What is the value of personal training sessions with a coach?

Author: Nikolai Sokolov - coach and creator of the blog.
2014-08-03

In the old days, when I first started working as a personal trainer at a fitness center, I couldn't help but wonder: "Why do my sessions cost this much?". As a young man without significant earnings, such a price (at that time 800 rubles) seemed quite high to me. Now fitness in Russia has gained momentum, and more and more people are getting involved. Back then, it felt like a luxury. Over the years, my opinion has changed.

Now, during the first free training session, I no longer ask the client to check the cost of "personal training" at the reception. I simply say that the price is XYZ (now my training session costs 1300 rubles). What has changed? I realized that it’s not expensive! I understand that my job isn't just about counting reps for the client or creating a fun atmosphere during workouts. My job is to change the life of the person who is training for the better! To motivate them toward a healthy lifestyle, regular training, proper nutrition, and sufficient rest. All of this can drastically change their life.

Let's imagine the average client at our gym. A woman over 40, 15-20 extra kilograms. After several years of convincing herself that she really needs to start focusing on herself, she finally comes to the gym. If she encounters a novice trainer, he might give her an "experienced" look. Of course, he might think she won’t be taking personal training sessions—she seems doubtful about the machines. And she bluntly extinguishes the sparkle in the instructor's eyes: "Show me the exercises for sides and abs, and I’ll figure out the rest." She really thinks, how much money can be saved on personal training! Then the trainer shows her exercises "for sides and abs," something for her thighs, arms, and off she goes to "swim free."

During her next visit, much of what she learned is wiped from her memory. Instead of the eight exercises shown to her, she only does two or three. The rest are either inconvenient (she forgot the settings), heavy (she doesn’t remember the weight), or she feels like everyone is watching her (a natural psychological reaction to an unfamiliar environment). The next time, having done even fewer exercises, she quietly shifts to the treadmill, where there's a clear activity, and no one is watching.

In the first month, it seems there are results (after all, her physical activity has increased). Then, most likely, progress stalls. Out of inertia, the workouts continue. She makes a few attempts to join group classes, usually the most intense ones, which are also considered the "most effective." After experiencing hellish pain from inadequate workloads, the poor girl returns to the treadmill. And not seeing results, a month later, her desire to change fades away. "Good girlfriends," of course, "help" – you look great anyway, your husband loves you just the way you are, and why are you torturing yourself in the gym! The end.

A year passes – her fitness club membership expires. And our friend looks in the mirror, seeing there are no results. 40,000 rubles spent over the past year cannot be returned. What’s more important is that no one can give back a whole year of life spent trying to change herself and improve her health!

Another scenario of events

During the first free workout, I try to demonstrate the necessity of personal training. Even if they are only once a week. Who will explain how to change your diet without torturing yourself with hunger and without regaining lost kilos? I will make the workouts engaging and varied. The intensity of the load will ensure progress on one hand and the absence of the "grasshopper with broken legs" gait in the days following the workouts.

And who will support her when motivation for training decreases? Friends? Hardly... Often, we find ourselves without the support and understanding of those close to us when it comes to fitness. Pity and conversations like "darling, not at our age should we engage in such nonsense," are the worst things to hear!

It's another matter with an instructor who lives and breathes fitness. Someone who cannot imagine life without regular workouts. The one who will see and emphasize successes, who will talk daily about the benefits of healthy eating. After a year of consistent, diverse, and adequately intense training, she will look and feel 5-10 years younger, and that's just the beginning. She won't be able to live without workouts. And it will become an absolutely healthy habit!

So what kind of savings can we talk about when it comes to our health and physical shape? A person says "It's expensive!" when they don't see the value in the service. And it's the trainer's task as a professional to sell the training. To sell what a person desperately needs but doesn't fully understand the value of.