Over the past 7 years we’ve heard so many of the same types of stories from fitness beginners coming in to chat with us:
“I tried a workout with a personal trainer and it was so hard that I threw up and I never went back.”
“My first time in, they put me into a class with 30 other people and I had no idea what I was doing. I hurt my shoulder and never went back.”
“I signed up at the globo-gym down the street. I had no idea how to use anything, or what to do, so I walked on the treadmill for a few minutes and left. I haven’t been back since.”
So many people have these terrible negative experiences at their first time at the gym — and it happens over and over! Every time they finally decide to try again, they get burned at another new gym.
Then it turns into a belief about themselves.
“I guess I’m just not a gym or workout person.”
“I’m so out of shape that I can’t even start working out.”
Listen up, friends: YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM!
Those gyms and trainers failed you.
Good gyms meet beginners where they’re at, and build them up from there.
Good gyms help people feel successful from day 1 — not try to impress you with how hard their workouts can be.
Good gyms talk to you, get to know you, and learn about your needs before you do a single rep in the gym.
Good gyms start you off with 1:1 or small groups, to make sure you get plenty of coaching attention to get you moving well from day 1.
Good gyms prioritize quality over quantity.
If a trainer or gym made you feel like you’re not good enough — it’s not you. It’s them.
Some gyms just don’t seem to know any better.
Some gyms have owners and staff that are so overworked that they don’t have time to give more 1:1 attention.
Some gyms just don’t seem to care about beginners and only prioritize people who are already fit.
How it Works at Ripple Effect
At Ripple Effect, we start off every new person with a 1:1 conversation. We want to know you — what’s your fitness background? Why do you want to work out? What do you need help with? Do you have any injuries or medical issues? These are all things we want to know before we start your workouts, so we can start you off on the right foot and give you the best chance of success.
Then, we start you with our On Ramp program, which is typically four 1:1 personal training sessions. These sessions pair you up with one of our amazing, kind, expert coaches who will teach you some of the basic movements, help you feel comfortable in the gym, show you where stuff is, learn how to sign up for classes, and answer any of your questions that come up. That gives us a great baseline to know where you’re starting from, so we know exactly how to help you going forward. From there, some folks continue with 1:1 or small group personal training, some folks go into our group class program, and some do a mix of them all!
All of our sessions, whether it’s a group class or PT session, are led by coaches every step of the way. You don’t have to think about what to do for your workout or warm up or cool down — it’s all there for you! Just show up and we’ll walk you through the workout from start to finish. We’ll demo all the movements, show modification options, and help you find the right level for that day.
If your prior gym experiences have made you feel like a failure: give us a call. We are here to help you find joy in movement, feel healthy and strong, and make some new friends while you’re at it! We strive to be the most beginner-friendly gym in town.
www.rippleeffectcf.com/free-intro
Come join us. We’re pretty cool.
— By Coach Chris