How to Get Hybrid and Online Training Clients When You Work in a Gym

Mar 16, 2017

By Tim Saye

Working in a gym can bring some frustrating disadvantages such as they gym taking most of the money for your training sessions, however it can bring you a massive advantage when looking to get hybrid training clients and even online clients.


Here's a very effective way to get hybrid and online personal training clients from the gym you work in.




Gyms love challenges and people in gyms love challenges, so, set up a free challenge.

Go to your manager and ask them if you can run a free challenge for all gym members, point out the benefits to members and, in tern, how this will likely improve member retention and as the gyms profit.

Some gyms may ask you to run it in an app branded as the gyms rather than your own, that's cool, send us their branding ad we'll get it sorted for you. Don't let this hold you back.

Jump through the various hoops and ask the manager if you can advertise it in the gym, get it mentioned in the gyms newsletter and set up a whiteboard in the gym to work as a leader board praising members who get great results.


Then you set up your challenge, you really want this process as automated as possible but you also want to make it really easy for members to sign up. If your gym is anything like the ones I worked in then a well placed piece of paper where they put in their name and email address is usually the easiest!!

So, set up your challenge (You can do this easily by logging in to PT Distinction, clicking on Ninja Skills to Grow Big and following the video for setting up a free challenge) and allow them to sign up on a website but also have a piece of paper ready for simple sign up. Them import those members yourself by clicking on add client and adding them to your challenge.

Put every challenger in to a Facebook group (I would make this yours and nothing to do with the gym!) for additional coaching, support and a friendly group atmosphere.


The challenge should last the minimum possible time to see a good result, for weight loss this can be as short as two weeks for muscle building and sports performance it may need to be a little longer.

Coach using habits and make it easy for challengers to do the required tasks, also make it obvious that there is so much more to come from your coaching.

During the challenge share past success stories of your clients via email and in the group. Also ensure all challengers record their results (the ones related to the goal of the challengers, I.e. weight loss, inch loss etc..) and post app screenshots in the group to praise great results and show everyone the successes. Add the best results to your gym leader board to show everyone in the gym the great things that are happening in your free challenge.

At the end of the challenge make a big fuss of the person with the best results and give them an awesome gift, make this awesome gift well known! Here's a great article on giving great gifts


Towards the end of the challenge offer two services 1) Your hybrid training, 2) Your online training. I would recommend only offering one price for each and tailor the package around what will work for you and the client. This gets rid of confusion and the dreaded analysis paralysis that stops so many people from purchasing goods and services. Here's an article on setting up your hybrid packages.

Offer clients the chance to sign up for these services in the Facebook group, In your automated emails and in person in the gym.


Sign people up (the gym will get its cut of your hybrid stuff but that's good as if you make them money they will continue to help you and if you ever leave, the chances are those clients will go with you).


Run the challenge each month and build up the anticipation of people trying to top the leader board and win prizes. I would continue to do this even when your paid services are full. Keep putting everyone in to the SAME Facebook group and adding them all to your email list. This ensures that your pipeline of potential new clients is always full and many , many people see you as the expert.

If you ever need new clients again all you will have to do is announce in the group or over email that you have a few spaces opened up for those that move the fast and they can sign up here... It can be that simple if you continue to build your audience.

Remember that gyms have very high member turnover so there will be new potential clients coming in to any gym all the time.

And of course the best way to run your challenges and hybrid coaching is through the worlds best personal training software PT Distinction.

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