A New Era

The time comes for all of us where a change has to be made. It’s not a matter of life or death, or being forced into a position, but rather seeing an opportunity and viewing it at a great possibility.

After 13 years, I’ve decided to leave working at a commercial gym and start training independently. The previous gym I was at was fantastic to me, and helped me develop in a way I’m certain not many would allow an employee to develop, giving lots of freedom and seeing the benefits from my career expanding the way it has. I even wrote articles on why working at a commercial gym was a good idea, and I’ll continue to recommend it to new trainers looked to get a lot of experience and business knowledge in their careers.

So what lead to the change? To be completely transparent, I’ve had offers to go to other studios, gyms and clinics over the years. Each brought something new to the table, but the situations weren’t quite “right.” Either the commute would be over an hour each way each day (something I’m definitely not looking to do), the employment situation wasn’t quite what I would want, or the rent being charged would make it a zero benefit for me to move financially, and in some cases I’d actually wind up making less money.

That changed with a new gym model that was expanding through Edmonton and had a facility opening in the downtown area. Evolve Strength and their new facility will be in the old Mountain Equipment Co-Op building on 124th street and 102 ave, and will have a few really neat benefits:

• in house medical professionals, making it simple to refer people to appropriate services quickly and easily, while improving communication significantly between all parties
• parking access as well as lots of convenient parking near by if stalls aren’t available during peak hours
• transit availability, plus brand new bike lanes
• WINDOWS!!!
• a new vegetarian cafe in house
• brand new competition quality equipment, plus a few goodies we won’t reveal until time comes.
• Simple membership or drop-in options allowing people to train without having a requirement of a membership, plus low cost options for those looking to make it their fitness home base.

Another benefit this gives is a low rent cost for me as a professional, allowing me to keep costs relatively the same as I was charging previously, offer a slightly lower price on some elements, and maintain a larger percentage of total income for myself. This combination of same or lower pricing and larger take-home pay makes the situation one that works for me and also benefits my clients.

I also have the ability to expand into some team training elements and have already had some interest in large group training, a much easier process to undertake in a facility with dedicated turf and lifting platforms, especially if there’s 10-15 people who have mixed experience in the gym looking to learn how to squat, deadlift and sprint or jump.

Additionally, being independent allows me to utilize a Certified Exercise Physiologist designation for the purpose of insurance reimbursement for some clients, which can open some doors for some different types of clients in the medical realm that may have been closed in the past.

The new facility is expected to open January 15th, and if you’re in the Edmonton area and interested in learning more, or looking to set up a time to meet and discuss how I could help your training, please feel free to email me HERE and we can discuss further, or check out Evolve’s membership options HERE and I’ll make sure to give you a crisp high five on the first day.