So it’s been over a year since the Covid-19 Pandemic started. Bars, restaurants, retail outlets, and gyms have been open and closed more times than you’d care to count. Your hours at work have been cut, or you’ve been straight up out of a job. You’ve had no where to go, nothing to do, and no money to spend. You got depressed, lazy, and probably gained more weight than you’re comfortable admitting. I certainly know I have.
Luckily, things have been on the upswing lately. The vaccinations are rolling out (slowly), and the restrictions have been lifting. And best of all, GYMS ARE OPEN (kind of). You’re probably back to work and catching up on bills that have piled up over the last few months. The only thing left to do is find a gym that you like, and start getting your healthy lifestyle on track with a trainer. But how do you go about finding one? And what’s going to happen once you do?
Hiring a Personal Trainer can be a very stressful process. What do they charge? What is the training style going to be? Are the workouts going to be too intense? Am I going to get TOO BIG? Am I too busy? How will I find the right Trainer? These are all questions I get asked on a very regular basis. In this post, I am going to set your mind at ease and hopefully make this process much simpler.
First off, what is a Personal Trainer? In Canada, and especially the province of Alberta, there are actually no governing bodies that regulate Personal Training in any way, shape, or form. Theoretically, anyone can practice as a Personal Trainer with absolutely no formal certifications. You only need a certificate or diploma to get liability insurance. Also, certifications available to people range from full time schooling at an accredited college or university, to basic online courses. That seems unsettling, doesn’t it? Don’t be too concerned. In my experience, anyone that has a certificate or a diploma is very knowledgeable. If I have one piece of advice, ask for a certificate at a bare minimum. I have met people that are EXTREMELY EXPERIENCED in the field that have no certifications whatsoever, but would run circles around full Certified Personal Trainers (CPT’s). But if you know they have been certified by any of the recognized organizations, such as ISSA, ACE, CEPT, NCSF (who I am certified through), or a college or university diploma/certificate, you know they have the basic knowledge and have put in the work. They will be safe and reliable to hire.
Secondly, what do Personal Trainers charge? Most trainers charge anywhere from $70 a session plus, however the most common numbers I’ve seen are around $80 or $90. On top of that, there are some trainers that want you to go see them every time to go to the gym. That can get expensive when you add that cost on top of already having to purchase a program which can cost almost anything. The way I organize my pricing is as follows; I charge $75 an hour. If we go to the gym, a portion of that goes to Iron Nation Fitness which is the only gym I currently train out of. If not, you pay all of that directly to me if you prefer to train at home with your own equipment. If you want to buy multiple sessions and train with me regularly so that I am with you every step of the way, you are more than welcome. However, you also have to purchase a program to follow which will add to that cost. I charge $150 for a 4 week program, but I generally try to persuade clients to buy a 12 week at $450 because you are more likely to see lasting results and continued progress over that length of time. If you purchase a full 12 week program, you get one free one-on-one session, as well as weekly check-ins and the option to discuss anything and everything with me at any time through email, texts, and phone calls. Any more sessions you wish to book will be at the standard hourly rate. In that free session, we will go over any and all exercises you wish to cover in the program that has been designed. If you understand all of the exercises, we will work on your form for some of the heavier/potentially more dangerous lifts to ensure you are performing them safely and effectively. This way, you will gain the knowledge necessary to exercise productively, while still being able to afford a trainer to get you the results you want. If you have been exercising in the past and you don’t feel as if you need a trainer because clearly you already know what you’re doing, but you need some direction as far as what exercises you should perform, you are also welcome to purchase a 12 week program for $350. For that price, I will personalize a program for you, whether you want to go to the gym or train at home. There will be no weekly check-ins or one-on-one sessions, I will just design the program and send it to you, and you can do with it what you will. Of course I will still be available whenever if you have any questions. More details on my pricing are available on the website including information on the “friends and family discount”, and if you have any more questions, feel free to visit the “Contact Us” page or email Dave Sharko at outlawediron@gmail.com.
Now that you’ve saved up the money, how are you supposed to find the right Trainer? Any CPT will be able to cater to your personal training style, we are all educated and experienced enough to work with people from all walks of life. However, we also all have our own predispositions to how we like to train. I center myself around bodybuilding and powerlifting. Those words generally put people off, but I want to explain why I choose those training styles. The vast majority of people I have talked to about exercising want 3 things: they want to be healthy, they want to be stronger, and they want to look good. In order to train in any way, you have to maintain a healthy lifestyle, with proper nutrition and proper exercise. That is a prerequisite for bodybuilders, powerlifters, marathon runners, crossfitters, and everything in between. Just exercising will make you a healthier individual. Couple that with proper nutrition, your health will improve by default. Some of the best looking physiques on the planet are bodybuilders, but when that word is mentioned people picture some gigantic muscular man or woman and get scared. The thing is, if you exercise like a bodybuilder, you won’t look like a bodybuilder. They maintain extremely strict and regimented diets in their off season and during competition prep, plus most of them are on PED’s (performance enhancers). The most efficient way to become healthier is to have a better body fat percentage. The best way to achieve that is to increase muscle mass, and the more muscle you have, the more difficult it is to store body fat. In layman’s terms, YOU WILL NOT GET TOO BIG. It take years of intense training and extreme dieting to achieve that look. Train like a bodybuilder, and you will look BETTER than you do now, not like a bodybuilder. Powerlifting is another sport where people assume they will get too big. Strength is mostly a neurological endeavor, as strange as that may sound. When you first start getting stronger, it is actually your body forming new neurological pathways to ensure your body is lifting the weight in an efficient manner. So there are no concerns about getting too big in that respect. Essentially, “bodybuilding” and “powerlifting” style workouts are the best possible way for you to look better, feel better, and get stronger.
So you know how I train, you know what I charge, and you want me on your team to get you the best results possible. When you contact me, what are you supposed to expect? First things first, if you are truly interested in working with me, the first meeting is 100% free, no obligation, no stipulations. You contact me and say “I’m interested in hiring a Personal Trainer but I need more information”, we will set up an appointment wherever you’re most comfortable, whether it’s your home, a restaurant, my home office, or a gym, and talk about any questions you may have. This is when you are free to ask me anything, and I will ask you questions such as “what are your goals, what training style do you prefer, how much free time do you have, where do you want to work out,” and so on. All of these questions are to help me cater to your specific needs so that when we do begin working together, I can develop the most in depth, healthy, safe, and productive training program possible, as well as make you much more confident in the process. You are number one in this situation.
If the meeting goes well and you would like to move forward and continue working with me, there will be paperwork. There are a number of documents that I need to keep both of us safe, such as medical clearance and informed consent, along with other documents giving me more information about your lifestyle so I have a better idea of where we can make the necessary changes to comfortably move you into a healthier lifestyle in general. Then once all of that is done, I will take about a week to develop a program for you. As I stated earlier, I generally have a predisposition for bodybuilding and powerlifting, however that does not mean that’s all I do! If you want a kettlebell centered program, or a running program, or an entirely bodyweight-centered at home training program, I CAN DO IT ALL! Whatever works best for you, I can cater to your every need.
I have been living a healthy and active lifestyle for the past 10 years and have zero intentions of slowing down. It is the greatest change I have ever made in my life. I may not compete or follow crazy diets. I always say that I have a good enough physique that people can tell I go to the gym, but when I say “yeah I’m a Personal Trainer,” their response is generally “really?” But I assure you, I am here to work for you, and to help you achieve the greatest results you possibly can, whether that means losing a few pounds, or getting healthier so you can do more with your family, or making a slow and healthy transition into a competitive sport of any kind.
If you have any other questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to jump in to the “comments” section or email me (Dave Sharko) at outlawediron@gmail.com or visit the “Contact Us” page on the website. Thanks for reading!