subscribe to the Panama City Beach: Boot Camp or Personal Trainer?
Posted by Results Bootcamp on September 23, 2009
Here is an article I just wrote for another publication. What do YOU think? Leave me a comment at the end!
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What is better? A boot camp or a personal trainer?
Here are 5 reasons why boot camps are not just better as a business owner, but more importantly, why they are better for a client.
1) Better results.
Yep, it almost doesn’t make sense, but experience (both personal and from conversations with other international fitness professionals) is showing that people are getting better results in a group boot camp setting versus one-on-one personal training. In fact, clients are achieving a LOT better results (and isn’t that what you are there for?).
Why?
2) More support.
With personal training, we often get to know our clients pretty well and become “friends”. So, what happens when one (or BOTH) of you have a bad day? 5 minutes are spent talking about frustrations, circumstances, etc., and compromises are made like “we won’t train quite as hard”.
In a boot camp, that scenario just doesn’t happen. When 5-20 other people are there with a ton of energy, motivation, and enthusiasm, the workouts are harder because there is more support!
3) Better value.
NO matter how you look at this, unless you have some VERY specific, specialized needs (bodybuilder, high-level athlete, etc.), you will get better value with a boot camp.
Boot camps run from $200 – $300 per month for 20 sessions. In most areas, you will only get 3-6 personal training sessions for that much money.
4) More experience/higher quality trainers.
I will IMMEDIATELY recognize that there are exceptions to this rule!
However, in general, the trainers that have the ability to effectively watch a group of people can do so because they have helped a LOT of people and can very quickly correct mistakes.
Especially at the “big box gyms”, MOST of the personal trainers are within 3-12 months (scary version: even less) of their weekend certification. Not good.
5) Money-back guarantee.
No, I’m not crazy. This is good for the client AND the boot camp instructor.
Here is why:
Less than 1% of Panama City Beach personal trainers are ABLE to offer a money-back guarantee. Their employer would laugh in their face. Or, even if they are on their own, they are too afraid to offer it.
In a boot camp, a money-back guarantee is a GOOD thing because it removes the risk and gets people STARTED. In the client’s mind, they are thinking, “I’m paying way less than a personal trainer, and if it doesn’t work for me, I don’t like the session style, or I’m not happy in 30 days, I can find something else.”
So here is the great thing about it: if you are a great boot camp instructor and coach, you don’t have to worry about a money-back guarantee, because LESS than 5% of people will ever take you up on it.
(Respectfully, if you have a “refund” rate of higher than 5%, you probably need to work on your coaching skills, most likely in the area of nutrition and behavioral change for the client OUTSIDE of the boot camp or training session.)
And if you are a client, then you can go give it everything you’ve got, eat right, and get results for:
1) Less Money, with
2) No Risk, and get
3) More Experienced Trainers and
4) More Support from other clients, and
5) Achieve BETTER Results!
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