The other day, I spoke with a young trainer who told me she wants to open a kickboxing/MMA gym for women and train high-level fighters.
It immediately brought me back to my early 20s.
I used to think the same way:
- Train pro athletes
- Train high-level college athletes
- Work with the elite
A lot of trainers think that way at first.
Here’s the issue:
- Most trainers get into fitness because they love hard training
- They like soreness
- They like being pushed
- They enjoy the gym environment
Most people looking for a trainer are the opposite.
They want:
- Guidance
- Accountability
- Safety
- A plan that fits their actual life
- A coach who understands that they may not love exercise (yet)
That gap is why so many people find personal trainers unrelatable.
I’ll often see personal trainers giving incredibly difficult “cool” exercises to their clients.
I’ll then watch the client’s body language and facial expressions.
Impressed at first by the trainer’s demonstration…
Followed by immediate uncertainty, nervousness, and confusion as they attempt to replicate.
Personal trainers have taken to social media to criticize their clients’ ability to follow instructions or pay attention.
I’d argue the trainers are usually at fault for giving highly complex exercises, or failing to communicate cleanly; That’s the real issue.
This unfortunately leads many people to think, “It’s just not for me.”
Imagine a doctor saying, “I only want healthy patients.”
That’s not where the help is needed.
It’s also why the industry has such high turnover. Many trainers enter the field with passion, but the average career lasts only about 3 years. There’s a constant reset of young trainers trying to “make it,” often before they’ve learned how to coach nervous and intimidated people.
at Pratt, we started with mostly athletes in 2016. Over time, it became clear our biggest impact was with adults who never saw themselves as “gym people.”
The people who:
- Felt out of place
- Had bad experiences before
- Thought fitness was too hardcore
- Needed a coach, not a drill sergeant
The goal is to meet people where they are and build from there.
Don’t get me wrong… we love getting experienced members who want to take things to the next level. Creating difficult programs and pushing someone is fun.
However, in my opinion, hearing how we completely changed someone’s life by showing them that exercise can be fun and accessible is even better.
– James Pratt