Everyday new ways to help your clients get fit are reaching gyms and trainers across America. Whether it is new routines, exercises, or tools, expanding your fitness business means exploring new realms of fitness to enhance your clients’ experiences. Private group training has made its way onto the fitness floor and the spotlight has been turned to just how great training in groups can be.
Do you have what it takes?
Group training can provide a fitness professional with a lucrative option to enhancing their clientele without overloading their hourly work day. While enhanced economics is enough to entice many professionals, please be warned that you will have your work cut-out for you. There is a necessary skill-set to training small groups. To be sure you are ready for taking on a small group; here are some skills that might be helpful for success in this new endeavor.
Become a fan of change. You must be prepared to convert, manipulate or change exercises on the fly. Regressions and progressions may be necessary depending on the abilities of those participating in your small group and in order to ensure success of each participant, exercises must be appropriate for their skills and abilities. Prepare a few different programs before your sessions so you can make changes quick and your clients won’t miss a step!
Embrace your inner cheerleader. Motivating your clients in one-on-one sessions is generally easier because you have one client to focus on. When there is one person in the spotlight, you know your client’s emotional triggers, you understand the buttons you can push to keep them moving and you can adjust your personality to meet their needs. With small group training, there are more personalities to try to know, understand and motivate. Eat an energy bar before you train because you will need the energy to keep up with all the personalities and emotions you might face during the session! Stay upbeat and don’t worry – the more you train the group, the more you will understand their unique dynamic and you will be able to adjust your personality accordingly.
“Speak softly and carry a big stick…you will go far.” Okay, maybe you won’t need to carry a big stick, but be ready to be a strong leader. Remember groups can quickly turn into mobs if they are not controlled properly. Make sure you are ready with rules and guidelines for the group, and stick to them! Stay strong when you lay down your training ground rules, make sure that every participant knows and understands your guidelines and the reasons why you put them in place – you are trying to help them and in order to do so, your training sessions must have structure! If you let the group take over your sessions, this prosperous endeavor may cost you your sanity.
Money matters.
Group training can have a positive effect on your income stream. Working with several clients during one hour can help you raise your hourly wage while decreasing the cost for those clients participating in your group session. Overall, this can be a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Your Group Rate Should Make “Cents” If your current hourly wage is $45 per hour to provide one-on-one service, lowering the cost to $30 per hour per client for a small group session gives your client a break on the cost (potentially incentivizing them to train more) and could raise your hourly wage to $60 or $90 depending on the size of your small group (factoring in 2-3 clients per hour).
There are several ways to determine your price breakdown – you can propose a flat fee despite how many group members you have (as shown in the example above), or you can provide a tiered cost-break, giving a discount based on the number of clients in the group, for example, 2 clients can cost $35 per person per session / 3 clients drops to $30 per person per session, and so on. Before you start counting your pennies, there are a few economic factors to consider such as the costs associated with training more than one client at a time. First, adding more clients often calls for increased equipment. If you are an independent trainer, this investment might cost you more than you planned for- be sure to add up your additional costs for items such as extra bands, balls and dumbbells. But don’t worry – this is a sound investment, having extra equipment can help you in a pinch in case something breaks or ends up missing (as items often do). Second, space might be an obstacle. If the small group cannot fit into the studio or area you want to train them in, you might consider using parks or gymnasiums to work out your clients. Often, renting space can cost you – check with the park service or city civic center for permission to train on their grounds or in their facilities and add up any fees they might charge for allowing you to rent their space. In addition, make sure your personal training insurance covers multiple locations and clients.
With more than one client, you might think about increasing your coverage in case of multiple injuries. Check with your insurance provider to make sure you have the best coverage for your new endeavor – this can cost you, but it will save you more in the long run should a client suffer an injury.
If you are a trainer in a gym you won’t have to invest in equipment, but you face other challenges. You might have plenty of equipment at your disposal, but it might be limited by the time of day and space that is provided for your small group. Before you begin small group training, sit down with your fitness manager to determine potential solutions for any road-blocks you can foresee with your small group. Often the club might be willing to invest in extra equipment that can be offset by the increased income from the multiple clients you are training per hour. In addition, make sure your hourly compensation will be adjusted before you take on more clients per hour. You don’t want to do more work and get paid less! Take the time to communicate with the management at your club and propose ideas on how to tackle issues, both financially and operationally.
All in all, the cost of your sessions should cover the time you take to prepare for your sessions as well as the cost of extra equipment, space, insurance and the increased work load you face during the session. This can help you determine the appropriate price break down for each client without an arbitrary decision that might leave you in a deficit rather than a profit.
Expert Advice
In addition, Aniciete adds,“Email communication is a great way to keep healthy thoughts and actions on the group’s mind outside of your sessions – try to open up an email connection and send them tips and advice. Once you learn to adapt and modify your workouts according to the vibe of the group, you and the clients will have lots of fun. There will be always something to talk about.”
Sage advice is often the best companion to any new endeavor you propose to take on and when it comes to small group training – ask those who know – it can get sticky at times!
According to Jeremy Aniciete, a full-time trainer with Lifetime Fitness in Omaha who leads about 4 group sessions a day, heading up a group training session means laying down some ground rules and making sure you have a plan. “Always incorporate assessments to show results as this helps motivate the group members to keep showing up.” However, Anciete warns, “keep those results personal – if a client wants to share their results they can, but maintain a person’s privacy.” In addition, place some responsibility on the group to ensure attendance and adherence to the rules. “Use the members to hold themselves accountable for nutrition, cardio and strength training. Your role is to motivate them while they are there but let the group members push the others to make the commitment and stick with it! Clearly and definitively let the group members know that the schedule of sessions is laid in stone with optional days for make-ups. Make certain every client is aware of the rules and agrees with them.” Beyond laying down the foundation, Aniciete advises to keep your group talking and having fun in and out of every session.
Group training can mean higher wages, more efficient training hours and loads of fun! Just make sure to maneuver your sessions carefully through proper planning and communication. With more money comes more responsibility so make sure you are ready for all the ups and downs of a group session. Keep it fun and keep them moving – and they will keep coming back for more!
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