In opening a group personal training studio, there is one thing that I will never offer… A free 7 day trial.

That’s not because I don’t think they are not a good marketing tool and a way to get clients in the door….. They are exceptional for this purpose..

We don’t offer a 7-day trial because we don’t want to force new clients to financially buy in without knowing what they are truely getting themselves in for.

Nine times out of ten, most clients who enquire about 23W are drawn to us for the very reasons that make us stand out. They tell me all the reasons why they want to join us instead.

Very early in my coaching career I learnt one important lesson. There is a big difference between training and exercise and unfortunately, generally, those who hop from one free or low budget trial pass to another often confuse these two terms.

Secondly, out of respect for our current community we want to avoid the trap of having too many new faces in and out of the studio on high rotation. When we have a new clients start with us, we would much prefer to keep them and add look for ways to add value in their life.

Let’s also get real. It also takes time to really find your feet in any new training regime, on a 7-day trial how much can you realistically expect to learn and grow?

Training involves practise and progressive overload, and is the more important concept when looking for a long-term approach to health, fitness and lifestyle. where ongoing education and training efficiency become paramount.

You might have had the time and energy to slog out hours of exercise in your 20’s but how much time realistically can you devote to your health and fitness goals? We are not just talking about time in the gym either, pre-planning meals and following your plan, needs time allocated too.

Do not get me wrong, I am not aiming to bring down low budget, minimal equipment exercise regimes. Even I get excited by the idea of a quick set of burpees, squat jumps and high intensity intervals, but I know that with all that movement, in general leads to little in the way of getting stronger, leaner and long term results.

I am saddened when I hear girls tell me that they used to train twice per day or 6-7 days per week. (Although I remember that this used to be my story too.)

Or that they waisted time doing 30 minutes on the treadmill each day.

Or that they got results from eating next to nothing, only to regain the weight  again once they returned back to a normal social life and being more flexible with their diet.

A successful training program should not put you in conflict with yourself.