THE HYBRID TRAINING MODEL FOR PERSONAL TRAINERS
I climbed into my truck and let out a long sigh. Another day at the office, and I was wiped. It was early afternoon, up since 5 a.m., on the gym floor since 6:30, coffee in hand and on the go. I was on my fourth cup, knowing it would mess with my sleep later but needing it to push through an evening full of clients in a few hours.
My 2000s pop-punk playlist had already looped a few times that morning.
The plan was to head home for lunch and some work on the business before returning to the gym for more client sessions. In reality, I’d grab a quick bite and crash, spending the rest of my time at home asleep and then waking just in time for the next round.
I loved helping my clients and giving them the best hour of their day on the training floor. And I was doing that a lot, with nearly 30 clients and upwards of 25 semi-private and private sessions each week. Business was buzzing, but doubts started creeping in.
How long would my girlfriend tolerate an absent partner? I knew I wanted kids someday and to be the dad who could do the school drop-offs, pick-ups, and coach sports—not the one who always had to work.
We loved to travel, even just long weekends, but I couldn’t enjoy time away, worrying about lost revenue and unhappy clients. And the worst part was that I wasn’t earning the money I knew I could, nor making the impact I wanted. I made a decent monthly paycheck, enough to cover the bills and give a bit of freedom, but I was living paycheck to paycheck while working a ton, with a degree and many certifications. And honestly, I was exhausted—tired all the time. It didn’t add up.
The only fix I could see was to take on more clients and do more of the same, which wasn’t sustainable without risking burnout and sacrificing relationships.
That’s when I had to get creative. I asked myself the one question every service provider should start with: How can I best serve my clients?
I knew they loved their workouts and I loved coaching them, but most weren’t getting the results they wanted because the 1–3 hours a week with me didn’t offset the poor lifestyle choices they made the other 165+ hours each week.
Let’s be honest: grinding away on little sleep and caffeine isn’t the best way to serve. I was drained and lacked the systems to help clients change their lifestyle beyond a couple workouts each week. And since I had no room for more training sessions and they didn’t have time to come to the gym daily, I needed a better way.
ENTER THE HYBRID TRAINING MODEL
This model created a win-win for me and my clients. For me, it stabilized my monthly income by selling an entire package instead of charging by the session, reclaiming time while delivering a better service. For them, it meant better results without daily trips to the gym or paying thousands a month for a trainer.
It would allow me to keep coaching on the gym floor, but I wouldn’t have to live there, eat meals out of tupperware, and juggle meals between coaching cues.
The hybrid model I refined centers on five key areas:
1) In-person coaching
2) Regular activity programming
3) Nutritional guidance or intervention
4) Belief and habit building
5) Accountability
If you look at the traditional model—one that left me half asleep in my truck at the end of the day—I was covering maybe one or two of these, at best. And often, trainers are paid mainly for time spent in the gym. Pricing may claim to include programming, nutrition, and accountability, but it rarely does.
When clients pay per session, they see value in having you in the room coaching them. That’s it. They’re also financially incentivized to miss sessions. If they’re tired or not in the mood, they’ll skip a session, save money, or stretch their package longer. Bottom line: income becomes unstable and they don’t get the best results.
To build and market this model, you need to ask a lot of questions and rethink how you deliver your service and price it.
1) IN-PERSON COACHING
– How often do clients need instruction with lifting weights?
– How often do they want to come to the gym?
– Do you have space for semi-private training?
2) REGULAR ACTIVITY PROGRAMMING
– What parts of the program can clients do on their own?
– Do they have a gym membership or home equipment?
– Are there parts that don’t require gym access, like walking, running, or mobility work?
3) NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE OR INTERVENTION
– Any transformational program needs some nutrition guidance. If they trust you to train them, you’re well placed to guide basic nutrition principles.
– For most general goals this is simple habit building; no need to dive deep or go beyond your scope.
– You can build your own curriculum or outsource. I outsourced this to Precision Nutrition and used ProCoach for my clients.
4) BELIEF AND HABIT BUILDING
– The clients who made big mindset shifts tended to achieve the best outcomes. This is essential in any coaching program if you want to stand out.
– What do they need to learn to shed their old self and become a better version?
– Can you create a simple weekly or bi-weekly plan over 2–3 months to enable that?
5) ACCOUNTABILITY
– Accountability is what clients are really paying for. Information is easy to find, but accountability and a safe space to learn from mistakes are valuable.
– The more they invest in the full service, the more accountable they’ll become.
– I have plenty of unused freebies on my laptop—no real skin in the game.
IN ITS SIMPLEST FORM, THIS IS THE HYBRID COACHING MODEL
I won’t lie: this takes more upfront work. But if you set it up once, your life gets easier later. It lets you charge a monthly price for the whole package, stabilizes your pay, and lets you work less while giving clients the best chance at results. No more endless selling of 10- or 20-session packages, and no more repeating the same resources to every client who asks about keto or intermittent fasting. You lead the process, cover all bases, and both you and your clients get the most from your time, energy, and expertise.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
As a Kinesiology graduate, Gavin McHale quickly realized that the traditional business model trades time for money. Over eight years, Gavin built a six-figure hybrid training business before founding the Maverick Coaching Academy in 2019. Since then, he has left the gym to help other strength coaches grow their businesses. He has made it his mission to fix the broken fitness industry and connect others to the best version of themselves.
IG – @gavinmchale1
The Coach’s Playground Podcast
maverickcoachingacademy.ca
