Steer clear of “network marketing” personal trainers! 

So, you are looking at making a rather significant financial and time commitment by engaging the services of a personal trainer (PT). Where do you start when looking for one? 

You want value for money but most importantly you want one who is going to deliver you results! Please remember this – you want results, you want value for money but you should want your results to be sustainable and long-lasting. 

What you need for this is a trainer who is going to help teach and educate you towards long-term behaviour change - not a quick fix - and not trying to sell you products that will supposedly do the job for you.

Enter the personal trainer who is aligned with a network marketing company such as any of the following; Herbalife, Isagenix, Nutri-way or Juice Plus (to name a few). You see this is the issue and the thing I want you to know and help you avoid being sucked in. 

Any PT who is aligned to one of these companies has their own best interests at heart – not yours. Sadly, it is these guys who are increasing in number in a mad dash for cash to stay afloat and viable in a time where PTs and courses are churned out at an ever-increasing rate.

Let me strip it back for you. A PT (like me) earns money from the price that we charge our clients for our time, our years of education and experience, coupled by (if successful) an increase in demand for our services. As you can imagine our time is limited to the hours that we can work. So essentially that could mean 30 to 60 hours a week. 

I am fine with that, and it is the way it should be. I train a client at a time that suits us both and I deliver a fantastic service that serves to educate and empower my clients to do all that they need to do in between our sessions to get long-term and sustainable results. Hey, it has worked for more than 25 years now, and my demand has increased to the point that I now have 13 trainers working within my team and we all deliver an hourly PT service.

What the business approach and heavy-handed marketing tactics, and the fitness industry as a whole will tell you is that you need to make money while you are sleeping, and you need to sell “health-products” and “supplements” to your clients and basically anyone else that can help you become a rich “PT entrepreneur”! So, here is the reality … 

While you may “derive” some benefit from any of these supplements, please know that you are being sold a product not essentially for your benefit but for your “PT entrepreneur” to profit at your expense and help them as they most likely struggle at the art of PT and helping you achieve long-lasting results. Sure you “may” get some positive results initially but at what financial cost? Have you been taught how to eat and exercise properly on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis?

Integrity is increasingly rare in this dog-eat-dog world and sadly the fitness industry severely lacks it! 

A PT who is aligned to a network marketing company has little or no integrity. Their primary purpose is to profit/rip-off the very people who are entrusting them with their health, wellbeing and their body. A PT is seen as a fitness expert and the very person to help steer the client to be better and happier. 

My point of view is that when a PT works with a new client, they are presented with an almost blank canvas to help steer that client toward a healthier, happier and more balanced life. The job is to take that client for one, two or three hours per week and then help structure and improve the remaining 98 to 99 per cent of their week in between sessions to set them up for continual improvement and success.

My approach is that if they need assistance with their diet more than I or my team can help them with, we refer them to a fully qualified and experienced dietitian. If they have an injury and require treatment, we send them to see one of a handful of fantastic physiotherapists. 

If requiring massage, we recommend them to see a fantastic masseur and if needing the assistance of a psychologist or any counselling, we refer them accordingly. 

The difference here, is that we never have and never will receive any financial kickback for doing this, but merely we are providing a service with reputable practitioners that will ultimately help steer our clients towards the results they are trying to achieve and that will ultimately keep them motivated and missing minimal if any training. 

If we were to recommend any supplement or foods to eat or exercise gear to do on their own, we would happily do this free of charge as part of our service – as that is what we are paid to do!

So, I hope you can see that I write this to be transparent and help any unsuspecting potential PT client sift their way through the shallow end of the pool and find the trainer that is right for them.

My final words are these – PT is not only a financial expense but it also a rather large time commitment over time. You need to enjoy the company you are keeping, and you are better off spending that time with a positive experience from a mentor or leader who is going to have your best wishes at heart. One that will tell you the truth and what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. 

Choose wisely! •

For more information, exercise guidance or if you have any questions, feel free to contact me by heading to justintimept.com