A gym in January looks a lot different than it does in June. At the height of peak usage season, facilities like Club Julian 24-Hour Fitness have all types of people working out together, many of whom have recently committed or recommitted to getting in shape via a New Year’s Resolution. But unlike most fitness clubs, the “newbie” doesn’t have to go it alone at CJ because one-to-one personal training is included in every membership at no extra cost.
“Having a personal trainer here helps you get started because you have guidance,” explains Alex K., one of the talented team of certified personal trainers on staff at Club Julian. “You have someone here who has the education and has the training to lead you through your most effective workout and make your time here worthwhile.”
The path to optimal wellness, however, is often strewn with obstacles of all sorts. Time, motivation, knowledge – all of which are factors that can impede progress or worse yet, lead someone to quit trying. And for many people, “gymtimidation” is very real. In fact, according to a 2019 exercise study conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Isopure, 50% of Americans feel intimidated by the idea of working out among other people in a gym environment. Why? Well, one of the biggest reasons is that they simply don’t know what to do. The study found that 48% of Americans feel intimidated by the sheer volume of different fitness workouts floating around out there today.
“A lot of people don’t know where to start,” says Club Julian general manager, Mike Savrese. With nearly 30 years of experience in the fitness industry, Mike has seen the fitness landscape change dramatically over the years with an influx of new training methods, philosophies, and at-home exercise resources. He adds that all of these options combined with the sheer volume of exercise information available on the Internet, much of which is confusing and contradictory, leaves many people looking for someone or something they can trust.
“By offering personal training as part of our memberships, what we are really offering is peace of mind to someone who maybe doesn’t have an athletic background,” he explains. “Here, they have the opportunity to work with a professional on a one-to-one basis, get acclimated to working out, and achieve results more quickly and sustainably than if they had to figure it out for themselves.”
One such success story is CJ member Robbie Netz, who under the guidance of Trainer Anthony was able to achieve impressive weight loss and body change goals despite not having any previous experience in a structured workout environment whatsoever. “Working out with a trainer is what really sold me on Club Julian,” he explains. “Coming into a gym overweight is really intimidating and not something that I was sure I wanted to do. Being able to work with a trainer helped ease me into it. Anthony really listened to me about what I thought worked and doesn’t work with my body, and he made a plan that I was comfortable doing on my own,” says Robbie.
Free personal training is not just for people who are new to exercise either. Many members who have hit the dreaded plateau in their workout progress rely on the expert advice of CJ’s training staff to get “unstuck” and continue to advance. Whatever your situation or goal, having access to a certified personal trainer at no additional cost is an incredible resource. So take advantage! Getting started is as easy as calling (412) 366-1931 for an appointment or visiting the upstairs trainers desk!