Semi-Private Training Is Not a Mini-WOD (For Real)

We need to clear something up today:

Semi-private training is not a group session in which about four people do versions of the same workout, with a coach providing on-the-spot modifications.

That is small-group training—and it is not as valuable as semi-private training.

Semi-private training is a hot topic in the fitness world because it’s a high-value service that produces great results for clients and dramatically increases revenue and average revenue per member.

But many people just don’t get the concept, and various media outlets are mucking it up, too.

To cut through the confusion, I’ll lay it out in very simple terms.

Each Client Has an Individualized Program

Imagine you have four personal-training clients. You work one on one with each client. You know exactly what each one wants to accomplish and have created a complete session-by-session training plan in advance.

For example, you already know Sherry’s bad knee won’t handle squats, so you rely on hinging movements to build lower-body strength. That is already noted in her program, as are her sets, reps and loads for the next month.

You have three other PT clients who also have their very own plans. One is a runner, one wants to lose weight, and the other is a powerlifter.

Here it is:

If you take these four clients and deliver these individualized programs in the same session for a slightly reduced rate, you are providing semi-private training.

• Sherry is not doing a version of Bob’s powerlifting workout.
• You are not modifying one programming stream on the spot to account for Sherry’s knee.
• There is no general “workout of the day” or “WOD” for the hour.
• The clients do not have to warm up together; they don’t even have to speak to each other if they don’t want to (they can, of course).

You would literally have four different clipboards with four different pre-made training plans for four different clients. And then you would simply split your attention among the four clients while delivering each client’s individualized plan.

Yes, this requires prep work and great coaching skills. That is why semi-private training sessions are generally capped at four people. If clients feel that they aren’t getting enough attention, the program’s value will plummet.

Just so we’re 100 percent clear, I’ll offer an analogy. Semi-private training is like a semi-private room in a hospital:

A doctor treats each person in the room according to that person’s specific needs. The patients share the room and the doctor but not the diagnosis, treatment plan or medicine.

Semi-Private Training Is PT With Others Present

You cannot run an effective semi-private training program if you don’t understand that it is personal training in every way but one: The coach’s attention is split among two to four PT clients in the same session.

Clients receive a lot of attention but not as much as they would receive in a one-on-one setting. As such, semi-private rates are lower than PT rates but much higher than any group fitness rates. A group client might pay for a membership that works out to about $12-$15 a class; a semi-private training client might pay $60 or more per session.

A client will not pay $60 an hour for you to tell them to do Fran with banded pull-ups while the five other people in the group do Fran as prescribed. That is not semi-private training.

A client will pay $60 an hour for you to build and deliver a complete training program while delivering up to three other training programs at the same time.

If you want to consider adding this high-value service, you must understand the details.

For Two-Brain clients, we have a complete Semi-Private Training course to help you implement a program fast—ask your mentor.

If you don’t work with Two-Brain yet, start with the video below, then book a call to get a growth plan tailored to your business.