Why we believe in the Coach for Life || Coach Wes Kimball

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Over the past 5 months CFA has made some changes and evolved the way we operate. One of the biggest changes that happened was that many of you were given your own personal coach. And those of you that have started with us in the last 5 months have we’re set up with a “Coach for Life” from the get go.

Maybe you realized at the time—or maybe you didn’t—but having your own personal coach is a fairly unique concept in our broader community. Talk to your friends who CrossFit at another gym in a different city, and chances are they probably don’t have a personal coach in their corner.

But have you ever thought about why we do it this way?

Why we think it’s best for you to have a consistent coach for the duration of your time with us?

I can assure you it wasn’t an arbitrary decision. We adopted this concept because we think it’s the best way to help you be successful with your long term fitness plan.

Most people who become CrossFit coaches, personal trainers, or bootcamp / spin class /  yoga instructors, or even folks that have worked with us in the past do it for an average of one to three years and then they quit and move on to something else because it hard to make a living in the fitness industry.

Truth is, there are very few full-time, career fitness coaches today (let alone professional coaches). For some folks they simply get burnt out, others have other career and family obligations that supersedes their job as a coach, and some move on because they realize they can’t earn a living in the fitness industry.

 

For the client, this can mean many things, but the worst case scenario is a coach that isn’t invested in the clients. The best case scenario is a coach that really cares, but simply can’t sacrifice anything else to chase their passion and have to move on.  Both scenarios are a net negative for the client.

We’re part of a movement called the MadLab Group that’s trying to change this. MadLab has found a way to help coaches become career coaches able to make a professional living in the fitness industry. And because of this, coaches stick around are able to offer clients more coaching security by providing you with an invested coach for life (CFL).

Our hope with the CFL concept is for you to have someone to manage your health and wellness for years to come—the same way you have a family doctor, accountant, lawyer, and maybe even hairdresser for the duration of your entire life.

This doesn’t mean you can’t work with other coaches, of course. It just means your personal CFL —the one who put you through your first day experience at our gym, who trained you during personal training, and who probably still coaches many of the classes you attend—is invested in your progress, and he or she isn’t leaving next month!

And if you ever want more personal training, or you find yourself needing to rehab from an injury at some point, or you want some diet advice, or just need someone to vent about life, you have a personal coach to turn to.

We’re well on our way, but are still working to get all of our current clients with CFLs.   Regardless we are big believers that this is the path to a sustainable future for any gym that wants their clients to succeed over the long hall!

-Coach Wes