are right now and what it’s going to take to get you where you want to be. It might make you feel like shit, but that’s kind of the idea. Still, it’s good to know your numbers so you know your starting points.
Free Personal Training Session
Next, they will give you a free personal training session. WOW! Thanks! They must really care. Not really. It’s business. This is how it works:
You will meet with a random personal trainer. Some are great, some are good, a lot are bad. That’s just the truth. They will find out a little about you, your goals, health and fitness history, etc. and run you through a session. This session probably won’t be great. But the idea is to show you how they can help you reach your goal. Maybe the trainer kicks your butt and makes you sweat a lot (lame) or maybe they run you through a great squat session (sweeeeet!), but the point is to show you what they can do for you.
Post Session Sales Pitch
After the session you won’t get a “great job, dude. See you around!” No, it’s sales time. They are going to sit you down and chat with you about your goals, what it’s going to take to hit them and how they can help. This can be done in a variety of ways, but they are going to offer their services. Know this is coming, but also know you’re not dealing with a scummy used-car salesman.
Personal trainers, as a whole, aren’t scumbags. They do what they do because they have a passion for health and fitness and want to help; however, they also have goals to hit for their gym each month. Let me explain:
Gym Pitch Changes
The sales pitch will change from gym to gym depending on the company. If you are joining Gold’s Gym or LA Fitness … remember what I said about used car sales men? That’s them. Other gyms are less aggressive, but still have to run their business. Equinox, Crunch, Life Time, One Life, among others, all have their own approach to hitting revenue. Most of these companies have a respectable approach to offering services, but they will push. They are taught to overcome objection from a potential client. They are trained on what to say in response to your objection to their services. You have to talk to your significant other? It’s too expensive? Most trainers are ready with a response. Know this going into the conversation so you aren’t taken back by their approach. Also know, some people suck at sales or don’t care to push selling onto someone. Others are confident and will do a great job selling you, but also letting you decide.
If you don’t want to buy sessions then don’t. There is no reason to rush to this decision unless you are already sold on getting a trainer. Tell them you just want to think about it or you are not ready to make a decision. They will have a response, but you already know this by now.
Regarding Personal Training
I’ve trained many people over the years from celebs and fashion designers to CEO’s and regular Joes. Everyone has benefited from training.
If you know what you are doing (or at least feel competent) then maybe you don’t need a trainer at first. But I truly feel everyone can benefit from a personal trainer, life coach, therapist, etc. None of us are super humans and we don’t have to be. It’s OK to let experts that specialize in certain fields help progress us and maximize us to our best possible outcome and version of ourselves.
If you are not familiar with the gym, working out, weights, etc. then you should purchase 3-5 sessions to get you started. If you are serious about your goals then do it. This will be extremely beneficially for you and your goals and well worth the $200-$500 you’re going to have to spend. But if you are not interested, then pass and don’t feel bad about saying “no thanks.” They will just move on to the next potential client … It’s their job.
Lastly on the personal training topic, not every trainer is good. It’s gross how many shitty trainers there are. But I think that’s with everything in life. I’ve worked with trainers who didn’t know shit about anything. They didn’t know exercises, programming, stretching routines, nothing. They just looked cute and liked to do cardio so they became a “trainer.” When hiring a trainer, this is YOUR CHOICE. It doesn’t matter who gives you a free training session. They get the first shot at selling you, but YOU DECIDE who you train with. It’s your money. If you want a trainer, this is my advice to you:
- Find a trainer that has experience training people with your goals. I used to work with trainers who were just runners and their expertise was endurance sports, yet they sold themselves to clients as being able to help them with their strength goals or fat-loss goals. Point being, make sure your goals and their expertise align.
- Make sure this is a person or personality that you can work with and will enjoy training with. You will be spending one hour a few days a week with them so this is important. A strong professional relationship with my clients was always important to me. To this day I still talk to my old clients because of the relationships we built. This is something that can not be understated. If you don’t feel like you clicked with a trainer and want to try someone else, pass on the sales pitch. Then later, talk to the personal training manager or gym manager and they will set you up with a better fit. They want you to be happy and they want your money. You call the shots.
- Your goal is the most important, above everything. Make sure you have a clear-cut goal so that you can help them help you. If your goal is to have big arms, but you have no idea how to make that happen, let someone else program you to bigger arms. Your goal requires more than just a desire to change. You need a plan and a program that will work. You need a real understanding of nutrition to maximize each session and each opportunity to grow (or shrink) your body. If you want big arms and you think a workout routine that you got from your buddy Theo or Women’s Fitness Magazine is going to get you there, you might want to reconsider. Knowledge and experience from a good trainer can be a game changer for you.
Becoming Part of the Gym
Gym culture can be intimidating but it’s not supposed to be. It’s the pressure we put on ourselves and the physical comparisons that make us feel self-conscious. But trust me when I say this … The gym is a shared commitment to fitness, wellness, and personal improvement. More than anything, it’s a source of motivation and community. So while you will feel like shit at first and maybe for a bit, everyone under that roof has similar goals and a dedication to commitment as you will. Others may be further along in their journey, or maybe further behind, but you are all in it together, as a community … a rare breed of the population that cares enough to change for the better.
Look at joining a gym is a big stepping stone, and one that will give you the greatest chance of improving your physical appearance, mental health, life expectancy and just about every possible way to improve your quality of life.
I will offer one more bit of advice. Your gym should hold itself to a high standard. This means taking care of its members, offering a clean gym, equipment that works and is up to date, towel service, clean locker rooms and bathrooms (as well as other shared space), etc. It should be a place you trust and can almost act as a home away from home. If your gym doesn’t check any of those boxes, find another gym.
One Quick Side Note
Gyms and trainers will offer supplements to you at some point in time. These products range from protein powders and bars to preworkout powders and fat-blocking pills. Gyms make a nice profit on these items and trainers have to sell a certain amount per month. But let me be clear … YOU DON’T NEED ANY OF IT! The truth with supplements is that it’s 90% bullshit. The only supplements that scientific research supports is protein powder (which is great!), creatine and caffeine (yep, your cheap ass coffee from Starbucks is awesome). DO NOT get sold on some BS supplements for the sake of a sale. A healthy diet of protein, vitamins and minerals will absolutely crush any supplement you take. The benefit of supplements is that most people don’t get enough protein so bars and powders can really help in that area. So just to clarify, protein powder, creatine and caffeine work. Everything else is anecdotal or snake oil.
Bottom Line
When you first join a gym, there will be some hoops to jump through because of the nature of the business. We wrote this article so that you are aware of that business and can understand what you are walking into. Maybe you’ll have a great experience or maybe it will be lousy, but expect to be offered everything the gym has to offer. They don’t know what you want until they ask and you don’t know what you want until you know everything they have to offer. There is no harm in saying no, even if it’s 1,000 times.
Finally, you can get a lot out of your gym membership. It can totally change your life as long as you are dedicated and committed towards your goal. Showing up and staying consistent is your best course of action and a gym membership can be your sharpest tool.
Now you know what to expect before you join a gym. Don’t let this deter you from walking through the door and signing up. Even though it’s a business, most of them want to help you and will be happy you are part of their community. We want you to embrace the experience, just know what lies in the road ahead.
