The hardest part of hiring a coach is not knowing what you’re walking into.
People sit on this for months. Sometimes years. Not because of the money and not because they don’t want to start, but because the whole thing is a black box, and nobody likes agreeing to something they can’t picture.
So here’s the picture. Your first appointment with us is free, and this is what happens in it.
Before you get here
You fill in the application. It asks about your goals, your training history, your schedule, and anything going on physically.
That last field is the one people hesitate over, and it’s the one that matters most. Nothing you write there disqualifies you. It’s the opposite. It’s the information that decides how your first few weeks get built, and leaving it out just means we find out later and lose time.
You’ll hear back within a day. Then there’s a short phone conversation, mostly so both of us can tell whether this is worth either of our time before anybody books anything.
The appointment itself
Sixty minutes, in person, at the studio. No cost, and no obligation at the end of it.
It covers your goals, your training history, how your week actually runs, what you can currently do, and anything that hurts. There’s a physical assessment as part of it.
You’re not being tested. There’s no score and nothing to pass. We’re working out where you’re actually starting from, which is a different question from where you think you are or where you used to be.
Wear something you can move in. That’s the extent of the preparation.
What we’re actually trying to find out
One thing, mostly: what’s limiting you.
Two people can walk in with the same goal and need completely different work. One has a hip that quietly removed half their exercise options three years ago. One has trained for a decade and stalled because nothing ever progressed. One has never been coached and is stronger than they think. Same sentence on the form, three different answers.
Getting that wrong is how people spend eight weeks on a program that was never going to work for them. Getting it right is most of the value of the whole appointment.
What you leave with
Three things.
A clear starting point, in plain terms, including anything we’d work around.
A schedule built around your real week rather than your ideal one. Not the week you’d have if things calmed down, because things aren’t going to calm down.
And a plan you understand. Not a plan you were handed and told to trust. You should be able to explain the reasoning to someone else.
If it’s a fit, training usually starts at the next slot that works for your schedule. Sometimes that’s the next day.
What it isn’t
It isn’t a sales pitch with a workout attached. Nobody is going to run you into the ground to prove a point, and there’s no discount that expires while you’re standing there.
It also isn’t a medical assessment. Our trainers are strength and nutrition coaches, not physicians or physical therapists. We don’t diagnose anything and we won’t tell you why your back hurts. If something needs looking at, we’ll say so and send you to someone who can.
And it’s genuinely free. If you walk out and decide it isn’t for you, that’s a fine outcome. We’d rather find that out in an hour than three months in.
Who tends to find this useful
People who’ve tried a few things that didn’t stick. People coming back after an injury or a long gap. People who are good at most things in their life and quietly frustrated that this one hasn’t worked out yet.
Also people who’ve never trained at all and assume everyone else in the room will know what they’re doing. A private studio is a different experience from a public gym floor, and most of that worry disappears about ten minutes in.
Starting at Gryffon Performance
Gryffon Performance is a private training studio in Dallas, TX, at 1925 E Levee St in the Design District. 40+ five-star Google reviews. Fifteen thousand square feet, private, built for coaching and nothing else. Every client gets a comprehensive assessment and personalized nutrition, included.
If the only thing stopping you was not knowing how it works, now you know.
Apply for coaching and we’ll be in touch within a day. The first appointment is free.
Related reading
- What a Fitness Assessment Should Actually Cover
- What to Expect in Your First Month
- How to Choose a Personal Trainer in Dallas
- About David Gryffon
This article shares general information about coaching. It isn’t medical advice, and it doesn’t diagnose or treat any condition. Speak with your physician before starting a new training program, particularly if you have pain, an injury, or an existing medical condition.