Personal training brought to you
So, this thing called a pandemic hit, about this time, last year. For avid gym-goers, a year away from the traditional gym is enough to drive anyone insane. It’s also been a year of broken fitness resolutions for many, fitness buffs trying to break personal records, those looking to return to fitness and even first-time workout dabblers. What’s a person to do?
Hiring a personal trainer can seem like something only elite athletes might do, but it’s a hot trend in personal wellness for everyone.
Andrew Mendez, the general manager of corporate fitness at GYMGUYZ Central Suffolk, spoke about this upward movement and how having a personal trainer come to your door is a convenience that is here to stay.
“We bring the workout to people’s homes, businesses, parks, you name it, we go there and we train people, especially during this time of COVID,” said Mendez. “We have been very successful because a lot of people are hesitant to head back to the gym. The alternative is to hire a fitness professional to come to the home.”
Locally, GYMGUYZ covers the entire island, with more than 20 mobile certified personal trainers.
Plainview is the headquarters of the corporate franchise operations, founded in 2008 by fitness specialist Josh York. The mobile fitness brand utilizes a fleet of signature red vans to bring the certified personal trainer, equipment and workout to customers’ doors.
Who shouldn’t go back to the gym right now?
“Anybody who is high-risk should not go back to the gym,” said Mendez. “Personally, I feel gyms are doing a very good job with cleanliness and tracking, doing the best to their abilities to make it a safe environment.”
Mendez is an active member of several local gyms and has been in the fitness industry for more than 20 years.
“People have to be smart and know where they are on the health spectrum; if you are high risk, I wouldn’t personally go back, but if you feel great and feel comfortable enough to go back, gyms are doing a very good job for the user.”
He explained the thorough protocols that GYMGUYZ follows for its own clients, including COVID information and acknowledgment forms, a no-touch policy for training programs, maintaining social distancing during training sessions and health trackers for both, the client and the trainers. Trainers wear masks and shoe covers during the in-home sessions and all of the supplied equipment is cleaned before and after each session.
Incorporating what you already have.
“I think the biggest challenge for anyone that is making the adjustment from working out at the gym to a workout at home is really mindset,” said Mendez. “Everyone has that hurdle where they think they can’t do it (at home workout), but that’s where a business like GYMGUYZ does great because we give great home workouts.”
He explained that the at-home workouts are tailored so that they client, as well as the trainer do not get complacent and dull.
“There are so many resources out there for people to exercise with, like investing in some sort of home workout equipment and videos,” said Mendez. “When [a client has] home equipment they are truly invested in their health and fitness goals. We utilize [their own equipment] as much as possible and give them workouts that they can do on their own at home.”
It is not even a fleeting issue if someone doesn’t have a single piece of fitness equipment though. The GYMGUYZ mobile van arrives stocked with more than 300 pieces of equipment to use at each session.
You have to think outside the box when it comes to fitness aids. You don’t need to spend $2,000 on an elliptical or high-end fitness machine. Mendez said things like a stationary chair, a filled backpack, water bottles, jump ropes and other items that you might already have around the house can supplement any workout.
Clients like it. Do trainers?
“We have seen an influx of applicants for home personal training because the climate in going back to the gym is very scarce right now,” said Mendez. “Once someone experiences the luxury of having a trainer come to your home, oftentimes, they never stop. You can’t outrun a trainer that is coming to your home.”
GYMGUYZ trainers are nationally accredited with certified personal training certifications. They all go through background checks and are insured. The company provides ongoing continuing education for its trainers as well.
“Once a client invites us into their home it’s a different level of connection,” said Mendez. “Developing long-lasting relationships and changing lives one rep at a time is what we take pride in.” He said they like to keep the same trainer with a client for bonding and consistency, but it’s easy to request a different trainer for variety and to break up the monotony.
Every session is documented and uploaded onto the client’s profile. Any trainer can very easily pick up the workout manifest and replicate what has already been done with another trainer, if needed.
Workouts are not limited to solely inside a private home.
“Our strength in our business is that we can train anywhere,” said Mendez. “We love to train people in their garages, in their driveways, we do group workouts in parks. We are happy to meet anyone, anywhere, at any time.”
People save an incredible amount of time when they choose an at-home fitness session over going to the physical gym. A home workout eliminates the need for driving to the gym, finding parking, waiting for equipment to become available and showering before heading off to work or school.
During the first session, GYMGUYZ offers a complementary assessment, medical history questionnaire, assessing personal goals for working out, a body composition analysis and a baseline workout for measuring progress for the duration.
“We want to know what motivates that individual to be more fit; is it to play with their grandchildren again, to get off medication,” said Mendez. “We want to put meaning behind their goals.”
The company is international with more than 250 locations. GYMGUYZ is one of the fastest-growing fitness concepts in the U.S. with plans to open another 100 locations globally in the coming year.
Visit www.gymguyz.com for more information and to schedule an assessment.
