Reclaiming the Roots of Fitness: Quality Coaching for All in a Changing Landscape
Do you remember when we started this lifting life, and the excitement was new? Spending all that time in the gym with novice gains, enjoying this new hobby, and immersing yourself into the fitness culture?
When I started this, the internet wasn’t a thought. But once we had a dial-up connection, we started AOL groups, found bulletin boards, and discovered a world of people like us.
Then bodybuilding.com appeared. It was the motherlode, a whole website and bulletin board for people like us. Soon, more specialty groups emerged - boards and websites for subsets of lifting like powerlifting, weightlifting, “enhanced” bodybuilding, strength and conditioning, and every aspect of fitness you can fathom.
Some were great, some were awful, but all brought together a population to exchange information, post training logs, talk a little shit, and be a community.
It was a different time. Some would say a better time, but that’s subjective.
Then social media emerged, and bulletin boards’ traffic decreased. As Facebook grew, internet bulletin groups became archaic and less used, and most of them slowly disappeared.
The boards became social media groups and thrived despite the moderation from Facebook. They still offered an uncensored (depending on the forum) place for strength enthusiasts to congregate online; therefore, a few edgier ones stayed open, and some are still around today; albeit with significantly fewer posters than before social media.
With the rise of influencer culture, online coaching, and meme culture, many groups are filled with people posting lifting memes or using the groups to generate revenue.
We all have to make a living; that is how the game works. I realize I’m part of that game. I coach people online and in person and play the marketing game without feeling like a pushy prick.
Fast forward to 2024. Fitness personalities have hundreds of thousands to over a million followers. A great body, slick video editing, and a pretty face can generate a hell of a living from lifting weights.
This used to be reserved for big bodybuilding show winners or lucky enough to have workout videos released on VHS. Now, you don’t need that to be among the most exposed people in this business or make fantastic money.
I’m not the guy screaming at kids to get off my lawn. Enjoy it while you can because the world is cruel, and you must fight for what’s yours. If you can use your body to carve out a piece, get it. That is your choice.
I’m the guy reminding you that not all that glitters is gold. Be aware of the dark side of fitness: photoshopped images, pressure to look impossibly fit, and starving for photoshoots. Orthorexic behavior promotes extreme discipline, forgetting life is to be lived, not imprisoned by your abs.
The drugs are staggering, with ignorance around their use for physique enhancement and turning a blind eye to adverse health effects. Many in their prime have faced kidney or heart disease or died from substance abuse, both women and men. Some claim it’s healthy because they do bloodwork every so often and donate blood regularly, saying it’s perfectly okay.
A business and world based on two principles always had a dark side:
Look better.
Be stronger.
Some people will do anything to get results and be the best - health be damned. Some are seen as heroes and icons, making the average person wonder, “What do I need to do to be half of what that person is?”
As the internet grew, so did the extremes.
This is a dilemma for those who want to step away from the extremes. We want to teach people how to be healthy while navigating reckless workouts, ridiculous diet plans, and charlatans with only a great selfie and no real skills to show for it other than “hard work and clean eating” while failing to mention the rest of the story.
They sell coaching, and the buyer should beware because the reality is that being a trainer in America is easy.
Sign up for a cert online.
Take a test.
Be a trainer.
There isn’t a standard curriculum or even one particular certificate that stands out as the “best.” These are “weekend certs" that are often easy to pass.
But how can they be aware when they don’t know what to do? We expect the buyer, who isn’t a professional, to understand a 2-hour workout and an all-meat diet is stupid. Isn’t our job to teach and lead?
I think it is, and as a professional, it’s my job to ensure I’m doing that.
If you weren’t raised in my generation, you may not relate to the beginning of this article. However, it shows how this business grew from a small hometown personal trainer to celebrity trainers, influencer culture, and bad information spreading through sensational, manipulated claims.
Exposure attracts those willing to do anything for money, fame, or recognition. That’s human nature, and it will always be that way. Expecting less is naive.
Watching my little world grow is both good and bad. The anonymity of local gyms has transformed into the worldwide phenomenon of a multi-billion dollar industry. Fitness sells, and the allure of the perfect body generates cash.
But…
We still need to provide you with the information you need to succeed - real information, workouts, advice, and coaching—and make it available to all. I’ve been thinking about this long and hard over the past few months.
Coaching is a luxury and a service.
Unfortunately, some coaches charge exorbitant amounts for the bare minimum. This forces clients to find an app or use a canned program.
Algorithms for coaching aren’t the most personal or accountable. Paying a few dollars a month and half-assing an app is easy. Shit, I’ve done it. It’s harder with a higher buy-in and a coach texting or emailing you wondering why the hell you didn’t check in this week.
Is it fair to price people out of this service and luxury entirely?
How can I provide my service to people who may not have financial access to it?
It depends on who you ask. Business coaches will say, “high-ticket clients mean less work overall, more money, and more freedom!”
They aren’t entirely wrong, but that greatly limits the pool and access. It creates a market for your services that are solely in the upper income brackets; thereby, contributing to a growing problem of access to those who are in need.
I realize some who need this the most can’t always afford the higher price tag of the “influencer” crowd.
They use their name power to create a sense of exclusivity. For an average person to be coached by someone with 500,000 followers and pay 500 dollars monthly for a diet plan feels cool, but is it worth it? That depends on the client’s satisfaction with the service. After talking to several people over the years, it’s usually not worth it.
I provide a customized, personal service in both training and nutrition.
I’m still that guy who started in a business without social media for marketing, content posting, and free advertising. I believe coaching should be accessible to all, but services come with a price due to knowledge, time, and commitment.
I value coaching because I was that guy working floor hours at a local gym trying to get clients for a complimentary session.
I want to keep coaching accessible, valuable, and fair to all.
Everyone wanting coaching should have access in some way.
I watched this business grow from the intimacy of small groups to its current size. Fitness in 2023 generated 31 billion dollars.
You read this correctly.
Thirty-one billion dollars in one year. This is a staggering number when you think of the simplicity of what we do.I never want to forget my roots.
I used to love sharing information regardless of payment. Now that I’m a full-time trainer - and have been for a long time - this is how I make a living, but goddamn, I sometimes miss that small world and lament seeing this business grow into who can make the most money on big-ticket coaching and then sell others how to generate 20 leads or your money back.
I want to offer something different and more affordable to those who do need the personalized attention but are often priced out or forced to find a more affordable coach only to be told by someone who has no idea what to do other than say, “here are your macros for the week.”
There has to be a way to offer personal attention for a more affordable price, and I believe my tiered pricing structure will do it.
I do my best to practice what I preach with my pricing models while also recognizing the need to make a living; therefore, starting my birthday, October 12, I will release tiered pricing for nutrition.
Some people need the extra attention of more frequent check-ins, which will be one price. Some need them every couple of weeks, some once a month, and some can only afford - or need - them every so often.
Each tier will be priced accordingly, still offer quality coaching, but differences in the frequency and type of check-ins will vary with each tier.
I am proud to offer these options to my clients.
There is a place for everyone in the fitness world. Being in shape, healthy, and strong isn’t about your income; it is about what you can do with what you have.
My 50th birthday is in four days, and this is how I want to celebrate it.
Let’s make fitness and health more accessible for all.
If you want more information on this tiered pricing model, contact me.
