Globo Gym training

Has or does anyone currently train Crossfit in a globo gym? I'm not currently Crossfit certified, it's high on my to do list in the new year. I am thinking about starting my own affiliate in my garage eventually, but I don't have really any clients, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience in training in a globo gym, gaining some clientele and then moving to their own space. How are the gym managers with this? How about the fellow trainers? Or would you just recommened affiliating and trying to build a client base?Thanks in advance.

[Eva Bigongiari]

Shane,
Most globo gym facilities that have their own trainers frown on outside trainers using their gym for business. I worked for 24 Hour Fitness and it was a policy that the only trainers allowed to train clients there were the ones working for 24 Hour Fitness. The management revoked to memberships of several trainers who were blatantly disobeying this rule even after being warned. However, there are personal training gyms out there that ask trainers to pay a small fee and then you're welcome to bring clients there. You just have to check with the management to see what the policy is. Training out of your garage and in parks would definitely keep your overhead low and hassles to a minimum.

[John Schneider]

I'm going to be training at another globo gym until my affiliate can be a full time endeavor. I'll get hired as one of their trainers and work in the middle of the day, while in the mornings and evenings I have classes at my gym. The thing you have to be careful with is stealing clients. There is a fine line ethically there. I'll have to be careful not advertising my gym while working with clients at the other gym. If they happen to find me though, well I can't do anything about that now can I? Of course, taking peoples $ and providing them with substandard programming is the real ethical problem here so really I'd jsut be saving my clients.

John keep me posted on how that works out. That's exactly how I want to do it. Thanks for your reply. You too Eva.

[Rob McBee]

I'm doing about the same thing as John. The gym I work for is privately owned but follows the 'big box/globo' business model for the most part ie. the main weight room floor is packed with nautilus machines, no O-lifting, no GHD, etc.. Trainers, as of the first of the year, are staff only but you can train clients at other locations. The gym has their membership fee already so they aren't getting cut out of anything if a trainer goes to their home, a park, or um, their own CF affiliated garage gym. Their issue was non-staff trainers bringing in their own clients who weren't gym members and those trainers weren't paying the gym a rental fee or % of their training fee and that was beyond unethical.

My feeling on 'globo' gyms is that those owners/investors are taking all the risk so they can run the place any way they want and if I work there its my job to support their policies or leave. No whining either way. If they aren't giving members a perceived return on their investment then they have no grounds to expect people to re-join. IMO

[Lisbeth Darsh]

I'll have to be careful not advertising my gym while working with clients at the other gym. If they happen to find me though, well I can't do anything about that now can I?

Read your contract very carefully with any globo-gym before you sign as a trainer; some have clauses that prohibit you from doing exactly that. One gym I worked for had a clause that I could not privately train any current or recent (in the past 6 months) member while I was under contract as a trainer for that gym. (And that was the result of negotiating -- the first version had a blanket "any former member" and there was no time limit.)

(But it all worked out fine in the end. I left that gym after a few months and my clients came with me.)

[Daniel Freedman]

(I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on the Internet.)

But I do know that laws vary from state to state, and their enforceability varies from industry to industry.

My understanding is that it is often difficult to enforce blanket non-compete clauses. These days, most valid non-compete clauses have to be limited by time, geography, classes of client, etc...

A draconian non-compete clause may in the first draft of the contract presented to you, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it. Try for some limitations. The gym may give in without much of a fight, because they know their proposal wouldn't stand up in court anyway. (Not that either party really wants to go to court.)

[Lisbeth Darsh]

Daniel -- good points. As always, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

[Andrew Bueno]

Originally Posted by Shane Bradbury

Has or does anyone currently train Crossfit in a globo gym? I'm not currently Crossfit certified, it's high on my to do list in the new year. I am thinking about starting my own affiliate in my garage eventually, but I don't have really any clients, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience in training in a globo gym, gaining some clientele and then moving to their own space. How are the gym managers with this? How about the fellow trainers? Or would you just recommened affiliating and trying to build a client base?Thanks in advance.

Hey Shane

I've been training at a Gold's for over a year and a half and have been CrossFitting for about a year. I myself am about to move out (my friend and I just opened our own affiliate- Rain City CrossFit).

I've been training my clients in the CrossFit method since January and the only difference is that the member base and staff stare at my client and I funny when we do jumping pullups or use the kettlebell.

Like it was stated earlier, some companies will frown upon "stealing clients" and some will have clauses stating that you cannot contact current and former clients for 6 months after leaving. The best thing about that is if your clients are going to follow you, they're going to follow you. The gym can't hold them down and not allow them to do as they please. Be respectful and don't reach out to them- just make sure you leave contact info behind.

CrossFit will get you clients one way or another.

"CrossFit will get you clients one way or another."

This is what I was wondering as well. In the opportunities videos and the videos for trainers on the "What is Crossfit?" page, Coach states that Crossfit 'will take over like a cancer on the prevailing model.' Have any of you found this to be true? Do more people come and ask to be trained by you if your working clients with Crossfit?

-Shane