business of fitness

fitinyoga14

I have recently received certifications in personal training as well as group fitness instruction. I am very excited to put my knowledge to use and embark on a wonderful career. My survey question for you all is do you feel there is a strong need for something that is missing within the fitness industry? By this I mean places where the fitness business falls short, as far as employees, facility, classes available, accessibility, safety, etc.

LoraF83

Congrats on your achievements!

In my local area, there are a lot of classes offered during the day, but almost none at night (most offered around 10am or 2pm). I guess they think only non-working housewives deserve to be fit. As such, I have to drive 30 minutes to go to a gym that offers some awesome spin and bootcamp classes. It's worth my time and money, but it can be a hassle. I do have access to regular gym facilities locally, just not group classes.

I think that a lot of trainers/gym employees have the attitude that only fit, healthy, attractive, etc people are worth their time. I have seen multiple heavy-set beginners being snubbed by trainers who don't want to take the time to educate them.

mountainmare

The biggest need I see is for baby boomers (like me--in my 60s) who are active and want to stay active. Especially for women. Activities for older clients are not challenging enough and some for the younger ones don't have any ways to modify the movement if you think its a bit risky. Something like Bootcamp for Boomers would be great---AND because there are alot of us probably profitable.

marieautumn

My experience is this: most people who work at a gym are jerks. they all think they're God and are really rude. Male personal trainers are always trying to sleep with you (their clients), and women who work the desk usually have a bad attitude. many people I’ve talked to agree. So i would say if you want to be successful, just be pleasant and approachable. :flowerforyou:

jcstanton

Congrats on your achievements!

In my local area, there are a lot of classes offered during the day, but almost none at night (most offered around 10am or 2pm). I guess they think only non-working housewives deserve to be fit. As such, I have to drive 30 minutes to go to a gym that offers some awesome spin and bootcamp classes. It's worth my time and money, but it can be a hassle. I do have access to regular gym facilities locally, just not group classes.

I think that a lot of trainers/gym employees have the attitude that only fit, healthy, attractive, etc people are worth their time. I have seen multiple heavy-set beginners being snubbed by trainers who don't want to take the time to educate them.

^^^THIS!! My gym has some classes in the evening, but it's mostly stuff I'm not interested in...like Zumba (it's just not my thing) and an advanced boot camp class. I really wish they would offer a beginner to intermediate boot camp a couple of evenings a week.

The gym I go to now is independently owned, so the staff there is AWESOME! However, I have been to other gyms where I felt like I was being snubbed, or at least not being taken seriously, because of my weight. It made it that much more difficult to make myself go workout every day.

I would also add that, while alot of "chain" gyms are open 16-24hrs, some of the smaller gyms are only open until 6 or 7 in the evening and very limited hours on the weekends. Most people don't get off work until 5pm and like to sleep in on Saturday (my gym is only open 8am-noon on Saturdays). That makes it difficult to get in a good workout when you only have an hour or less by the time you get to the gym.

fitinyoga14

Thank you all for the input and education! I really appreciate it.