F.I.S.H. Studio Update

Word of mouth is a powerful thing. F.I.S.H. has not even launched its advertising campaign - we only have the blog and have handed out a few brochures so far - and yet the studio is filling up.

We have been fortunate that many of our previous clients have come over to the new studio. They have been quick to spot the benefits: the whole studio to themselves and their trainer; no waiting around for equipment; no feelings of intimidation from boisterous men in the free-weights area; meticulous goal-setting and record keeping; and absolutely no admin or gym fees: all they pay for is the training.

There has also been considerable interest from the staff and businesses in the surrounding offices at Temple Grove. So much so, in fact, that we are already looking at ways to increase our hours at the studio.

The training sessions to date have been an absolute joy. Whatever the trainers plan for their clients can be realised as we have exclusive access to all the equipment all the time. Derek's clients are benefiting to the meticulous attention to loading parameters and time under tension plus the luxury of being able to perform super, tri and giant sets without anyone else jumping on the equipment in between exercises.

Melody has finalised plans for the weight loss group and boxercise classes which should be up and running by next week. Her own training is gathering pace - progress shots to follow at a later date.

F.I.S.H. Studio Opens

At last the F.I.S.H. Personal Training Studio in Eastbourne has opened for business. Our first two clients through the door were Carole Penney and Jonathan Martin who continue to train with Derek Prior twice per week. Both have made exceptional progress with resistance training technique and both already show impressive gains.

We are still awaiting the delivery of a cable crossover and heavy duty free weights mat on Wednesday.

The new brochures are back from the printers and will be distributed this week.

Melody is almost fully recovered from a bout of tonsillitis and has commenced a two week anatomical adaptation phase using the big compound exercises and target-specific loading and tempo parameters. She will then move on to a three day split (each muscle to be trained once every five days). Derek is supervising Melody's weight training in return for some boxing sessions.

Derek has also recommenced serious training after almost a three month lay off. He is following a three day split (chest, back, external rotators; thighs, calves, and abdominals; shoulders and arms). For arms he is following Charles Poliquin's "Ultimate Arm Program", a six month program with changes every six workouts. The phase one "double tri-sets" are gruelling.

Chutney has ordered us a large Arnold poster to go behind the power rack and Theo has donated an action figure of the Mighty Thor for the desk. Art work for the walls is being provided by Gordon Prout.

Personal Training Studios

Many newly qualified trainers enter the industry sub-contracted to, or employed by, one of the major franchise gyms. Whilst this may seem attractive due to the extensive range of equipment and the potential for customer contact, these arrangements have their drawbacks.

Fitness First, for example, charges a weekly rent which may seem reasonable to a well established trainer charging London rates, but £85 per week can seem an insurmountable obstacle to a newly qualified trainer with a small client base. Fitness First claim to off-set this by starting the rent on a sliding scale in return for the trainer working as a gym instructor (with no pay) for a reducing number of hours for the first few months. Often, the trainer is not allowed to work on their own business during these hours and may end up having to work excessive hours in order to make any money at all.

An additional problem is that Fitness First has its own targets and agendas: they sell a product called "Get Results" which is often marketed as "Personal Training" when it is, in fact, a gym programme with a half hour personal training "taster" at week four. Because the sales and fitness teams get commission for selling these, and because they are set aggressive targets, it is not in their interests to support personal trainers with building up their own client base. In fact, there is an unhealthy internal rivalry which forces many trainers out of business.

Other large gyms have their own systems (David Lloyd, for example, uses a combination of salary and commission). Where the trainer is an employee they lose many of the tax benefits of self-employment and don't reach anywhere near the hourly rate they could make as freelance trainers.

One solution is to set up your own training facility, although this is a costly risk. If your budgeting and marketing is out you could end up in trouble. Attracting new clients to this sort of venture is going to be extremely hard at first, although once you are established word will get around and you will hopefully have testimonials to circulate.

F.I.S.H. (Fitness Instruction for Strength & Health) Personal Training Studio in Eastbourne was set up to provide a solution for new trainers just starting out and to offer an alternative to gym-shy or busy clients who do not want to queue up to get on a particular piece of equipment.

F.I.S.H. is an exclusive Personal Training studio with regular staff to act as mentors to newly qualified trainers. The new PTs will be asked to undergo competency assessments and will be offered ongoing support and supervision. The F.I.S.H. team is a community for nurturing new trainers and developing the highest levels of technical skill, exercise and nutrition knowledge, and client-trainer relationships.

F.I.S.H. does not charge a weekly rent but does require a percentage of the trainer's earnings (currently this is £7.50 per session the trainer conducts). We encourage trainers to follow our suggested pricing structure, which generally leaves them making a profit of £22.50 per session (which is good considering there are no overheads).

The only financial outlay required is an initial registration fee of £20 to cover the production of a profile board for in-studio, web-site, and brochure advertising. Trainers are also encouraged to order a uniform training top.

The F.I.S.H. studio is equipped with top quality free-weights, exercise balls, mini trampoline, cables, power rack, dip and chin bars, heavy duty benches, full length mirrors, body composition scales, and a height measure. Trainers and clients have access to our extensive range of supplements and fitness clothing and are encouraged to use F.I.S.H. documentation (which they are free to photocopy at their own expense).

All enquiries from prospective trainers should be directed to:

Derek Prior

fishfitness@tiscali.co.uk

derekprior@tiscali.co.uk