Trainer Talk Tuesday

INVEST IN YOURSELF, NOT IN THE GYM

A common question/complaint I hear when I talk with people about personal training is the cost. Why would anyone want to spend $45-60 per session on a trainer or $10/session in a group fitness class with a trainer when they can purchase a gym membership and/or purchase equipment and do it on their own? Well...just because you purchase a gym membership and/or equipment doesn't ensure you will use them and use them effecitively to meet your fitness goals.

My passion and ultimate goal is go into people's homes and show them how with hardly any equipment at all they can meet their fitness goals in a time frame that works within their busy lifestyles. No gym, no thousand dollar machine...just body weight, the outdoors and very simple, cheap, versatile equipment used in the most effective way to meet your individual goals.

Here's some staggering statistics on prices spent on fitness by everyday Americans much like yourselves.

The average price of a gym membership ranges from $40-60/month.

According to a survey of spending published by the National Endowment for the Arts, American households spend an average of $130 annually on sports and exercise equipment. Bruce Hammond of the National Sporting Goods Association says that the average purchase price of a multi-purpose home gym station was $640 in 2011. However, the amount of money people spend on exercise equipment varies depending on what type of equipment they wish to purchase and how many features they want.

The top four treadmill picks from Consumer Search range from $990 to $3,500, with the average costing around $2,000. Another piece of popular cardio equipment is an elliptical trainer, which averages $1,500.
Consumer Search's top picks for dumbbells range from $10 per set to $400 per set. A total-body training machine averages $1,381, with the lower end models costing $175.

According to a 2010 sales presentation from Dynamic Club Out-fitters, a complete gym equipment package composed of treadmills and weight equipment, and designed for gym owners, was priced at $77,000.

Before you decide a trainer is not for you because of the expense, ask yourself if you are truly utilizing your equipment and gym memberships to their fullest and that you are making good progress toward your goals. No one wants to waste their hard earned money and very little free time. I get it. Let me know if I can help!