Group exercise has been a commodity rather than a service for handful of years now. The world has figured out that high-intensity exercise and eating real food leads to great results.  Many new gym franchises have burst onto the scene in the last decade to cash in on that simple prescription. They charge rate slower than ours, have a fancier space and even have more classes on the schedule.

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They have giant marketing budgets, great branding and massive classes with low overhead. Lately I have been asked fare more than usual ‘why aren’t we worried about them?’. Because we sell individualized coaching and results, not group exercise.

Orangetheory, Fit Body Boot Camp, F45 and Jazzercise all have one thing in common: They are models built on low-paid group leaders (I won’t call them coaches) and choreographed workouts set to music. They don’t need (or care) to know about Brenda’s fitness background, what’s going on in her life outside the gym or if the workout they’re doing that day is a good fit for her goals. They just need to know if she’s paid her membership dues that month.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, CFT Fitness designs workouts and meals that get Brenda the results she wants. Our program offers the solution to Brenda’s personal needs and goals. Ideally, one of our professional coaches would see Brenda every day for one-on-one workouts and nutrition prescriptions. Unfortunately, most people don’t have the time or money to make that vision a reality. So instead, we have Brenda work out with people who have similar goals. This allows us to provide guidance to a small group of people simultaneously, spreading the cost among the group. We coach individuals. Sometimes they work out together, but their overall wellness prescriptions are entirely their own.  

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That’s why we do one-on-one goal-review sessions with each of our members every 90 days. These goal-setting sessions are included in the cost of membership at CFT because we know goals change—and even if they don’t, the plan to achieve them is constantly evolving with their progress. If it were as simple as going to the gym to work out a few times a week and eating right, we’d all look like that fitness influencer we secretly follow low-key hoping that we’ll get some or all of their results. The truth is most of us know what we’re supposed to be doing but don’t have anyone holding accountable to our goals.

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We don’t sell hour-long choreographed sweat sessions, we sell results. And results depend on two things: knowledge and ACTION. Knowledge is cheap. Spend five minutes on Google and you can find 1,000 different workouts and 50 diet plans, all for free. Or you can attend a group workout online through a paid service like Peloton, or just show up to Orangetheory and let them tell you what to do. But action—now that’s a different beast altogether. Most of us avoid action some days because we’re wired to do as little as possible to survive.  That’s no fault of our own; that’s millions of years of evolution at work.

Many of us want more than just survival, though. We want to achieve something now that will make our future selves better. That means getting after it even when we don’t feel like it. That’s where coaches that know and care about you come into the picture. We’re here to remind you of your future self. We’re here to keep you on course when the seas get rough. We’re here to hold you accountable. Coming up with an individualized plan, helping you implement that plan and holding you accountable to it when things get tough all require one thing: a trusting relationship.

When the day feels like it may never end, we want to see you at the gym so you can soak in the smiles, high fives, and support from the coaches, staff, and fellow classmates.  We want to be there for you as part of the team that keeps you anchored to your goals when everything in you wants you to just drift off into the sunset. Accountability+ Coaching + Time = A Lifestyle

We have your best interests in mind, and we don’t want you to waste time or money. Sometimes that means throttling back on the amount of time in the gym and stretching your fitness other ways.  Believe it or not, we have no problem recommending our clients scale back the amount of the days in the gym and balance it with other physical activities they enjoy outside the gym to ensure their mental health is balanced with their physical health. Did that cost us money in the short term? Of course, but it was the best thing for the member at the time. And telling them what’s best develops trust, which means when we tell them it’s time to come back, they’ll do that too.

The question you need to ask yourself is: Do you want to sweat, or do you want a coach?

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If you’re ready for a coach to help you on your health journey, sign up for a free No Sweat Intro HERE

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