Four Days at 24

I got through my first week as a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness. For my own sake, I need to be better about writing things down. I only journal about once per week (which is better than I used to do!), and I really wish I remembered more things. Therefore, a blog post is the answer.

I was supposed to start on Monday morning, but my employee number didn’t come through soon enough. So I went to Body Pump class and used up my final real summer day doing other things.

Tuesday, I didn’t get to go to Body Combat. I started doing trainings on the computer which involved videos and slide shows of sorts, and were followed by quizzes. My manager said that he encourages me every day I’m there to meet five new people. I took that challenge head on. I felt super nervous but realized everybody else sees me as official with my red shirt, and that they wouldn't be able to tell that I was nervous. So I put on my confident face and ran up to the group room before class and met some people. A guy named Dave had complimented my shirt the week before. He said I was the first trainer who introduced myself. He said he’s in sales and thinks it’s a shame that no trainers have ever introduced themselves, because most people would be too intimidated to approach them. So he said I’m already off to a great start. I met his wife Shelly, and a few others that day. The teacher, Victoria, said I could make an announcement if I wanted. But I had no idea what to announce, so I passed. This day I got a new shirt, did all the paperwork and stuff, got a name tag, and everything that made me official. 

That day I worked from 8-1, then 3:30 to 5:30 or so. I had a reception that night for a friend in Draper. And went to dessert at The Chocolate with a friend.

Wednesday was another longish day. I worked from 8 to noon and about 4:00-6:30. I actually met five people that day and made an announcement for a free session before class. So grateful Kim let me do that. I shadowed two other trainers that day including Mike and Dawn. It was really cool to watch them and see their clients work so hard. I also got a good lecture/advice session from one of the area directors. He told me to access people’s a-ha moment and their why, tell them to visualize what the end result would look like compared to now, and to always ask for the sale or you’ll never get it. He said it took him eight years to figure that out. He was a red personality and came on a little strong, but I wrote down his advice and appreciate his good intentions. That night I had Wingers and Cold Stone.

Thursday I got to go to a pop pilates class at the Taylorsville club in my manager’s place. It was OK. I mean it was fun, but not strenuous enough for me. I wished I had gotten up earlier to run beforehand. That day I worked until about noon, and came back again at 4. My manager had me stand up at the front for the final part of my day to try and get some health and fitness consultation (HFC) appointments. That’s the free initial session where we talk about goals and take measurements and try to get more sessions in the book. I asked four people and got two appointments. That night I got to watch SYTYCD with Kristen and Julie.

Friday I worked from 8-12. I went over HFCs with my manager, and then did the 4Q training on the computer for the final three hours. I clocked out at noon for the day. It was so nice to have a summer afternoon. I went to dinner and watched a movie with Rachel. We ate In-N-Out and watched Zoolander 2. I tried to make a general plan for my Saturday HFC. He confirmed via text that he would be there.

Saturday, I got up super early to run four miles before my first HFC. I got ready and went over there, and by 10:30 my client still wasn’t there. My manager told me that most of those appointments are no-shows, but that was still annoying. Because he confirmed by text that he’d come!

So here’s a summary…

Good

·         Relaxed schedule – It’s cool coming and going kind of whenever.

·         Break mid-day – Having a long break is nice.

·         Meeting people – It’s fun to be social and put names to faces I already know.

·         Getting out of my comfort zone – I can do hard things!

·         Helping others – Knowing that I really could get people results and am in a place to do so is so cool and exciting.

·         Organized training – It’s nice having a binder and having clear expectations.

·         Love the environment – It’s cool seeing people come in and take care of themselves.

·         Cool coworkers – Most of them have been really friendly and helpful.

Bad

·         Relaxed schedule – Never being told a firm schedule for the week really sucked. I like to have a plan.

·         Break mid-day – Having 2-3 hours in between is kind of hard because I spend a lot of time going to and from the club, and can’t get a lot done in that chunk of time.

·         Having a no-show even after I spent time planning and confirming

·         It takes a while to get there, longer than I feel like it should

·         Early mornings were hard after having a couple weeks off of teaching

·         I haven’t been able to go to my summer group classes, and that’s been really sad for me

·         Polyester shirts. I use deodorant (not anti-perspirant), and polyester makes me reek. So embarrassing. 

·         Boring training – seriously, especially the stuff I did on Friday was so, so boring. 

Overall I am excited for this opportunity to learn, get out of my comfort zone, and help people improve their lives.