It's All Just a matter of "Time".

[Quistfitness]

Which do you prefer as a standard: 30 min. sessions, or 1 hour?

Why?

[ericmackcarter]

Which do you prefer as a standard: 30 min. sessions, or 1 hour?

Why?

I did 30 minutes up until this month. Meet in the middle, 45 minutes are perfect. Here's why:

1) 30 minutes feel too rushed for my liking. Feels like after warm up there is only 5 minutes left (slight exaggeration).
2) 30 minutes are nice to sell with a low price point, but...
3) ...30 minute sessions also mean there is a need for many more clients. I found I just had a few too many open spots for my liking.
4) 60 minute sessions are just too long for me, especially when I have clients back to back to back.

I now do 45 minute sessions with 15 minutes in between sessions. This helps me refresh between each session, set up the studio for the upcoming client, jump on bb.com. I obviously charge more for 45 minutes. It increased my monthly earning by about ~15% while increasing client's value by ~30% (a win for me and a win for clients).

[Quistfitness]

It increased my monthly earning by about ~15% while increasing client's value by ~30% (a win for me and a win for clients).

Numbers seem right. I like the idea of meeting half way, I also feel pretty rushed in a 30 min. It seems like once we get settled into a flow it's already over. And with a hour session, I get tired and the client seems to stop preforming at top capacity long ago. thanks for the idea!

[Simmo0508]

Depends on the client, the session planned, and things like rapport with client (believe it or not).

30min sessions are ideal for beginners, but can still get in and get out and get a good little workout in. 60min session are great for my weightlifting orientated guys because we need the time to hit that body part properly and do proper technique coaching. 30mins doesn't cut it in those instances when you're dealing with intermediate/advanced lifters with actual desire for noticeable results (slight exaggeration ). They need a different style of session. Not "RA RA RA!!" commando style, but more coaching and calmer paced. Talking people through certain programs and exercises and purposes does take a bit of time, and 30min sessions don't suit that.

I mention rapport because 60min sessions do not drag on, if you get along with the client and can have a casual chat in between sets etc. talk about nutrition and what have you. 60min'ers do drag on however if you and the client aren't really that connected and the workload for that session isn't that high. You do find yourself biding time in some situations.

The 30min people can always do cardio on their own before or after the PT session so they still get a longer workout in, but PT-wise and strict scheduling imo sucks when doing back-to-back-to-back 30min'ers, cos if one person chats too much at the cool down etc. it eats into the next person's session and you yourself as a trainer are losing time at the end of that morning/night when it's time to go home. Overlapping is more prone to happen, compared to booking back-to-back 60min'ers since it's easier to cut a session off if a) they're late or b) they're taking their time with the main parts of workout since you can ease into a cool down earlier and still stay on time.

The "talkers" do make our job very hard when it comes to schedules. The one's that keep talking at 8:00pm til 8:10pm'ish (after a 7.30 til 8.00 session for example's sake) when it's time to go home or train the next person.

[KyleAaron]

The full hour gives you more "slop time", if you need to do some paperwork, go to the toilet, if the client is late, some gym-goer interrupts to complain the paper towels have run out, etc - if they pay for 60' and get 0603-0654 one day nobody's going to complain. But if they're doing 30' then they want the full 30'. And obviously you can do more in 60', as Simmo said it's better for intermediates, and even for beginners, you can take time to teach new movements well, or do 20' strength, 20' cardio, 20' mobility, or whatever.

As well, the full hour is easier as a trainer. If you're doing 3-4 hours straight PT sessions, it's a lot easier to deal with 3-4 different clients with their different capabilities and goals than deal with 6-8 different clients. With just half-hour sessions you'll have to schedule in some breaks for yourself or you'll burn out, client #4 will get the same exercises as #2 and #3 did.

Thus most of us would prefer full hours, but realistically because of the cost issue, if you offer half-hour sessions then you'll get more clients. As well, if someone is only willing or able to pay for 60' each week, they'll actually get better results if they do 2x 30' sessions instead. And if they get good results they stay as clients, tell their friends about you, etc.

So it depends on your market. If people are willing and able to pay for 2-5x 1hr sessions a week, then forget about half hours. But if they can only afford 1/2 to 2hr training a week, then you're going to have to do 2x 30' sessions as your standard. It takes some time management skills. Simmo is obviously too polite, my clients don't hang around chatting afterwards if I have other clients waiting.

[SamJorgensen91]

I offer both, 30' and then plus an extra 50% for the extra half hour if they want it. Depends on the client, if youre willing to spend the time and money to be with me for an hour, Im more than happy to find things to fill that hour. But if I only have a 30 min. appt. I deal and do more of a circuit style. I prefer the hour personally just because it allows me to get a little more creative with the routine, and you get more of a feel for the client, especially when you are just starting off with a client, the first few sessions.

[WoofieNugget]

I've never done 30 minutes. Can't imagine how an effective workout is done in that amount of time considering proper warmups need to take place (and I'm not talking about five minutes walking on a treadmill). If they are doing their own warmup/movement prep and cooldown/stretch afterwards then fine, but then the client is working out for 50 minutes and you're only getting paid for the 30 you are there for.

[KyleAaron]

You might be surprised at how much work a person can do in 30 minutes, mate. Obviously for intermediate trainees a lot of sets without much rest isn't ideal for strength gains; but most of us will tend to have few clients who are intermediate strength-focused lifters.

15-24 sets are common in sessions I run. As I said, not ideal for strength, but you have to make the best use of the time you have.

And sometimes you can fiddle with things. For example, two of my clients, they have similar levels of ability. One is stronger but the other has better technique and joint mobility. I trained them both around the same time 6 or 7 in the morning weekdays. They know and like each-other. So I said, "Each of you is paying for 2x 30' sessions weekly, an hour a week, how about you train together for a full hour, I get paid the same, but you get some more time - but you have to share your time with someone else, which is both good and bad." They thought it was great, and it has been.

But generally you just have to make the best use of the time you have. One of those two women previously had a trainer who insisted that to get stronger she had to have so many minutes' rest between sets, and thus needed a full hour to do more than 6 or so sets. The worth of his approach is shown by the fact that when I met her she couldn't do a single pushup or squat the bar; she has since squatted 60kg for thirty reps.

Could she have got better results with more time? Certainly. But she didn't get any results with the guy who stood around silently for 3 minutes between sets, because she was bored and quit. As trainers or coaches, we have to realise that things will never be perfect. There's always some equipment we wish we had, a diet we wish our clients would follow, that sort of thing.

If we wait for things to be perfect before training people, we'll never train anyone. So just make the best of it. If they can do an hour, great, do it! If they can't, make the best of the half hour.

[Simmo0508]

The full hour gives you more "slop time", if you need to do some paperwork, go to the toilet, if the client is late, some gym-goer interrupts to complain the paper towels have run out, etc - if they pay for 60' and get 0603-0654 one day nobody's going to complain. But if they're doing 30' then they want the full 30'. And obviously you can do more in 60', as Simmo said it's better for intermediates, and even for beginners, you can take time to teach new movements well, or do 20' strength, 20' cardio, 20' mobility, or whatever.

As well, the full hour is easier as a trainer. If you're doing 3-4 hours straight PT sessions, it's a lot easier to deal with 3-4 different clients with their different capabilities and goals than deal with 6-8 different clients. With just half-hour sessions you'll have to schedule in some breaks for yourself or you'll burn out, client #4 will get the same exercises as #2 and #3 did.

Thus most of us would prefer full hours, but realistically because of the cost issue, if you offer half-hour sessions then you'll get more clients. As well, if someone is only willing or able to pay for 60' each week, they'll actually get better results if they do 2x 30' sessions instead. And if they get good results they stay as clients, tell their friends about you, etc.

So it depends on your market. If people are willing and able to pay for 2-5x 1hr sessions a week, then forget about half hours. But if they can only afford 1/2 to 2hr training a week, then you're going to have to do 2x 30' sessions as your standard. It takes some time management skills. Simmo is obviously too polite, my clients don't hang around chatting afterwards if I have other clients waiting.

I resent that last bit! We run a very friendly community style studio here so it's much more relaxed than a mainstream gym. People do feel that level of comfort to chat endlessly after their session. Very hard to cut someone off mid-sentence though when they're rambling on. Only happens with a few guys. The types that talk to everyone at the studio DURING their PT session as well lol Only thing that saves these ones are that they're reliable and likeable. A lot of the time our clients don't know our schedule of a morning/evening so aren't aware of people "waiting" for sessions after them, so i understand their perspective a bit.

Only time it actually really bothers me is when it's 9pm and the studio is closed and i should be heading home to prep meals and get to sleep etc. A few times this same bloke would still chat your ear off whilst you're at the alarm at the doorway with all the studio lights off and your bag around your shoulder.

[KyleAaron]

Excuses, excuses. Tell them if they don't shut up you'll bring in a Crossfit coach to give them Tabata deadlifts.

I can see it happening in the evenings. My mate who started his gym in his garage in the evenings had the same issue as you, one group of lifters would come at 6pm, another at 7pm, etc - but some of the 6pm guys were still sitting around yakking at 9pm. He said, "that's nice that you're making friends, but can you get the fck out of the way of the other lifters? Thanks."

I train just in the mornings, we've no time to fck around, people have to get to work and all that. Six sessions in a row scheduled for next Friday. I've had that scheduled several times, I think only once or twice did all 6 show up, usually someone sleeps in, postpones or cancels - but of course, it's the last person, not someone in the middle to give me a break. Thoughtless of them, really.

[jimmyk21]

I offer 30 and 45. You have to have a lower price point option or you're leaving money on the table, in my opinion. I have my clients come early and start warming up on their own if they do 30 minute sessions, they don't mind doing that to pay more affordable rates. If I have a more deconditioned person I encourage them to do the full sessions because they usually aren't as comfortable warming up and cooling down on their own. 20-25 minutes can be plenty of time for the actual "work." For full sessions, 60 leaves me feeling like I'm kicking a client out the door or ending their session early if I have back to backs.

[KyleAaron]

I do think 45 would be ideal. We'd be like accountants or doctors or whatever, they do 45-50' sessions and then have 10'-15' to do admin and so on. For clients 30' is often rushed, 60' they only do 45' of work anyway.

But my gym only offers 30 and 60' sessions, it's not my choice.

[GymMeathead]

45-60 mins, I feel 30 mins is rushed.

[rdferguson]

Like a lot of the others here, I tend to agree, 45 is the sweet spot. At the last gym I worked at, we only offered 30min sessions. I didn't have many clients, so if rapport was good it was easy for me to stretch 30min sessions out to 40-45min so long as I didn't have sessions booked back to back. I also had a client who always showed up 15min early, and he was always my first client of the evening, so I'd start training him 15min early, which worked better than trying to rush him through a 30min session. Of course, I've had some other clients whom I'd train for 30min and it'd seem forced to try and do any more than that. I've also had some other clients whom it'd feel rushed to do anything under an hour with. When I'm training myself, anything under 2 hours is a rushed, abbreviated session...it'll be interesting if I ever get a client who's in the same boat.

[Ronin4help]

Which do you prefer as a standard: 30 min. sessions, or 1 hour?

Why?

Depends on the type of clientelle. There really shouldn't be a 'standard'. You need to attact as many different types as clientelle as you can, so you'll need to stay flexible.