It’s your first appointment at a new gym. You haven’t done any form of exercise in… you don’t actually remember how long. A myriad of questions run through your mind: Who am I meeting with? What will they be like? A man? A woman? A meathead? Will they be like that High School football player I hated? How old will they be? Am I too old to workout? Maybe I’ll never get in shape again. My friend started at this gym and they love it, but what if it doesn’t work for me?

You have doubts! That’s okay. The good news is you took the first step and scheduled your first appointment. Give yourself some credit.

Believe is different than your typical large, box gyms; one of the biggest differences is that you’re never alone. There’s always a coach. You’re never guessing and left to figure it out for yourself. Let us walk you through what you can expect from your first appointment at Believe.

The Consultation:
At Believe, our students begin with an initial, one-on-one appointment with a Coach. Why? Because it’s important for us to understand who you are. First, we want to learn about injuries, past and present, any chronic pains, and other relevant medical information. We discuss your goals: what you want to get out of this experience? Do you want to, lose weight, run a 5k or keep up with your kids, or grandkids, as you get older? We have members looking to do all of these things when they first join us. Their goals often progress as they learn more about what we do, and about what it means to be strong.

After discussing injury history and goals, it’s on to the movement screen. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) gives us a baseline for the way you move. It’s a systematic assessment of your joints to determine your mobility, balance, core strength, and more. The FMS shows us where you are starting, exercises that will be important for you, and which membership options will be most appropriate to help you maximize your success. For example, if you attempt a bodyweight squat and your knees cave in and your back hurts, should we start you on weighted squats the next time you come in? Obviously not! On the flip side, just because these things happen when you squat doesn’t mean we ignore a dysfunctional squat either. The screen gives us corrective exercises to help improve your squat. A body that has more movement capacity is a healthier body. Clearing up the weak link(s) in someone’s movement unlocks their full potential and builds a solid foundation upon which fitness can be built.

We’ve ALL been through this screen. I suffered from chronic back pain for years, completely clueless that it was due to extremely tight hips, among other dysfunctions. When I was first put through the FMS, I could run a 5k in under 18 minutes, and was just starting to rock climb at a 5.11 level (read: pretty tough climbs). I fancied myself a “good athlete”. Back injuries, poor training habits, poor movement, and thinking there was “no one and nothing that could fix my back pain” all contributed to my issues. After being screened and seeing how a few simple exercises could point out my weaknesses, I put my pride aside, started at the bottom, and re-built my foundation to become stronger than I had ever been before.

So the questions I ask you are: Can you put your pride aside and face your weaknesses? Can you put your fear aside, and be brave enough to change for the better? Can you put all of your expectations, all that you “know” about training, nutrition, fat loss, movement, etc. aside, and let us help you reach your goal?