Privates

So, I’m looking for feedback on this one, maybe people can help by commenting.

Basically right now I do ‘a few’ privates, with people of, ahem, varying bodytypes. One of the guys is a web developer who makes sites for people who want to sell stuff. He’s overweight, but on his way down quite quickly (could work harder on the diet and beer front)* and basically he was saying to me that since I’m doing such a good job getting him down in weight, that I should be doing this for more people. So he’s offerred to make me a website with all sorts of info on it and says he knows how to sell it and all that stuff. Now I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, I’ve seen what he drives up to the gym in, but I’m having this moral dillema right now.

Basically I am really, really picky about all this private training lark. I prefer to do it with guys from the gym who want to learn a bit more and accelerate their training. So when I get phone calls about training for fitness, weight loss etc. I usually either turn them down flat, or make it very awkward for them to come. Some people actually think that’s me playing hard to get and making myself seem exclusive, so they keep ringing. It’s not, I just wanted to work a bit less especially this year as I had exams and other things going on. But anyway, now I’ve a bit more time and while I’m not one of those money hungry fuckers, I do like hats and I’d like to fulfil my lifelong ambition of having a wardrobe entirely dedicated to headwear. I see private training as my way to achieve that dream. In all seriousness and with less preamble, I’ve decided to make myself available for more privates.

So my dilemma is this. Pretty much everyone I know who does personal training is either a) an idiot, b) a metrosexual or c) just really good at selling themselves. Anyone who knows me will know that while a) sometimes describes me, I’m about as faraway from b) and c) as possibly can be. Now my client’s idea would mean that I would have to be a bit of c). The problem?

I HATE that shit. Can you imagine me with a website saying “I am deadly and I’ll make you beautiful and you’ll be amazed at the results” and so on. I was trying to explain this to a guy the other day (he’s a personal trainer). Getting average people into good shape is an absolute piece of piss compared to getting fit people into great shape. He thought I was being a bit arrogant and didn’t take it well (He swung his manbag at me. Nah he didn’t but he does have a manbag. Nah, he doesn’t but he looks like he should) but it’s true.

Lastly, I don’t have one of those poxy courses under my belt that people look for. My mate Paul (some of you may remember him from ye olden days, he kneed himself in the head pretty famously at an MMA session) went through one of those and nearly throttled his instructors every time he went to lectures. Everyone who is worth their salt that I know says they’re a joke. I have other qualifications of course but mostly I have thousands of hours of training people.

So what to do? Sell out, let the man design the site and not be able to look at myself in the mirror anymore? Or just keep doing what I’m doing? Or something else? It’s not that I don’t like doing it, I do, it’s just I like it being my classes, plus one or two others exclusively.

Man, asking for business advice from my one or two blog readers. This is a sad day. It must be Christmas.

*only saying that cos he reads this. I won’t charge you for that extra motivation don’t worry.