I’m writing this on 8/22/24. The 2-year anniversary of when I started my 2^nd full time personal training job. This one was at an Anytime Fitness about 12 minutes away from my house. Much more convenient than the LA fitness 25 minutes away on the other side of town. This was going to be another great opportunity to get more clients and make a sh*t load of money. Or so I thought.

I had been working full time as a trainer since May. Being a PT is one of those jobs in which you become a veteran after surviving the lifestyle for 3 months. It’s crazy hours, crazy clients, and REQUIRES you to physically exhaust yourself everyday. Often multiple times a day. Because exercise is so hard to start and stay with, you can cycle through 20-30 clients in a couple weeks, easy.

You learn a lot quickly. Or you must in order to not go insane. Most people who make it after a few months are already certified crazy. So let’s say I did not have any trouble fitting in. I met many other trainers quickly and learned they are NOT CREATED EQUAL. Some are great, some are sh*t. That’s the truth. But it took me much longer to realize that the clients have no idea. And by the time a client finds out how poor their trainer is, they’re often injured or have already sworn off the gym entirely (after some tortuous workout).

So when I say you learn a lot quick, you really learn what mistakes to avoid. Such as promising the world, prescribing INSANE & STUPID exercises, and not establishing a relationship with someone while you push them physically. I credit my years as a sales coach for having shown me the importance of being realistic and sincere. Because of my weird career trajectory, I did not find it hard to keep my clients coming back like all the other trainers. I just had a hard time containing my excitement and love for fitness.

It took me 9 years to learn the art of exercise. It took me another full year before I would say I began to understand the art of training others. I can honestly say that I’ve learned more in the last 2 years than I have in the previous 8, thanks to working with others. My own exercise programming has never been more fun, productive, and exciting. I can’t wait for the next training session, regardless of the activity.

For many years all I could do was lift weights. But there is much more to life than just muscle. Combining the 3 elements of exercise (mobility, strength, endurance) in different ways is just like combining paint to create new colors. You can paint some incredible things without even realizing what you are doing. But it’s hard-to-find love for something physically difficult until you have seen the results come full circle. But once you’ve been around long enough, you’ll get hooked.

I digress. Back to my point about how shi**y personal training can be. (That’s what I mean by not being able to contain my excitement.) Unfortunately, most people are “sold” on personal training in a very much “used car salesman way”. Literally, people are solicited until they show up for a “fitness assessment”. Which is only designed to make you feel like sh*t about yourself so you’re willing to pay for the most expensive package and longest contract term. Sometimes the gym (or sales) manager will join in on the consult for added pressure.

PT packages are usually 6-12 month contracts, 25-45 minute sessions, for 50-75$ per session. For you math wizards, that comes out to about $5,000 for 6 months of training (to meet the general health recommendations of 90 minutes per week). The lengthy contract is positioned in a way to seem like a good thing for accountability. “This is so you get your results” and all that jazz. But in reality, the gym understands the odds of you actually sticking around is less than 25% (and thats incredibly generous).

So where do you think all that money goes? Because if you don’t actually show up for the sessions, the trainers often don’t get paid. In most cases, the trainers people sign up with quit before the contract can even be fulfilled. The contracts are set up to expire quickly so it makes “freezing” any accounts, impossible. Meaning, most people have to work with multiple trainers even if they did nothing wrong. Nobody brings this up in the beginning because its unimaginable. And the gym doesn’t want to lose a sale. Talk about f*cked.

And that my friends is why I’m on this tangent. To at the very least give an early warning sign before you walk nervously into a commercial gym for help. It’s not all completely f*cked. though. The good news is that the resources available today are incredible and cheap. Too many trainers have this shared experience and have gone independent.

Fitness is not as complicated as it is made out to be.

Marketing makes it complicated.

Science makes it simple.

Art makes it fun.

If you are new to your fitness journey and have little to no experience, you will be shocked at how simple and effective a “program” can be. If you can follow an ebook or PDF you can get in crazy good shape. Of course, results take time but if you find a trust worthy guide, you’ll skip the mistakes which result in delays.

Which is of course why I’m writing this too. To convince you that I am that guide. I’m not the world greatest coach or some super exercise genius. I have spent thousands of hours, seriously somewhere between 15-20,000 hours in the gym training (myself & others). I offer you the same meat and potatoes as many qualified trainers, but I also offer you the special sauce and seasoning to make your programs more convenient and effective.

You’ll have fun with the results. I can promise you that.

If you feel like your situation is more complicated or feel as if you want the added support and exercise supervision, then there are many fantastic coaches available. I will be candid with you that often- the better the coach, the more expensive their time will be. But this option is by far the most effective, life changing, and worth the investment. So *shocker* I do offer both virtual and in person coaching too.

So to recap the bad news and the good news-

The bad:

Most personal training from commercial gyms is expensive, ineffective, and loaded with awkward stressors.

Most fitness apps are BS and ineffective when seriously considering your starting point and future goals.

The Good:

It’s easier than ever to get in shape. Between improved science, equipment, and access.

Information access is better than ever if you find the right coach.

There are more “right coaches” than ever. Just gotta look for them.

If anything I’ve said resonates with you, please reach out. It is my job to help you get more out of your training. And I f*cking love my job.