When it comes to creating a truly wellness-centered environment, having a solid personal training department can make all the difference. Every resident can benefit from personal training—even if it’s just once a year, once a month, or a few times a week. With the right structure, you’ll empower residents to take charge of their self-care while helping trainers thrive. Here’s how to get started:

1. Embrace the Mindset: Everyone Benefits

Instill the belief that every resident stands to gain from personal training. The fitness director should be the “wellness mayor,” advocating for every single resident and inspiring them to stay active. A single session might seem small, but the ongoing support and motivation can lead to big improvements in quality of life.

2. Establish a Strong Intake Process

A well-defined intake process is the backbone of your personal training department. It’s where you build genuine connections and discover each resident’s goals, Exercise history, and aspirations.

Key Components of a Successful Intake Process

• A Standardized Form: Create a form or template that all trainers use to guide their consultation.

• Listening & Understanding: Encourage trainers to actively listen and understand each resident’s unique background and needs.

• Clear Recommendations: Offer at least two program ideas or pathways to get started.

By focusing on individualized attention, you’ll set residents on the right track from day one.

3. Overcome the Pricing Hurdle

Many personal trainers feel uncomfortable discussing pricing—they see themselves as fitness professionals, not salespeople. However, presenting the value of personal training packages is crucial for Growth. Train your staff on how to talk about costs confidently and transparently, ensuring residents understand the long-term benefits of working with a personal trainer.

4. Track Your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

Once your trainers are comfortable with the intake and pricing discussions, it’s time to manage performance by using data. Important KPIs include:

• Number of Consultations

• Closing Percentage (the percentage of consultations that lead to a package sale)

• Average Personal Training Package Sale

By keeping tabs on these metrics, you can identify what’s working, where improvements are needed, and how to refine your strategies to help both residents and trainers succeed.

5. Stay Proactive—People Need a Push

It’s easy to think, “We have personal trainers—if residents want it, they’ll ask.” In reality, most people need motivation and a friendly nudge. Encourage your trainers to reach out and invite residents to consults or trial sessions. You’ll be amazed at how often that small effort becomes the push someone needs to commit to better health.

6. Support Your Trainers’ Growth

A thriving personal training department depends on the growth of your trainers. Provide consistent Education and mentorship on:

• Conducting effective consultations

• Presenting pricing with confidence

• Responding to objections

• Designing programs that cater to senior-specific goals

When trainers feel supported and well-trained, they’ll deliver better results for residents.

7. Incentivize Longer Commitments

Encourage trainers to promote longer-term commitments through incentives. Longer packages benefit residents by offering consistency and accountability, and they help trainers build a more predictable schedule.

8. Your Essential Checklist

To help you get started, here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll need:

1. Create a Custom Intake Process: Use standardized forms to gather resident information.

2. Introduce New Residents to the Fitness Director: Make it a habit to connect newcomers with your fitness department.

3. Track Consultations and Closing Percentages: Measure success and identify improvement areas.

4. Train and Mentor Your Trainers: Help them grow as salespeople and fitness professionals.

5. Incentivize Longer Contracts: Offer benefits to both trainers and residents for multi-session packages.

By following these steps, you’ll build a personal training department that not only increases utilization but also serves as the foundation for a genuinely wellness-focused community. Stay positive, stay proactive, and watch your residents thrive!

#Seniorcare #seniorwellness #personaltraining #fitness #silversneaker

Originally Published on https://www.ascendperformancetraining.com/blog

Tripp Parks Author, Podcast Host, Gym Owner

My name is Tripp Parks. I am the author of the book "Health Profiling"; I co-own: Ascend Performance Training Center and business solutions, Kalevala Labs Supplements; co-own/host the podcast Health Or High Water. (ISSA Certified: Personal Trainer, Genetic-based Program Design, Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning Specialist, and Elite Trainer)

With over 10 years of experience in the fitness industry. From playing professional football for the Rival Professional Football league, to working in genetics supplementation, personal training, nutrition and much more.

The latest I have been working on is developing the process my partner and I call, "Health Profiling". We are faced with one of the worst health epidemics ever seen before in human history and I wanted to come up with a way to fix it and thats where Health Profiling was born. Health Profiling is basically a new way of looking at health and wellness. The problem is when you go to a personal trainer they are going to solve your problems with workouts; a nutritionist will solve it with diet/supplementation, etc. The problem is no one is putting them together.

Just like when we invest our money, we diversify those funds. The same goes with our health and wellness. Health Profiling is about diversifying our health and wellness to all aspects. I look at everything for someones health journey (genetics, hormones, workouts, sleep, stress, mentality, etc.) that truly makes them healthy.

This all starts with genetics! Using genetic testing we can get a qualitative road map to apply Health Profiling to our daily life's!