Should I pay for a workout routine?

In discussions with US PTs, I often see them resentfully describing gym members asking for a programme. "You have to pay for my genius!" These questions always puzzle me. In Australia, there are gym instructors and personal trainers. 

People join a gym, pay their joining and membership fee. They have the option of an initial appointment where we ask about injury and illness history, previous physical activity and current goals, maybe we measure some stuff, then we write up a routine and show them through it in a second separate session. A month or two later they have a review and perhaps we change the workout. Doing all this is the role of the gym instructor, and their wages are paid through the joining and membership fee. 

Obviously the routine is somewhat generic, and is not adjusted from one workout to the next. As well, almost nobody progresses the resistance on weights exercises, or the speed, incline or whatever on cardio. If people want someone watching every rep and adjusting the routine from one workout to the next, and to ensure they progress the difficulty, then they hire a personal trainer. This costs extra, obviously. 

Now, the routines we give to gym members, of course most don't follow them. They omit the most difficult exercise, they fail to progress the difficulty, the boys flee to the bench press and curls, the girls flee to the elliptical and Zumba class. It doesn't matter - it's our job to offer the information, it's up to them whether they follow it. Guess what? Your PT clients won't follow all your advice, either. 

The two roles don't clash with each-other, they complement. Giving routines to people does not mean I have no PT clients. Many PT clients I have are people I've given routines to. They liked it so much they wanted more, they recognised that a routine written on paper was only a small fraction of what I had to offer. Even if that person doesn't want PT, it's still worth helping them. If someone is thinking about doing PT, they look around the gym and see several trainers, they could approach and ask anyone. Who will they walk up to? The one who gives a lot of time and advice to people with a smile, or the one who does the bare minimum with obvious resentment? Potential clients see you training someone, they see that you're approachable and helpful. 

Whenever I give a routine out, I often say something like, "Now, the idea of this is to build the movement skills, so you can go from this machine and dumbbell, over to that barbell - if you want to. You're physically capable of doing it now, but I think several weeks of doing this will make you confident enough for it, too. If we were doing personal training, I'd have you under the barbell today. But doing it on your own is harder, so let's give you a month or two of this stuff and then we'll see." I've dropped the bait, it's up to them to bite. 

Keeping your routines to yourself like they're some brand name cola drink recipe, it's absurd. In a mainstream gym you get and keep clients by demonstrating competence, establishing trust and rapport. People asking you for programmes is your chance to demonstrate competence, establish trust and rapport. Do it. If you're at the gym between clients, don't fuck around on facebook or gossipping with the other trainers about how drunk they got on the weekend - get your arse out on the gym floor and talk to people. Yes, even give them programmes. 

This approach works. I give out stacks of programmes - in fact, I only do 8-12 hours of gym shifts a week, and I give out more programmes between PT clients than I do in the gym shifts. Overall, around half of clients are found by the trainer, and half come from someone making a general enquiry and the team leader assigning them to a trainer. Currently I have no clients from general enquiries, I found them all myself. A bit under half the people I've ever trained stayed with me for 6 months or more, and 3/4 of current clients (I've got better at picking stayers). This approach works.

From the member's side, no, you should not pay for a workout routine, especially not from someone online who's never met you - yes, I know he has a pretty website with pictures of underweight women with sixpack abs, but he's still clueless. Routines are everywhere for free, and if you are a newbie to physical training, unfortunately you are not so unique and special that you need one particularly customised to you. You just need to train the basic movements of squat, push, pull and hip hinge, do a bit of cardio and progress the resistance and effort over time. Those with particularly ambitious goals or big obstacles to ordinary goals will benefit from PT. 

Things may be different in PT studios and the like. But this is how it is in mainstream commercial and community gyms.