In light of the last blog post, we are rolling out a new personal training program that I am super excited about, which will both enhance what we're currently offering to our clients as well as open up more time in my schedule. (I'm excited enough to talk about it on my personal blog!) This is a program that other sites within the NIFS corporate world have successfully pulled off and recommended to me.
Our training program has evolved tremendously in the 3 years that I've been here. When I first started, we offered 1-on-1 training, but not many people knew about it, or else didn't take advantage of it. Starting in January 2009, we put a big push behind personal training, reiterating that it was a FREE service to employees, and from there, it took off. (Shoot, I would take advantage of that too!) Over the past 3 years, my client list has only grown...rarely anyone decides to quit their sessions, but new people are always interested. (At least I know they like me, right?!) In January of 2011 we had to cap people's sessions to one time per week, which helped open up space for new people. However, we're setting new records for the numbers of clients that my co-worker and I each have, and a wait-list of at least 10 people to top it off. (Which will only expand with New Year's resolutioners!) So, starting in January 2012, we are rolling out a new program called the Personal Fitness Quest, which limits personal training to a 12-week experience. While is is a limited amount of time spent with a trainer, it will be a more focused, more goal-oriented, and more include a more scientific approach. Week 1 is a pre-fitness assessment getting all the baseline measurements. Weeks 2-10 are training programs that start from the very foundations of strength training, progressing up to H.I.T. intervals and plyometrics by the end. Week 12, then, is a post-fitness assessment, so we will be capturing numbers (and hopefully seeing improvement) in just a short 3-month period. 12 weeks sounds like a short amount of time to be comparing pre and post assessments, but then again, in 12 weeks if you aren't making ANY progress, you've wasted a significant amount of time.
One problem I've identified with our current personal training program is that our clients, generally speaking, are less motivated than what they could be, because these sessions are guaranteed for them. There is no end date is sight, so it's just a given that they see me on their designated day/time, and even if they don't make improvements, they've got these sessions booked a year in advance. We're bringing back the intentional exercise and showing them that this time is to be valued and used to make major strides towards their goals. (We have clients who really do work their tails off and have shown major improvements, so I'm only speaking in general terms.) After the 12 weeks spent with a trainer, each client must spend at least 6 weeks on their own before being added back to the wait list. These 6 weeks will enable us to see new people who have not yet even had one session, and it will be forcing our clients to take total responsibility for their own fitness. After all, we're not teaching dependency. And it's not like we're throwing them into the deep end and saying, "Swim!" We're currently working on different tools to leave with our clients to make sure they're scheduling their exercise, staying accountable, and preventing injury while on their own.
Now the perks for us :) More quality time spent with our clients and a chance to revisit their new or original goals. More time to spend on our other job roles when we eventually limit our client list to somewhere between 10-15 Personal Fitness Quest-ers. While I don't love admin work (who does?), there is a LOT of it that has been pushed aside lately, and that can't be the norm. Not only do I have certain job requirements that I need to fulfill, but it also leaves me with a nagging sense of unfinished work when I leave for the day. The other thing to remember, is that in a corporate setting, I am not just a personal trainer. There is a whole population of the company that must be reached through other avenues: health literature, health fairs, smoking cessation, nutrition incentives, periodic health screenings, etc. Once you factor in the time it takes for planning and marketing of these programs, group fitness, and weekly admin/managerial work, you simply can't be spending more than 20 hours of your week doing personal training. Trust me, I've tried!
Our clients have taken the news pretty well. Of course they are all slightly bummed about spending 6 weeks or more on their own, but they know they have been spoiled with this free service, and they also see how I run through my day from appointment to appointment almost like it's an 8 hour workout! I've actually had clients ask me if I need a water or bathroom break before we start our sessions! So to refer back to my last blog post, when I feel more balanced at work, less stressed, and have ample time to plan for each individual appointment, I can do what I do better. I can bring my fresh face to their session with all the motivation and dedication they deserve, whether they're paying me or not. That's what it's all about for me too...the face time (and I don't mean the iPhone app!) that brings the immediate gratification of helping someone in my own way.
No comments:
Post a Comment