Is one on one personal training finished?

Is one on one personal training dead? This is the big question that has been raised out of the US recently. A lot of the top guys in the industry are saying that group training and boot camps are the way to go in the future. If we look at the facts, you can make more money with groups and boot camps and you reduce the damaging effects of losing a few one on one clients to your income stream. Do people still want one on one personal training as well? Does the market still exist?

In my previous blog I talked about the role of a personal trainer and what we actually do. If we go down the route of all groups or all boot camps, can we really provide the “personal” touch? Does it matter anymore? I am not sure. A lot depends on what the client wants. If we look at big successful outdoor military style fitness groups, the majority of people that attend these are already quite fit. This is why these sessions are quite intense. The people that go to these just want to “beasted” and don’t really need any extra support with nutrition or mindset.

Do people still value the personal (training) touch?

It’s a good question! As we all know clients only get real results when all the elements work together. If you have ever had the client that believes they can “out train” a poor diet, you know exactly what I mean. If you are training in a group scenario, can you really provide the necessary nutrition support and guidance to get the results? I guess you can, but this puts even more responsibility and accountability on the clients. It’s a tricky one and I guess it comes down to your ability as a trainer to engage with people on a larger scale to help get results.

I do believe that personal training is changing as it isn’t an exclusive service anymore and is becoming more and more of a commodity. Personal trainers are slashing prices, different classes are springing up and more and more people are joining military style boot camps. What this mean for the personal trainer? I think that adding extra services into your business is a must. Whether this be boot camps, class teaching or supplements, the more options you have, the more options your clients have and the better “product” you have.

So is one on one personal training dead? I don’t think so. I believe people will always need a personal touch and certain guidance that can only be delivered in a one on one forum. I do think that the ability and uniqueness of a one on one trainer needs to be of the highest standard in order to compete in this market place.