If you’re looking for a free trial class, I want you to know that I understand where you’re coming from. Our lives are saturated with try-before-you-buy scenarios. We test-drive cars. We swing through Costco for a meal’s worth of free samples. Mobile apps offer free 7-day trials, as do TV streaming services (after they get your credit card information, of course). It makes sense to expect the same from a gym.
But only if you’re okay with subpar results and training that doesn’t have your best interests in mind. Only if you’re okay with a shitty training experience over the long term. Since you’re reading this, I’ll assume that you’re not.
That’s why we don’t do free trial classes at Beyond Strength. No matter how many times we get asked. Instead, we take you through a process designed to actually set you up for success.
What’s the Purpose of a Trial Class?
That’s the first question we need to answer. You might say, “Well, Todd, it’s to see if I want to train there.” And if one free class gives you enough information to make that decision, friend, we are not for you.
Most folks chasing a free trial class are looking for two things:
- To feel like they got “worked.”
- To have fun.
Hard work and fun are certainly elements of training. But if those are your highest priorities, you’d be better off at F45 or OrangeTheory—where you’ll get worked, find a lot of energy, and get “coached” by amateurs.
From the gym’s perspective, a free trial class is just a sales hook. It’s designed to get people in the door, not to set them up for long-term training success. Because that takes commitment—and commitment doesn’t start with a one-off workout.
It Starts with Commitment
Our Beyond Strength members have committed to themselves, to the training process, and to trusting us to help them get where they want to be. And we have to honor that.
If we just chuck a new person into class for a free, one-time trial, they’ll soak up the majority—if not all—of the coach’s attention. That’s just not fair to the people who have already put their money, and time, where their mouth is.
If you’re thinking, “Uh, well, what about me?”—fair question.
First, if you don’t understand why people who have committed deserve our attention, we might not be the gym for you. But second, remember that if you join, you’ll be one of those members. You’ll be part of that committed community, and you’ll get the same level of focus and respect.
That’s exactly why we onboard new clients the way we do.
Setting You Up for Success
There must be a solid exchange of information for us to know this will work for both of us. This ain’t fuckin’ fitness Tinder, ya know? We’re each looking for commitment. For that to happen, we need to learn about you and you need to learn about us.
You need to know:
- How each training session works so you’re not trying to figure out what the hell to do every time you walk through the door.
- How we guide you through the training process toward your goals.
- If there are a bunch of mad men on steroids slamming dumbbells into the earth. (There aren’t.)
- The best place for you to start based on your current skills and fitness.
- How your training will progress as you improve.
- Where you go pee and where you get a drink so you’ll need to pee more later.
We need to know:
- What’s important to you?
- Why are you training?
- Are you a total lunatic? (Kidding. Kind of.)
- How well you move so we can pick the right exercises for you.
- Your current conditioning level so we can guide you to the appropriate classes.
- Your current strength and lifting skill so we can start you at the right level.
Our onboarding process allows us to gather this information—so by the time you’re in class, you’re actually ready for class.
What We Do Instead of a Free Trial Class
Rather than throwing you into a free trial class to “see how you like it” (which tells you nothing about how you’ll progress), we take you through a three-step onboarding process that makes sure you start strong.
You’ll walk away knowing where you’re starting, how we’ll help you improve, and what to expect from day one. That’s what you actually need—not a free class.
1. Your Free Intro
Your Free Intro starts with a tour of the facility. Our gym isn’t big, but you’ll learn the important stuff—like where you go pee and where you get a drink. (We also have a shower, if that’s important to you, and please don’t pee in it.) It might sound silly, but we’ve learned over our 14 years in business that getting the layout of the facility and mapping it in your brain allows you to relax. Knowing where stuff is matters.
After the tour, we’ll walk you through a day in the life of a Beyond Strength client—warm-ups, class structure, why we program the way we do, and most importantly, how that benefits you.
Then, we sit down for a consultation. We go deep on your goals, training history, and experience. From there, we walk you through our new client onboarding flow so you can make an informed decision about whether Beyond Strength is right for you.
If you decide to sign up, you move on to your Certainty Session.
2. Your Certainty Session
This is where we determine how we’ll put you in the best possible position to be successful to start your training.
We test your:
- Mobility (shoulders, hips, ankles).
- Postural integrity (static strength).
- Overall strength (standard strength movements).
- Conditioning (so we know where to start you).
All of these tests give us the information we need to make sure you’re doing the mobility exercises that will have the most impact on you, the strength movements that work for your body right now, and the conditioning that is going to have the greatest effect on your endurance.
We take what we learn in the Certainty Session and communicate it with the Beyond Strength coaches so they know what you need when you come in for your Concierge Session.
3. Your Concierge Session
Next, you take a class—but with a Beyond Strength coach guiding you one-on-one the entire time.
- You’ll get a head start on warm-ups.
- You’ll be guided through the training app so you know how to track progress.
- You’ll get coached through the movements, ensuring your form is dialed in from day one.
At the end of the session, we’ll check in to make sure you know how to schedule classes, use the training app, and get the most out of Beyond Strength. You’ll leave confident that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
Now You Know Why We Don’t Do Free Classes
That all sounds a hell of a lot better than a free class, doesn’t it?
We invest in you to set you up for success and welcome you into a community of committed people who train hard. If that’s what you’re looking for, don’t waste time searching for free trials.
Book your Free Intro now—and let’s get this party started.
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