A couple of days ago I wrote a post on ‘why we business’.

It seemed only natural to qualify this with ‘how we fitness’.

Fitness is a funny thing. Some think it is running marathons, others lifting heavy weights, and some climbing mountains.

None of these is wrong. Far from it. In fact, they are all amazing ways of expressing your fitness.

But ‘How do We Fitness”?

Our approach to fitness starts from the moment you walk through the door. For us to know what you need, we need to know a little about you, so when you first visit us, it’s normally for a chat.

We didn’t always do this.

We used to say ‘sweet, jump into the next class that works for you’.

And that was great, for a while.

Then we started noticing that some people looked a little lost in their first class. They didn’t understand the movements, the language used to describe the workouts, or even know the people they were working out with.

So, now we meet you individually. To talk about your goals and aspirations, to hear about your fears and hopes.

Does it work? I had the pleasure of talking to a guy on Monday.

We discussed his past, present and his hopes for the future. At the end of the session, he thanked ME, for taking an interest in him. Perfect. Day. Right. There!  You see, we don’t want a transactional relationship with you.

We don’t just want to grunt at you as you swipe your membership card on the way in, and repeat the same on the way out.  You can get that anywhere. We want an intimate relationship with you. We want to know what you are up to at the weekend, how the kids are doing at school, or how your day at work was.

But what’s all this got to do with the way you fitness?!

Well, it’s simple.  We can’t do what we do well, if we don’t know you well. We need you to accept and to trust us, so that you can get the best from us as coaches. I adopted a dog a couple of years ago. At the start, it was easy for me to accept him.

But not the other way round. He had to see consistency from me so he could trust, and accept me as a positive influence in his life. A coaching relationship is very similar. It’s easy for us to welcome you into our wonderful world of fitness, but it takes time for you to trust us.

We’re cool with that. Our approach to exercise is the same.

We want you to succeed, to aspire and achieve. But. We want everything you do in the gym, to have a positive effect on your life outside the gym. What we do in here, should make your life better out there.

That doesn’t mean we aren’t focused on performance, on the pointy end of the spear. We have members who regularly enter competitions or tests of endurance and performance. What it does mean, is that we’re going to approach their preparation in a way that benefits them and their aspirations.

We can’t do this without knowing you well. That’s why our approach to fitness starts with you talking to us.

Cheers