“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” Ghandi
On occasion, Koko FitClub raises the hackles of personal trainers who don’t understand what we are about or haven’t considered that we are fighting the same battle against lifestyles that leave people at risk for the worst chronic diseases. Here’s a recent example from a Patch comment in response to a new Koko FitClub here in Massachusetts:
“If you want to transform, then having someone work with you that gets to know you, can adapt if you have injuries, can motivate you even when you are not in the mood is the only way you can achieve lasting results. The owner and staff are not personal training certified. No one in the personal training business would ever work at a “FAD” like this. 30 Minute workout with results is great. Its like 30 minute Abs. A German company has created a 17.5 minute workout that is used in gyms and by professional soccer players and is making its way into the US. You can get virtual training now at a regular gym and get all the benefits since all the major manufacturers of equipment are getting into the virtual training business with clients having access on a computer to their results, etc. Comcast has 100′s of programs that customers can get for free at home without taking the time to go to a gym. Their intellectual property is not proprietary and every fitness company will be competing with them soon. FAD all over it.”
Believe me, as a former personal trainer, exercise physiologist and certified strength and conditioning specialist, I know quality personal training can change lives. Since it’s Koko FitClub’s mission to do just that, we have no desire to take clients away from personal trainers.
But – and it’s a big one – the majority of us will never hire a personal trainer. (We don’t even belong to gyms.)
We want to be fit and healthy, though. We are the people for whom Koko FitClub is in business. The masses. For us, for reasons as unique as we are, Koko is better than personal training.
And did I mention that Koko works as well and often better than personal training? (On average a 33% strength gain after 24 weeks of strength training and a 41% strength gain after a year – this based on data collected from over half a million sessions!)
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this Koko Nation, do you have anything to add?
Michael Wood, CSCS
Chief Fitness Officer
Koko FitClub
As a former client at Get in Shape for Women, I did appreciate the small group training with the personal trainer. But the monthly cost was several times the membership at Koko, plus they were closed for a number of hours during the day when I was free (and my kids were at school), making it not a good fit for my schedule, especially when I became a single parent.
Koko has given me great results in LESS time for LESS money with MORE personal attention on MY schedule than GISFW. And from what the PATCH comment sounds like, I think it in very poor taste that a competitor has to slam Koko anonymously just to make itself look better.
I’m an (un)certified but devoted KokoNut!
I too am a devoted member of KokoFit Club. I’ve never hired a personal trainer because of the expense and I’ve spent plenty of time at other gyms, trying to figure out what I should be doing. I love the structure and intimacy of Koko and the fact that I can track my results on line. I can push myself as hard as I want, and, being somewhat competitive, I do. I push myself harder to finish a program at Koko than I did on my own at other gyms. While Koko may not be perfect, it works well for me. I know for many of us, as Michael said, it’s Koko or nothing. I think I’m making the right choice.
For me, Koko has changed the way I experience fitness. I definitely would NOT have ever hired a personal trainer and in all honesty, I much prefer working out independently on a single machine to get my challenge and success within every workout. It allows me to do strength training in a way that makes me feel comfortable and EMPOWERED! Having someone else watching me workout and guiding me to do exercises just isn’t what fitness means to me, and it actually makes me uncomfortable just thinking about that scenario.
I am sure that there are people who will always prefer the interactive, one-on-one nature of having a personal trainer, but for me and all the other people out there who would choose NOT exercising over hiring a personal trainer, Koko has been the best thing that has ever happened to my adult physical activity levels (and it really fits easily into my budget too!). (-:
Bravo to Koko for creating Fit, Figured Out! for people like us!
I hestitated for a moment about posting since I am an owner of 2 Koko FitClubs in Arizona but then again, I am also a user! So, there you have it.
I am glad we are making others in the fitness realm uncomfortable. I would argue based on what results my members and I have seen, they should take notice. A woman who couldn’t lift 15 lbs without a real struggle just a couple of months ago now lifting upwards of twice that on the same exercise. A male who with help of some nutritional discipline now down 29 lbs in 3 plus months and 28% stronger today, was told by his doctor that he’d better not stop what he’s doing. His BP was 150 over 100 and is now 125 over 65. Sorry if I sound defensive but Koko is legit. I can go on and on and on.
These are two examples THIS WEEK that I heard about. People love to tell us how well they are doing. You know what? We love to hear it even more. It won’t stop and I cannot wait to hear the next story.
I’ve been through everything from military bootcamp to college football double sessions in 100-degree CA smog to every sort of gym and workout routine, and the bottom line is this: Koko works. If you’re interested in getting a productive workout done in <1 hour, then Koko is an excellent option. Of course, like anything else, you need to show up and apply yourself a little, but the system is programmed to take you to your limit, without overdoing it.
Personal trainers are, of course, good to have, if your wallet and schedule can accomodate them, but Koko is for all the rest of you/us out there who want a great workout, with basic guidance from professionals built into the system and your routine, without the need to set a schedule or pay per session.
Moreover, Michael Wood's "cahdio" sessions (Boston-speak for "cardio") are a very efficient workout, in addition to the weight lifting stations. Whoever dismissed Koko as a fad is just making whine from sour grapes, in my opinion as a Koko user.
I have hired a personal trainer and she was fantastic. I got strong faster than any other bouts of gym attendance—and I have tried every fad workout there has been (step aerobics, TaeBo, P90X, etc). The only problem: $35 for each workout, and that didn’t include my gym membership. So far, the only thing I am doing different now (we did cardio in HIIT method, too) is I do less ab work on the floor. The strength and cardio are nearly identical at a fraction of the cost. I love Koko!!
Painful and Boring. And confusing. That’s what I used to think about lifting weights. I never knew what to do, how many to do, and how and when to increase what I lift. Koko changed that.
I love many things about Koko:
Cost – much cheaper than a personal trainer, not much more than a gym.
The program – keeps me involved and focused. And it changes for me. I’ve seen great results in a very short time.
Flexibility – It’s close to where I live, and I can go pretty much anytime I want.
Efficiency – Being able to stay on one machine speeds up how quickly I can get through my workout.
I’ve been working out for many years, and Koko seems to put it all of the elements of a good training experience together the best for me.
Pam
Its really a great complement that someone so intimidated by something that despite their professional expertise, they are unable to see the good in something that works. Koko works, there are no gimmicks and the data is there to prove it! Not just the data of my personal results but the bright shining faces that are in Koko and the stories they share amongst each other. Koko Rocks!