One of the core values Lee and I have for Hyatt Training is to keep both our training practices and business practices fresh. It is important to us that we are inspired and focused on the future. Our job is to facilitate growth among our clients and for us to be successful at this, we must always continue to grow and innovate as well.
Continuing education for personal trainers can take on many different forms. As we seek to maintain our certifications, the format is usually pretty set as we seek to earn the credits required by the different governing bodies.
Last weekend Lee and I took a different approach and created our own continuing education weekend. While I didn’t earn one single credit that “counts” towards my recertification as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, it was 100% worth the investment.
We spent the weekend in San Francisco connecting with each other and connecting with our plans for Hyatt Training. We had large stretches of uninterrupted time to talk, brainstorm, dream and develop aspects of Hyatt Training that we can’t wait to share.
We also invested in personal training sessions at Diakadi, one of the leading personal training gyms in San Francisco. Much like Hyatt Training, they surround themselves with a community of therapists and body work experts, but their bread and butter is one-on-one personal training services. We each had a solo session on Saturday and then shared a duo session on Sunday. For us, this mix was the absolute perfect balance of services, hard work and fun.
So what did we learn?
- Connection is everything. Owning our own business, it was great to connect and work with our personal trainer for the weekend, Liz Letchford. She does the same work we do day in and day out. Finding camaraderie and a resource in another city (where there is no implication of competition) was invaluable.
- It is important for us to put ourselves in the shoes of our clients. We went to a facility we’d never gone to before and faced the logistics of being somewhere for a workout the “first time.” We chose a personal trainer based on online information and one phone call. We put ourselves in her hands for our sessions.
- Setting the stage equals success. We got to interact with Liz as a client leading up to our visit. We got to experience her level of communication and witness how she does intake and follow up with two experienced trainers for sessions.
- Personal training is a hugely important field. As we walked the city, we saw several small studios specializing in personal training. There is a demand for one-on-one coached training. If people are going to invest the time in health and fitness, they might as well be doing the most beneficial exercises with that time.
- Funny enough, very few of the studios we saw call it personal training. We saw “Functional Movement Specialist,” “Movement Therapy,” “Sport Coaching,” “Fitness Expert” but very few personal trainers. Many in the industry try to separate themselves from the stigma of “meathead” or their competition by changing the name of what they do. But really we’re all personal trainers. Like lawyers, doctors and musicians, there are great trainers and lousy ones. Liz didn’t mind saying she was a trainer, and she certainly had the qualifications to back up her not being a “meathead.” She is a PhD candidate and Certified Athletic Trainer.
- By going to the top facility in the city, it made ending up with a great trainer easy. I have to admit that with 20 years of experience in the industry, I wasn’t sure who I would get as a trainer. Lee had the initial conversation with Liz and ultimately guided our decision about how to work with her for the weekend. Toward the end of my first training session (as I was really sweating and challenged), I found out she’d only been working as a personal trainer for five months. Honestly, I might have shied away from choosing her if I’d known that initially. But I’m so glad I didn’t because she was great and very skilled. By choosing a facility that only recommends and rents to top trainers, it was easy to make a good match and hire someone who we’ll have a relationship with for years to come.
- We believe whole-heartedly in the importance of what we do, and the business we are building in Hyatt Training.
