Over the past decade, and especially in the past few years, there has been an explosion in boutique fitness studios and private gyms for independent trainers in NYC. So now those seeking quality personal trainers and a professional personal training experience have more options than before. It used to be that you had only a few options for personal training - either go to one of the big gym chains or have a trainer come to your home.
Now there is a new category of personal training locations. It is the private studio where trainers can bring their own personal training clients to. In just the Flatiron and Chelsea neighborhoods there are well over a dozen private fitness studios. These personal training studios allow for a more personal touch without the salesmanship and one-size-fits-all approach that often pervades the big gym chain culture.
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In the larger gym chains, trainers most often have a mandated quota with pressure to sell, sell, sell. This culture lends itself to clients getting pressured to train, sometimes even guilted, shamed and harassed. This puts the gym and the trainer's interest ahead of the client's interest. And for a personal training relationship and process that should be customized, communicative and transparent, this is not the optimal way to begin.
In many of the large gym chains, their personal trainers are young, inexperienced and in many cases not yet certified. In essence they are cheap labor for the gyms. These trainers can get overworked, undertrained and be under-qualified to train certain client demographics and to train anyone at all. How often have you seen a trainer having his or her client perform inexplicable exercises or good exercises done with vastly improper technique? If you've spent much time at any gym, the answer is in all likelihood a resounding, yes!
When you train at a private gym with your own personal trainer, there are many benefits. First, there are usually no members floating around using the fitness equipment. This makes the gym feel and actually be more exclusive. This gives clients an extra sense of importance, which is crucial when working with a personal trainer. Less traffic also usually reduces noise and distractions.
Second, private training fitness studios usually require that the trainers who use them prove that they are certified by an accredited national personal training association. As a result, you'll have a better chance of finding a great personal trainer at a private gym. In addition, this helps ensure that you are surrounded by more experienced and professional trainers. And why wouldn't you want to be? You deserve to be around competent professionals when you are personal training.
That's not to say that all personal trainers at every private personal training studio are great. Just because someone has a certification and private clients does not make them by default a great personal trainer and more importantly a great match for you. And this is also not to say that there aren't great personal trainers at large gym chains, because there are. This is for you to decide. But you'll have better overall options when you go to a private fitness training studio.
So whatever you decide, the most important thing is to find the best personal trainer for you. Not every personal trainer is a good fit for every client, no matter where he or she works. So be sure to explore your options. Treat your initial encounters with a potential personal trainer as an interview in which they have to prove their value to you. And remember, there are many new private fitness studios changing the NYC fitness landscape. So be sure to keep this in mind when searching for a Personal Trainer in NYC.