I read this article and became sick to my stomach. Equinox is as much of a slimeball company as amazon.
21
This is all too typical of a gig economy.
And what a surprise that the owner is a trump supporter.
41
The comments about the trainers who can make $80,000, $90,000 remind me of just about every other company which uses the strategy of a few winners and a lot of used up losers. Anybody else remember the story of the working condition of the Playboy bunnies? Not the glamours life, just overworked, underpaid waitresses in uncomfortable costumes and bad shoes. Companies use the same ploy over and over again. Bring back unions.
61
There is one more ugly thing about Equinox...only a very few get paid holidays or vacation. The rest either work the holiday (including Christmas) or take the day off no pay. And there is no paid vacation no matter how long you work there. The only reason CA staff gets sick leave is a state law that requires it.
34
"Working for the high-end gym chain seems glamorous." Says who?
10
Are these people required to have any type of education? Like a physical therapist or do they just think they know what they are doing. No sympathy here. Do not hire a trainer who doesn't have some educated knowledge of the human body and your's in particular.
12
My husband and I belonged to Equinox in San Francisco. It's a nice enough gym but the fees are insane. We quit when my husband signed up for personal training sessions, for which he was charged around $100 per session, and learned that the trainer was only getting around $25 per hour, and of course, they were only paid for hours actively training.
There are no hair products and towel service worth that level of abusing employees.
43
Equinox doesn't care about its members either. This past spring, I received a form letter advising me that my Equinox membership would increase by $20 in two weeks. I was surprised because it had been raised by the same amount barely a year earlier. Was this going to be an annual event?
On my next visit, I stopped by the membership office, hoping to negotiate it down -- but also curious to learn how a peremptory, unsigned, short-notice letter could be sent to a valued member of over seven years. Turns out, I had the valued part wrong. The membership rep was cordial but unwilling to negotiate. In the course of conversation, I asked her if the club's position was costing it members. She was candid: the club was looking to cultivate "corporate members" (read, young) and "members who buy additional services, like personal training and massages" (read, rich), and that the $200-a-month basic member was no longer key to the company's long-term financial goals. I jokingly remarked, "So you're culling the herd." She said, "Basically, yes." I appreciated her candor but discontinued my membership the next day.
I could have paid the additional $20 but it had suddenly become a matter of principal. I spent the next six months running in the park -- and saving money.
96
My daughter works at Equinox, and finds it a much better work environment, and more lucrative, than at NYSC, another chain of gyms she worked for previously. Trainers are not able to just walk in off the street. My daughter has certification from the American College of Sports Medicine, and yet received many (paid) hours of further training from Equinox before working with clients. Her previous employer did not pay for any of her time spent in professional enrichment. Nevertheless, she finds that teaching exercise classes earns better remuneration, per hour, than conducting training sessions and has switched over to teaching classes.
17
This all makes sense. I use to be a customer and I loved my trainer. When I left due to the Steven Ross controversy, the training sales manager was less than professional. At the time I was really offended, but after reading this I totally get it. They must have so much pressure on them, even when it’s not they club staff’s fault that they the company is losing business.
17
This is why Bernie is the only choice to improve the lives of the working class. Equinox is the business equivalent of Pete Buttigieg, it will make you feel good about yourself, but it won't fix inequality.
17
Who needs a personal trainer ? I watch the dynamics between trainer and trainee in many settings. It is a handholding, chatty thing. I’ve been a member of many gyms in many states and nations. Currently Planet Fitness for $10 monthly. Well equipped, clean, uncrowded. It is all about the person who is motivated and consistent. The rest - juice, sauna, trainers etc is fluff.
19
For all those wondering why someone would pay $200+/mo to go to a gym, it's very simple - because you're more likely to go to a gym when it's nice. At least I am. I wish this were not the case, but we all know that the gym business is dependent on most of its paying customers not showing up. The fact is, Equinox's nice locker rooms and facilities make me go to the gym more often, which is worth the incremental $100 or so per month.
I don't like Equinox's business practices, I find the Trump connection abhorrent, and due to an upcoming and long-planned move I am quitting anyway. But I really appreciated that there was a place I could go that wasn't grimy, intimidating, or cramped. It's what got me through the door on many winter nights and early mornings. That's for sure.
Maybe professional MMA fighters or Olympic weightlifters wake up every day excited to go to the gym, but I know I don't.
29
@Paul Exactly. I paid more because Sports Club (LA, NY) but it is GORGEOUS. Brookfield too. Going to an ugly dumpy gym is depressing. I live in a 4th floor walkup. I have a kitchenette and 32 inch fridge. I love my place but it's small. I was at Equinox 15 hours a week between yoga, swimming, cardio/weights. Just lounging. Also full bar in LA with big great martinis and best bartender (Hispanic). The Equinox is FULL of amazing men and women and then there is the management which this and other articles for years have detailed---long before the Ross controversy. I haven't been a member since August 2018. BEFORE the Ross problem. But people have no problem with fancy car or fancy house. Fancy gym, and suddenly you're psychotic or a billionaire. One shrink appt is 300 bucks with and MD. This is better than a shrink. Best time of my life. I miss it daily. And I'm in terrible shape. Lifelong fitness junkie.
10
Lots and lots of equinox personal trainers are paid under-the-table by their clients - the trainers "forget" to pull the session with the gym. The trainers and the clients make out better and the gym loses a little in that. Gym leadership knows this is happening but it's all kind of an equilibrium. Trainers who are at Equinox for a long time figure out the whole system and start gaming it a little bit more. This is probably part of why Equinox likes turnover.
8
Most corporate gyms have too many trainers. I go to Crunch in Manhattan and we have this problem -- trainers hogging the machines with their clients. I'd imagine Equinox is even worse. But rich Manhattanites want their high end concierge gym experience and this is part of it. Don't like it, go to a different gym.
5
Tell me another profession where the new employee is guaranteed to be successful. Also, there are many jobs/professions where you don’t earn a dime until you make a sale, and I can think of a few professions where newbies work uncivilized hours because that’s what it takes to eventually become a seasoned and well-compensated employee at some point in the future. Working for Equinox is a CHOICE, and not everyone will thrive...just like at every other job on the planet. BTW, we have almost 3,000 trainers, and many of us wouldn’t trade our jobs for anything. I’ve been a teacher, a PR professional, and a trainer, and training has been BY FAR the most rewarding profession for me. I wish everyone who gets hired could be successful, but that’s just now how it or life works out sometimes!
22
It's everywhere. Face it, the old-fashioned gym owner focused on a quality work-out environment for his members, like Joe Gold, has been replaced by huge chains owned by anonymous corporations whose sole goal is selling more & more memberships. Like the EoS chain here in Las Vegas, they're obsessed with constant advertising & blanket marketing and don't care a whit if that makes their clubs unbearably crowded (and less than clean).
5
Break the gym bobble head culture. Work out at home. Your bank account will be fatter and you’ll have fewer superficial conversations or potential interactions with MRSA.
17
Reminds me of ski school instructors: client pays $800/ day and the instructor earns $100. Unions do have a role in today’s workplace.
20
The Related Companies owns Equinox, which is Stephen M. Ross, the big "trump" supporter.
Cancel your membership.
25
It is thier choice to work at Equinox. Quit anytime. I have a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and I worked the 'floor' for $8/hr. (in 1996). I slept in the gym, worked early mornings and late nights and lost my health insurance two times However, I paid my dues and in 2003 I started my own personal training business. Now I make a good six figure salary. You know how I did it? I worked hard and kept learning new stuff. Nobody likes whining Millenneals...buck up.
24
You made $8/hr in 1996. I bet you could get by on that then. The equinox folks are apparently making around $200/week. If they are working 40 hrs/wk, then they are only making $5/hr. If they are in fact working 80 hrs/wk, then they are only making $2.50/hr. And it ain’t 1996 any more.
53
Sadly, this seems to be commonplace at other big chains as well. I was a member of one of the biggest chains for years- they charged $80 per hour for a personal trainer, who was making all of $17 per session. She ended up quitting and taking me on as a personal client, charging me $50, all of which she got to keep, plus it was less money for me as well.WIN WIN
14
The related and awful side effect: it's terrible being a client. Trainers *constantly* nagging you while you're working out, trying to sell you their services. And that's even if you already have a regular appointment or two every week with a trainer. And then *that* trainer constantly trying to sell you more packages with more and more sessions. It's the least chill gym I've ever been a member of, and cancelling my membership (something they make extraordinarily annoying btw) was one of the best moves I've ever made.
25
This is sadly a prevalent behavior amongst companies that make millions of dollars by relaying on an army of low paid, low benefit and overworked retail and service employees. My sister works at an Apple store in NYC and she has nothing but horror stories when coming home. A work environment where you’re poorly compensated, cannot elect a set weekend day off to care for your kids, can’t request long work days even on holidays at night when you should be with your family, not working elevators, expecting high performance while providing poor training and equipment. Just plain sad that companies do this. Not the answer sometimes is not well get educated so this wouldn’t happen, this is an industry that just must have better oversight and regulated and punished financially not only through lawsuits when this behavior is exposed.
6
Equinox is a prime example of the marketing lie that is woke capitalism. A company can peddle all the gender fluid, racially diverse, female empowerment ads it wants to make its liberal customer base feel good about itself, but such superficial signifying does not reflect, and never should be mistaken for, progressive practices or actual social justice. How great would it be if the trainers unionized, exposing Equinox as just another exploitative big money operation.
367
@sansacro Agreed. My son worked until a couple of years ago at Equinox, and he was paid $25/hour, while they charged the client $125. While not training (which was most of the time) he got minimum wage. His hours were scattershot. Personal trainers are highly qualified certified professionals.
33
@sansacro Agreed. My son worked until a couple of years ago at Equinox, and he was paid $25/hour, while they charged the client $125. While not training (which was most of the time) he got minimum wage. His hours were scattershot. Personal trainers are highly qualified certified professionals.
2
@Bonnie I'm shocked that is all the trainers are making. I go to Equinox and their personal training is really high. I wish a much higher percentage was going to the trainers
16
A few years back Equinox set a mandate whereby the trainers that taught group fitness classes where not permitted to teach at Lifetime Athletic. Most of the "real talent" jumped ship and when I asked a few of them why they left they were clear in that Equinox treated their staff as "seasonal" and more like "Jersey Shore bartenders". Lifetime, as they put it, was "more like working for a Goldman Sachs" - it was a career path that offered medical benefits and a 401k plan. One of the group fitness trainers recruited, or "poached", from Equinox said while working at Equinox was "fun", it was "disheartening to see the company report record earnings each month and, at the same time, force the trainers to jump through fire-hoops to earn an additional $2/class to meet the most basic cost-of-living increases". He went on to say that "each year when Equinox neglects to provide a cost-of-living raises, they're essentially paying the trainers less each year".
8
Equinox is such a contrast with a gym that we had here in Dallas up until last year. Doug's Gym was run by Doug Eid. It had been opened since 1962 and was only free weights with a handful of ancient machines. There were no perks. You came in, worked out, sweated, and left. If you wanted training, you interrupted Doug who was 85 years old, chomping on an unlit cigar and reading Schopenhauer. He would show you the old ways. It was fantastic. He was a throwback to the 19th century Turnerverein Movement of German fitness clubs. If you've ever worked out in a gym where the mind was nourished as well as the body, you'd never set foot in an Equinox or any of these other plastic factories of the vapid. I'm utterly not surprised that the company says they're progressive, but treats their labor an inch above serfdom. Isn't that the 21st century way?
23
As long as we're flagging things, can we address that many of the locker rooms and steam rooms double as revolving motels throughout the day? It winds up being pretty gross walking into a steam room to NC-17 content...
7
Too many trainers, obviously.
5
@Robert
Exactly. If supply was less than demand you wouldn't see this.
3
I've been going to Equinox Greenwich Avenue for about 7 years. The way they cycle through trainers is not pretty. And they don't restrict the long hours to new trainers. I had a phenomenal, top-level (in the Equinox hierarchy) trainer for the first few years who worked something like 15 hours a day six days a week, sometimes sleeping in the basement instead of going home to Brooklyn. He had to work even harder to get promoted to assistant manager at another Equinox location, where he still spent far too many hours on the training floor.
Horrifying and heartbreaking.
I'm thankful that he's gone on to bigger and better things and wish the same for the current training crew.
11
The constant harassment by trainers is one of the reasons I work out alone at home or at a bare bones gym.
At globo-gyms, there are so many times I've had a trainer tell me I will "shear" my back from doing a low bar squat or discuss shoulder impingement in a way that displays their total ignorance on what that means. I even had a trainer once randomly grab me by the waist while I was squatting to "spot" me (even though I was in a rack with pins set at the proper height for me to bail out if needed). He scared me so much that had I been lifting more than I was, I could've pulled something. He then tried to offer me pointers and sell his services.
I suggest that most people attend a seminar by QUALIFIED trainers, learn how to lift and don't bother with a trainer who sits and watches you lift every day and wastes your time and money.
13
Issues with the gym aside, the fact that the owner held a Trump fundraiser in the Hamptons should already push users away from the over-hyped brand.
24
I'm an Equinox member and it's plain to see that there are way too many trainers in the gym, which is the fault of the club. The result is that it causes over-crowding at peak hours (breakfast, evening and weekends) and makes the trainers scramble for what little business there is...I try to go mid-afternoon, but guess what, it's full of off-work trainers doing their own workouts and hogging machinery like they own the place... Again, I blame the club and its management policies.
13
I was a member of the first Equinox in Los Angeles, and I remained a member for many years. I employed more than one personal trainer, all of whom I found to be professional, talented, and dedicated. However, after the Trump fundraiser, I canceled my membership and I will never step foot in any Equinox gym again. This article confirms that my decision was the right decision. After their support of Trump, I now confront and question any friend that I know to still support this business. There are many private gyms out there and most are cheaper than Equinox and I am happy to now support those small businesses, instead.
I will forever #BoycottEquinox.
43
Just join your local YMCA
30
It is not as slick, but it works for me.
1
Reading this just reminded me of a pyramid scam, only a few make a good salary.
19
Smart trainers will keep a starbucks day job and begin training clients on their own on the side. There are many ways to work with people outside a chain gym environment. I recommend focusing on a niche such as older clients or obesity. If you find a segment you work well with become known as the person who does that thing. The dark reality is training is it is a constant hustle. Your prime times will always be early morning and 6 - 8pm so they days are always long. You will need to work every Saturday morning and Sunday if you truly want to make the rent. You eat what you kill. The smart ones build a rock solid loyal following and then build their own boutique brand. If you like working with people and want to totally focus on this as a career and not "acting/modeling" you can build a life. But you have to approach it as a business. You need a brand, an online presence, and a solid marketing strategy. One of the best in Hollywood I know has a huge celebrity clientele is not a guy you have ever heard of. He has turned down multiple reality show offers and keeps a low profile. He focuses on running a spotless gym, training his clients well every sessions, and keeping his mouth shut. He is incredibly successful and started with a small set of weights in his garage. That's how you do it.
28
There are some fascinating parallels to the article on the comedy club barkers of MacDougal St here...
2
If you have a 50% attrition rate for your staff, you're a terrible businessman. Some generals on the Western Front in WWI had better numbers.
11
@Alexandra They don’t care at all. The same thing happens in other departments and they do things to try to push people out. I worked there for 3 years.
6
Personal training is like a lot of professions, too many people wanting to get into a glamorous industry that cannot support itself. No different than law except the pay and barrier to entry is lower. Trainers do not see reality and blame exploitation. If an illegal worker cannot demand a fair wage, why does a personal trainer think they can in a field glutted by wannabes? It is very hard to make it today in a world where you are in a job that customizes your work for a single person. Tailors have never made good money and trainers are the same. If you happen to have the chops and connections to get good clients, then it works for the very few.
16
Then dont work there. That simple. I've been a spinning instructor for 16 years. Plenty of places wanted me to accept lower base pay with step up incentives for how many people were in my class. In general, the pay was always too low and the incentive step ups were unachievable to get me to current market rate pay, let alone higher than market rate, which is what they always tout. Typically the gym was overpriced for what they had to offer and they did little to no advertising. They were counting on the low paid instructors to increase membership. Some of them now even require a certain amount of social media from the instructor promoting the gym. It is almost always a losing proposition for both the instructor and the gym. I will not work in gyms like this, and I tell the owners exactly why. It's a bad business model.
29
The vast majority of corporate box gyms follow the Equinox model regarding personal trainer. I had a similar experience at Crunch gym location in Midtown Manhattan from 2017-2018, and the experience left me extremely dismayed. When once weekly clients cancelled for personal vacation or the holidays, the fitness manager insisted that the trainers cajoled the clients to have two sessions in one week. While the ideology centered on "maintaining the clients' progress, the managers only obsessed on meeting the monthly personal training sessions for the corporate office.
7
I have joined and left Equinox, for a variety of reasons several times in Manhattan over the past two decades. If you want a clean gym (locker room is always impeccable), good equipment, and a decent selection of classes, it's in my opinion the best gym, price notwithstanding in the city.
I was approached many, many times by trainers looking for clients. My question is, why hire so many trainer wannabees? They are competing viciously against each other for clients. Maybe 20 trainers can't earn a living wage but 10 could? There is a very obvious supply and demand issue here.
27
Everyone knows that the only way to make good money as a trainer in NYC is to work for oneself. Gyms usually let private trainers use their facilities for a fee, but since there's no overhead or layers of management and owners to take a cut, the take-home pay is far more than working for the gym.
10
I was a personal trainer at Pumping Iron in Manhattan in the 80s. They had two locations, one on both sides of the city. Every famous person who lived in Manhattan trained there or at Better Bodies or one of the other serious gyms. The trainers didn't have the kind of education that they have today but what they had was passion for fitness and a belief that they could change their clients' lives. Then along came Equinox, watered down and dumbed down fitness for lazy people with lots of money. Gym culture died and everybody spent lots of money staying fat. Those machines don't give you better balance and standing on one leg while you hop up and down doing curls isn't better than just doing curls. It just makes you dependent on a trainer whose job it is to confuse you. I belonged to Equinox for a while and watching the trainers never ceased to amaze me and make me laugh. Resistance training, cardio, and some kind of actual sport you do on the side is all you need. Once a good trainer has had you for a 6 months to a year you don't even need him or her anymore. Equinox is ridiculous and becoming a personal trainer is job a career path akin to becoming a CPA. It's a microcosm of NYC as a whole. What was exciting, interesting, gritty and real is now smoke and mirrors and money.
32
@Jonny Walker Hahahahaha... you're so right! "dumbed down fitness for lazy people with lots of money. Gym culture died and everybody spent lots of money staying fat"
8
What some of the commenters are missing is the line that "A complex bonus system allows top earners to make six-figure salaries" with little education. Customers pay plenty of money for training sessions - I feel at my age it is a matter of life or death, so I pay, even though I am not wealthy. Pilates especially has transformed my life and slowed my aging. The injustice is to the beginner trainers, sent to pick up weights, give free pointers, and, most of all, troll customers; the hard sell in this and every other aspect of Equinox interactions is also discomforting. "Hunger Games" is an on-point title. Equinox should donate less money to Trump, and take better care of its employees.
17
Every new trainer is a 'start-up' - the barriers to entry are virtually nil - you get to make your 'business case' in front of many potential clients - you pay through the nose for that privilege.
You are good at your job - you leave - with your clients and earn six figures - you aren't very good - you learn an important life lesson.
This is exactly how entrepreneurs are working all over America today - yeah - it is the Hunger Games - and it is also real life - non-entrepreneurs are proby scratching their heads though.
18
@SteveRR
Have you ever been an instructor? And in particular outside of manhattan? I highly doubt it.
1
@bored critic
What is your point?!?
You don't have one. It is irrelevant if SteveRR is an instructor or not, in Manhattan or not.
He is correct.
6
Shame on the owners! Members should threaten to boycott if management refuses to consider an adequate pay rise for their employees. We consumers are complicit with our conducts. Vote with your pockets and help increase awareness towards those less favored by immoral standards!
3
Joe Matarazzo, an Equinox vice president who oversees personal trainers, said the company does not “encourage sleeping at our clubs"
Well why the heck not ??
I thought Equinox was a health club.
Any biohacker/fitness-type, simply commonsense, human being totally knows the profound and proven health benefits of napping.
9
". A trainer who worked at an Equinox in Los Angeles said she could not afford to pay her electricity bills during the ramping period".
Seriously NYT!!!! A little more rigorous analysis here. If I had to pay $5,000 pm in rent, the lease and insurance payments on my Land Rover and my daily delivery bill from Uber eats, I would not be able to pay my electricity bill either. Context is is really important when printing statements like this.
15
At the Equinox where I’m a member, it’s not unusual to see 6 or 10 new or new-ish trainers suddenly disappear. Having to work floor shifts at $8/hr and overall low compensation with no benefits is part of it, but I have to think that workplace culture and the Equinox-branded approach to training also drives away quality people. Many good trainers will have a hard time pushing Equinox’s brand of “functional fitness” because it doesn’t fit with their understanding of solid technique and effective programming. Oh and also, female trainers have to work floor shifts at night during what I call “incel hour” with creeps leering at them or, worse, making inappropriate or harassing comments.
There’s also high turnover among maintenance staff who make $8 or $8.50/hr. I remember one time they had a broken washing machine and a maintenance staff member drove her vehicle full of dirty towels to the other Equinox to wash them. And some of the maintenance workers have told me that they are routinely understaffed and have to do the work of two people even though they can’t get full-time hours at Equinox.
I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on Ms. Rosales’s experience though. I remember her, and most notably because I once caught her staring at my butt in the mirror. I also remember that the way she programmed her own training wasn’t stellar, and I would look to that as a contributing factor to her weight gain before I would blame Equinox.
2
What does Equinox's political stance have to do with this article?
9
@Capitol Diva
By joining, you're supporting a prominent trump backer. Not just an ordinary Republican; someone who holds a fund-raiser for trump And exploits his workers and customers.
The choice is yours.
12
I'd be ashamed to be a member at this exploitative gym.
5
I was a years-long member of Sports Club L.A. in West Los Angeles. It was a small chain - about six gyms nationally - and felt like family. About a fifth of the L.A. membership were Iranian-Americans often speaking in farsi, teaching me a few words while sharing pistachios. And when I was ready to move to NYC, the front desk told me any time I visited L.A., I could visit them for up to a week, free.
Then, they sold to Equinox - and what a difference. The family vibe was gone; when I wanted to work out for two days and also see my former gym mates, Equinox managers told me I would have to pay $50/day. I argued and, after a strenuous cross-examination, got in for a single day. There, my former gym mates told me, unprompted, that not only had rates gone up substantially, but that a cold corporate feel now pervaded. And even exercising that one day, I was approached by trainer after trainer. I could sense their desperation, although I did not know the details.
Equinox strikes me as a money-grubbing, soul sucking enterprise under the guise of a health club. Before joining Chelsea Piers here in NYC, a great gym which also feels like community, I asked whether they were planning to sell to Equinox. They said no. So I am safe - for now.
27
@Joseph Hanania That's a really nice place. But it's not an option for an East Sider
2
Any place that treats its employees like this is a dump. Imho.
6
I was an independent trainer for a few years and eventually built up enough clientele to lease my own space and open up a gym next to a prominent big box gym similar to equinox. I completely understand and empathize with those that have issues with labor concerns but for the trainers that are actually working, you know what you're getting into when you take a job at a gym. You know it's a sales job and you know that you only get to keep what you bring you in. If you don't like it, go work for another gym or start your own.
With personal training, everyone knows that it's easy to get into but hard to excel at. There's no regulations or standards and even outcomes for clients are extremely subjective. It's a pure profession in the sense that only the cream rises to the top. You either grind it out at the bottom and makes something of it or you get out of it completely. Complaining about it doesn't do anything.
17
Two words= RELATED COMPANIES.
Once they made a large investment, Equinox became an portfolio asset only and not a "way of life". It's sad as it started that way, and, over they years had the gold standard of trainers. It was once an aspiration to be (and be trained by) an Equinox Elite Trainer and there was a lot of pride in the relationship.
Now, it is (as noted in the article) about making as much ROI as possible.
Longtime Equinox members: Ask yourself how many times the membership fee has been increased with no perceived benefit in the experience?
22
This is incomprehensible, when you look at the membership rates that Equinox compared to the mere pennies that these hard working trainers are earning does not correlate at all whatsoever. All so much for the glamour of these kinds of gym establishments, its a shame.
7
Thank you for a revealing article about Equinox.
However, what the reporter not the Times recognizes is that personal training IS a sales job.
This means that it’s not reasonable to compensate employees for their prospecting activity. Period.
That said, the story and comments reveal that Equinox is a set up to make it difficult or impossible to achieve modest financial goals.
That’s wrong and should change.
4
This article is missing any comparative data with employment practices at other gym chains, so I don’t know whether this is the status quo throughout the industry. But as someone who has worked in sales since getting out of college, I only see parallels with the work I had to do to build a customer base. It was a grind for a few years—long hours, low pay and a lot of grunt work—while I accumulated clients.
5
@Cincin89 The description of Equinox here could be of any big box or "luxury" gym in any city. I have worked at several and can confirm very similar situations. These gym exploit many young, mostly well meaning but naive men and women. Its a harsh awakening for many. Very few are prepared and can be successful.
4
You see this sort of thing over and over, a business that holds out a vision of huge success, family atmosphere, team spirit, all the while treating its staff like prostitutes, to be used and abused then tossed aside when they are not productive anymore.
Burn this into your brain, you are the only one who will look out for your career. The loyalty arrow only goes one way. You are an instantly replaceable commodity. Go to the companies that can teach you something, do a good job because you will need those skills later, but remember you owe these people nothing. When it gets to be too much, or a better opportunity comes along, walk away and don't look back. In six weeks or less, they won't even remember your name.
When you have put in the necessary time and acquired the needed skills, find something that feeds your soul and do that. Use your experiences to build a better caring company, one that is an exception to what you saw coming up. Find a way to give back to both your community and to your people. Be that beacon in the darkness that you wanted when you were young.
239
@Bruce1253 Yes sir!!! I love this
12
@Bruce1253
So true. Anytime I hear a company call itself a "family" I know not to work there and I look for an alternative for whatever they are selling or their service. In this case "family" just means "we don't pay you"
37
This sounds exactly the ski instructor model. Low qualifications for most instructors, lack of professionalism on all sides, frequent turnover, and resorts using entry-level instructors as cash cows. Most resorts do not want a highly trained cadre of instructors on staff: they cost too much, and the expectation's bar for instructors is so low that most people won't pay what a premium instructor is worth.
In Europe, a ski instructor is treated as a professional and is not employed by the ski resort. The quality of instruction is much higher, and good livings are to be made by good instructors.
I see a lot of parallels here, although obviously any personal trainer has the option to go out on their own, which is not something a ski instructor in the US can do. Resorts can give non-employed instructors the boot!
9
The lack of worker protections in this country is astounding, especially when it comes to services provided to the wealthiest people. If you look closely enough, there's always a dark underbelly to any service industry--a person suffering deeply while helping someone else live their best life.
50
Never had the income to join Equinox (or any other gym in NYC - 1999-2009). So I don't really care about a business and business model that is all about: primping.
If you need to be healthy: eat less junk and walk more. Period.
All else is elective and no free lunches for a "chosen profession" that is largely for the select few, numerically speaking.
4
@ndv I guess the trainers should just die then because you think walking is sufficient exercise.
1
@ndv I paid an initial $40 fee to join my gym in NYC and pay $24 a month. Please don't tell that that is unaffordable for a perfectly adequate, decently maintained gym.
3
Does Equinox participate in "Silver Sneakers?" What about "Silver and Fit?
No?
Sez it all ...
6
There is another side to this drama. Many trainers who are successful in building a client base eventually port their training practices to small private gyms, which are now everywhere in New York. There they get 100% of the client fee, and just pay a per-use rate (and sometimes they have the client pay that). This dramatically increases their income. I'm sure that this technically violates their Equinox agreements (which may not even be enforceable), but it doesn't stop them. At the end of the day, success as a personal trainer is more about the ability to bring on and retain clients than anything else. As others have commented, this is true of many other businesses as well.
13
Several of the "liked" comments deride the monthly fees or training sessions at Equinox as being overpriced.
None suggest they would gladly pay 20% more to pay for improved healthcare.
And one of the comments mentions how the top trainers, who he knows and worked with, leave and siphon off clients (including himself).
And that is exactly why there is a markup.
These beginning trainers use Equinox to develop a client base and take the clients with them.
7
@MTS Not all trainers want to have their own business. Some would love to continue working under the umbrella of an established club, but the poor pay and conditions make it impossible.
5
Is it right or wrong, who am I to say? But what if it was clear to the people using the gym what someone working there earned? Why don’t we have transparency and honesty? If you are using an Equinox in Manhattan, you earn a decent amount of money. How comfortable do you feel being trained by someone who earns so little? At the very least, people should be aware and make a conscious choice.
13
@Baldwin
"Is it right or wrong, who am I to say?"
After reading of the allegations by many former/current employees, can you use critical thinking and empathy to answer your own question? I mean seriously, these types of labor practices have a ripple effect.
7
So only Equinox members can decide whether the treatment described herein is right or wrong? To avoid veering into hyperbole, your apathy is disheartening. Let’s hope you never witness a crime or face another dilemma that requires a moral judgment.
5
Jobs in a gym, high-end or low-end, have always been low paying. In the 1980s, I worked for one of the first high-end clubs in the nation, Sporting Clubs of America. The pay was horrible for everyone, though membership sales made the most. I moved on and have had a great career.
4
So a successful private company has high standards of its employees, rewarding high performers with higher pay and better bonuses while those who can't keep up eventually leave. Welcome to America. Welcome to the Meritocracy. What is the problem?
8
@Bill R
Apparently, wilfull ignorance of the problem is the problem.
11
@Bill R a 50% attrition rate is shameful and nothing to be proud of. and if people have to drive ubers after working 15 hours a day, that is terrible. Maybe you enjoy this so-called meritocracy where everybody is working themselves to death - but hopefully a lot of Americans don't.
20
If the situation were as clean-cut as you’ve described, there probably wouldn’t be a problem. As someone intimately familiar with the work culture of Equinox, I can tell you plainly that it is a company that treats both members and employees like garbage. Sure, it is the premier luxury gym chain in America. The normal trade-offs that come with a career in sales pale in comparison with what is expected of an Equinox employee. The Boys Club that controls leadership pays little attention to employee happiness/well-being; the only thing that matters are the numbers at the end of each month.
6
I’m a member of equinox - only because my husband is a trainer so I get a discount. For those who discount using a trainer, there’s great value working with a pro. Good form prevents injuries. As our sedentary population ages, exercise and strength will prove more valuable.
There is great turnover at my equinox due to very poor management. The company makes an investment in trainers through classes only to lose that investment thru high turnover. Also, there is a very wide range of talent - some very experienced trainers, many inexperienced. Inexperienced trainers instructing clients on kettlebells is a very scary proposition. My husband works six days a week. What happened to work/life balance? I feel great empathy for very young trainers at equinox. When I was young I had weekends free to hike or go camping. Not so these folks. Finally, it’s obscene the amount of money equinox makes off trainers. They deserve a bigger cut. Who knows, maybe the company would recoup the costs thru less turnover?
34
I was not surprised to hear that the labor practices and policies of Equinox gyms were so abusive . I was a member for approximately five years and it was a thoroughly unpleasant membership experience; and I've been a NYC gym member since 1982. Now I know one of the contributing factors to the cut throat, arrogant and cold atmosphere of the place. If you were not a client of one of the trainers, you were invisible. Beyond the front desk, it was like "the Hunger Games". It's an apt description. I work out at home now...
18
@Douglas OK Boomer
This article is actually tame compared to the reality I experienced. I worked in one of their premier gyms in downtown NYC. Not only is everything true about sleeping at the gym and the terrible commission structure, but you quickly realize that it is not really training at all. It’s a sales job of the worst kind with stalking as their main strategy. Maybe because I was a bit older, it may have been easier to quickly get a pulse of the room, but I pushed back often. I was definitely a marked man in their uncomfortable cultish atmosphere. Unfortunately, even for me, there were brief moments in which the rah rah undertone kept bringing me back for another day....until even that became stale. Trust me, they are smart in how they manage to get you in line, but it soon takes a toll on your confidence when members are obviously planning their daily escape from your annoying pitch. If I had a dollar for every member that complained of the light blue shirts pushing the corporate line, I could have opened my own gym, where members didn’t need to have eyes in the back of their head.
53
As a former group fitness instructor at equinox, my last straw came when they took away our health insurance. They required a complexly unrealistic amount of group fitness classes in order to qualify for insurance. Shame on them!
103
In several months Equinox's clients are going to figure out that the cheapest and best training starts at home.
24
You might as well work at Lululemon. No pay but you look good.
7
People are asking the wrong question when they ask “why would anyone work at a place like this?” or “why would anyone to work out at a place like this?”
Whether you are employee or member, the answer is simple: gyms are no longer just places to work out. They are a part of the network of consumables that give us social capital—and that’s true for both employees and members. How is the exploitation of a worker in a high end gym any different than the exploitation of a worker in a law firm or Wall Street financial institution?
Anyone can belong to the YMCA; but only a few people can belong to an expensive gym. Anyone can eat a bagel; but only a privilege for you can eat avocado toast. Anyone can drive a car; but only a privileged few can drive a Maserati.
Don’t you get it?
It’s not about the gym. It’s what the gym symbolizes. And people will die to maintain that level of social capital.
49
@David S.
If that is how people define their life, what an empty hollow existence they have.
13
I think this dynamic can be found in nearly every single industry in America. In the gig economy, workers are expendable and replacements are easily found. There is no loyalty to the worker whatsoever and employers don't concern themselves with "livable wage" etc.
While this entire environment might seem particularly ironic when it comes to a business selling fitness and living life as one's "authentic" self, it is just a business and it is not unique to Equinox.
36
This is another take on a bigger story about growing class division in New York. At one end of the spectrum is a growing demographic of service workers who facilitate the many guilty pleasures that make New York a world-class city. This population includes restaurant workers, personal trainers, artists, hospitality workers and service sector employees. In aggregate, their wages have fallen far behind a threshold needed to maintain a decent standard of living in New York City. At the other end of the spectrum is a modern gilded class that is increasingly indifferent to the needs of its many service providers. The two communities barely know one another, but the latter talks a good game about its boundless appetite for diversity and inclusion.
133
@Steve great and true post. Not limited to NYC, however. This condition has infected much of our country. The question is— is the rot fatal? Or can our sick culture be cured? If so, how?
12
@Steve
This should have been a Times pick. Inequality and climate change are the two key issues of our time.
9
As a Group fitness instructor of 15 years at Equinox, I must say the quality has changed. When I started, there were only 8 locations in Manhattan. Now there are over 30, and that doesn't include Brooklyn, LI, other states & countries, etc. There used to be more integrity with finding good yoga instructors. Now it's all about the numbers in a class. It doesn't matter if your class is during Happy Hour on a Friday evening. They still expect 30 students in the class which is unrealistic. Furthermore, they are getting way too trendy with all the Barre classes. Barres are lining the walls of the yoga rooms, which prevents certain type of yoga instruction. Basically, Equinox has gotten so corporate and number driven, that they have lost that special touch of integrity and uniqueness which is what made them special and exclusive in the first place. Opening up on what is seeming to be every other corner on NYC, is starting to feel like the CVS's of gyms.
64
@Erica Agree with you 100% I was an Equinox member in Manhattan for 7 years, but left in 2015 as I found the club was too focused on selling me personal training.
They have since been very aggressively trying to get me to re-join and I get bombarded by phone calls, emails and even text messages from membership advisors all asking me to re-join. I keep asking them to stop but someone else just picks up my contact info and reaches out until I tell them to stop. And the cycle continues.
The membership fees have also increased to the point where it's >$300/month at many locations, which is just not that great a value anymore.
29
The fact that equinox training sessions start at $120 per hour but the trainer only gets $26 of that is insane. Keep in mind, the person doing personal training also already pays for the facility.
89
@Julian
Isn't that around the standard markup for in-house consultants when they charge clients?
1
An interesting read, but it seems like a lot of effort went into an article that boils down to nothing more than a lengthy description of pretty much any sales-based job.
Sales reps, and that is at its core that is what personal trainers in gyms are, is grueling with only the top performers making the big bucks and anyone starting out having to put in crazy hours to build up a client base.
22
Move on to another fitness facility or strike out on your own. A good trainer will find clients. All trainers are not good despite the article's attempt to paint all as top notch. I was a member of a gym and signed up for a HIIT class for the challenge. It was a great class that I looked forward to taking. The instructor clearly took the time to think through what each station would be and where each one was placed in the circuit. I lost 15 pounds in three months without changing my diet. The instructor moved to California and was replaced by a person who insisted we jump rope for an hour while she chewed gum and argued with her husband on the phone. People dropped the boring class and it was eventually canceled. I've kept the weight off but miss the original HIIT class. Now I do yoga and hand weight workouts at home with online videos and sometimes take Pilates classes. I wouldn't join a gym again.
10
Remember Bally's Fitness? Remember the cancellation grifts, etc? High pressure sales tactics? This is the same thing 30 years later. As long as there is a market for 'gyms' you'll always have a couple of businesses who push the envelope to the point of absurdity.
32
I never thought being a trainer at Equinox was glamorous. I always wondered how they didn't go insane by being exposed to that hideous music all day.
27
@Jess
Now you know why so many gym members wear headphones.
16
Ditch these snotty fitness clubs. They don’t smell of sweat. They always smell of greed. Go to your local YMCA and support your community. In return you’ll be rewarded by being a part of an inclusive organization with qualified trainers and instructors. You might make a few friends too.
136
@JMF
And I thought the Village People disbanded. Who knew?
7
Touché :)
5
Once upon a time My son and I ran a business cleaning out foreclosed homes. That was before all the news of the 'housing bubbles' and such. We weren't sophisticated enough to realize most of the people kicked out of their homes were victims of dubious lending schemes. For my son and I it was just a lucrative business cleaning up other people's messes. Suddenly that same business would spring even TV shows and basically recruiting others to do the same thing we did, the hard, hard work of lugging everything out of peoples homes, loading it trucks to be dragged off to the city dump.
The point I'm kind of getting to is that was HARD, physical work with long hours, but the pay was good.
One day my son had a brilliant idea to recruit help with our hard work....people with way over priced gym memberships! Yup, you guessed it. Give up your gym membership and come to work for us where you'll get not only a great work out every day, but get paid pretty good money for the privilege of cleaning up other peoples messes.
OK, so there's no glamour to toiling away in dank basements and city dumps, but the hard work was always far cheaper than any gym membership. People are easily duped to believe gyms will make you sexy and able to fend off even the toughest criminals.. The truth? They just take your money and substitute hard, useful work with playing in gyms that really offer nothing except useless sweat.
13
@Martino Except that that kind of hard physical work is totally asymmetrical, brutally repetitive, and much more likely to tear down the musculoskeletal system than build it up.
12
Remember when the sort of rich liberals who can afford an Equinox membership went apoplectic because its owner was revealed to be a Trump donor? There was talk of boycotts and canceled memberships and whatnot. How long did that last? Caste status trumps principle every time, huh? LOL
15
The 1% workout in gyms for $275 a month while 99% enjoy the outdoors for free. Ironically, luxury gym rats think they need personal trainers, which is like taking someone to work with you to cheerlead as you do your job.
109
@Hollis
Honestly, a good many people at gyms could greatly benefit from some good basic training. Many people I see at the gym simply have no idea how to work out properly and many end up injuring themselves - risking ending up worse than they began. Doing the right form is more important than how much you can lift. Or how often. Frankly, there are many excellent trainers out there and most I see are not trying to hustle anyone, but simply doing their level best to help others and make an honest living. I am not a trainer, never been one, but do work out on a regular basis - doing what I can, retired and 75 years old. i had the benefit of good training early on and have tried to keep up with proper nutrition (which is half the battle). I am not commenting on the policies of the ownerships/management of any specific gym, or how they treat their trainers. But I hope most are better than described here. Then again, some of it does not seem much different that starters at many companies - such as those in law firms, brokerage houses, or for resident doctors. But in those professions the opportunities for higher pay seems a good deal better than for trainers.
49
@Mark Shyres the majority are tethered to their phones. Perspiration isn't watching Nancy Grace at 80 bpm.
8
@Hollis
It doesn't sound like you've ever been in a gym like this, so how do you know what people do?
I belonged to Equinox for a year or two. It was a very nice gym with extra amenities (for a price) like a Cadillac Pilates machine, a juice bar, and a gear and clothing shop. Most people I saw were focused on getting a good workout. The gym should treat its trainers better. The accounts are painful to read.
I no longer have Equinox money. I wish the company would build a Blink Fitness near me. That's the low-cost, no-frills line of gyms, but they also are very pleasant.
25
What industry doesn't have this same kind of thing going on?!?
As if this is unique.
5
Thank you for this article.
I have been an Equinox member for about 7yrs. The gym is beautiful, with fabulous equipment and class offerings etc., as it should be at its price.
For years I partook in personal training, but no longer. I am not exaggerating when I say that I had EIGHT personal trainers in three years due to turnover (all resulting from poor treatment).
Each and every one was incredibly well trained and personable. I liked them all and they were all great at their jobs - impressive. Equinox is doing something right in recruiting and preparation. You'd think they'd want to keep these folks and their investment in them.
Because who wants to start over so many times? It would take weeks to get in a groove with someone, only to learn that they were leaving, often because of ridiculous Equinox policies.
I spoke to management - local and national - multiple times to no avail.
So no more PT for me. Now I just have to avoid eye contact with the poor newbies, in their light blue shirts (vs. black for everyone else), as they try to hustle for a living.
I'm glad these issues are being explored and broadcast.
57
@EMH
If you loved your personal trainer, why not just hire them privately instead?
5
@Viv Because training is only one part. Swimming in 60 foot pools. Jacuzzi, sauna, steam, treadmill, elliptical, work spaces, pretty locker rooms, a place to chill for 1 or 2 hours and read/work on laptop between meetings. There is nothing wrong with a YMCA or a NYSC if you go to the gym MERELY to work out. But if you want a full-service club, including Iyengar, no options exist. LifeTime will be interesting to track. Same price as Equinox. Different ethos. It's the Equinox of Middle America.
7
Businesses like Equinox should not make multi millionaires of their owners. The profits generated should go towards improving the health, fitness and quality of life of their clients and staff. Ideally, the clients and staff would own the business and work as a collective. Why should Equinox operate like a factory hierarchy with all the work profits primarily benefiting a few owners who don't have to do any of the actual work? What next? Hook up all the clients and staff to a treadmill and force them to run as a means of generating electricity?
10
@tony - You mean the people who took the risk to invest their capital into open and outfitting a health club in one of the most expensive cities in the world? Who need to take out long-term leases at ridiculous rents and pay those obligations whether people join the gym or not. Who need to pay all the city taxes and payroll taxes whether they have clients or not.
You are right on one thing. All these whining trainers should just open their own club and run it according to their principals. Why don't they?
6
I always wonder about personal fitness as a career when I see trainers at my Lifetime gym. Rarely anyone is under 40 - is this something people can realistically do until retirement? Are people moved into more corporate positions? Are there associated benefits and retirement? I know a lot of trainers who have supplemented with private classes or using social media to promote products to the followings they acquired. It seems like you need to put in a full work week to "build a brand," but the financials are more akin to a part time side hustle.
8
As others have noted, this is really not so different from entry level sales jobs in any competitive industry. I started my career in technology sales and support with an "industry giant/ leader", and experienced many of the same things. Horrible sales territories involving hours of commuting; weekend/ night shifts to cover customer calls; and so on. Was it difficult? Yes. Did I ultimately leave? Yes. Was it worth it to have this name and experience on my resume? YES!! My career would not be what it is today without that early and tough stint. Paying your dues, regardless of where you choose to work, is a real thing. As the junior person, you will get the tasks that nobody else wants. Learn from it, and move on if that's what is ultimately necessary. No need for excessive hand wringing.
9
@OneNerd
Way to not address any of the issues raised in the article.
17
These unfair labor practices appear to be a symptom of the commoditization of health/wellness. That one has to pay absurd monthly dues for access to heavy objects to lift up and down is troubling enough. Paying even more for “expert” guidance on how to manipulate a dumbbell is not a requirement for physical fitness or wellness.
12
Just like working at a fast food restaurant or the little diner. This is why I quit tipping. You are paying for a rich corporation to continue to abuse employees by paying minimum wage and no benefits on the pretense that it's a "job".
2
@pb by doing this you are not helping to fix the problem but you are hurting the people who serve you.
30
@pb
"This is why I quit tipping"
This is why you're just as much of a tool as the "rich corporation" that "abuse(s) employees."
12
This isn't just an Equinox problem, it's a corporate gym problem. My partner worked for NYSC for many years. All I can say was thank goodness I made good money. It's no way to earn a living.
Even as a "master trainer" you get only a small cut of the cost of personal training and that only amounts to a cost of living if you are basically training every hour, but that rarely happens as clients schedules can vary or there are cancellations. He was not reimbursed for any floor hours recruiting clients. He also taught very popular classes in which he was only paid about $20 per class, despite it being packed.
Yes, we are all responsible for our education to a certain extent. However, trainers are required to be re-certified after a certain amount of years. This costs $$ each time, not to mention time away from training that you are not earning money. The last straw was when NYSC switched to a new certification that was required for all trainers to replace the current industry standard and be the foundation of the clubs training program. There was no reimbursement for this, from which I remember was a significant amount.
Oh, and the Equinox trainers are the lucky ones. At least they got a break room!
7
I don’t know why this is so hard for the NYT or commenters to grasp but: weekends are the busiest times for many professions, such as personal trainers and hospitality workers. Unfortunately, part of the job means moving your life around this new schedule in which people are expected to work during periods of high demand. I don’t know why this article keeps harping on his Equinox employees were expected to be there on weekends, which as a former member I can confirm are the two busiest days for the clubs.
19
@Laura "working 12 hour days consistently while not getting paid" is the thrust of this article. "Working weekends" is not.
26
@Laura
Weekends are not the busiest time for gyms. The busiest times are weekdays from 5pm to 9pm.
26
@Laura Weekends may be the busiest sure, but that doesn't mean one should be guilt tripped for visiting their sick mother. Also, it doesn't mean a trainer shouldn't ever have the opportunity to enjoy a weekend for personal life here and there. It's not consistent to promote health in a "health" club, if the workers providing these concepts to its members don't have a healthy work life balance. It's hypocritical.
17
Gyms are boxes for people who live in boxes and work in boxes. Thus the expression “Think outside the box”.
20
Someone who defends his employees working 12 hours a day without health insurance in a physically demanding position sounds like Ebenezer Scrooge or a Trump supporter. Why does anyone belong to this gym? Are there no other places to exercise?
54
@Kristine There are no other places that are beautiful, with salt pools. If you are a swimmer, there IS no other option Also jacuzzis. NO gym in NYC offers one (and only 5 out of 30 Equinox have them) except Equinox and NYHRC. It's odd to me that so few people grasp that many people, athletes and non-athletes have physical pain. Many of us live in walk-ups. 52 steps to my apartment (17 per flight). Subways in NYC are grueling for bad ankles, tendonitis, and plantar fascitis. There is Equinox, then a huge step down to NYHRC, then Planet Fitness /NYSC which are not luxurious. Many people express dissatisfaction but there just IS no other national luxury chain. Many people are bicoastal or live in NY/FL. For those with footholds in multiple cities, Equinox is the only option. NYHRC has no reciprocity in LA.
6
@Victoria
Walking up stairs, while not "luxurious," is good exercise.
4
Swimmers in NYC have access to large, sparkly pools in NYC Parks and Recreation gyms. There is also Asphalt Green.
7
I am an Equinox member and I can afford the absurd membership dues because I am also a union member.
These articles about Amazon, Equinox, etc., regarding harsh working conditions make me chuckle.
How quaint, the idea that management is going to make your life wonderful because you deserve it.
You deserve what you will put up with.
I and others passed up many opportunities to be part of a team which could create improvements for all.
It wasn't always easy but it worked.
And it continues to work.
(My doctor's visit copay is $5.)
Management has you right where they want you: isolated and competing against each other.
Some sobering news: it's your fault not theirs.
If it's worth having it is also worth fighting for.
Off to the gym.
Cheers.
34
@Eric Lamar
Were you responsible for organizing the union to which you belong? If not, you're standing on the shoulders of giants and are the absolute last person who should be chiding these people. If you are, perhaps disseminate information on how to organize. Enjoy your work out at your faux-elitist gym.
59
@Eric Lamar
Just curious. When you became employed, was your job already represented by a union, or did you and others band together to create one?
If you created one, would you be willing to share some information as to how it was created? I know that people are trying desperately to unionize, but there are major forces with a lot of resources fighting against them, so any information could help.
And if your job was already unionized before you were employed by it, then I'm going to describe your post regarding those who cannot secure unionized employment as callous mockery and you as full of braggadocio.
Cheers.
37
@I I was an officer in my union in a right-to-work state for 23 years facing threats, transfers and loss of opportunities.
I paid my dues in more ways than one. I and others were constantly organizing.
I led from the front and I most heartily guffaw at your cheap shots.
Organizing is not rocket science.
Educate others about the benefits of membership and reach out to likely unions for help.
I would have called the Teamsters yesterday.
Be ready for hard times but that is how positive change occurs.
Sorry if I hurt some feelings; the world is a tough place.
13
Part 1
I’ve said it many times before. Equinox is the McDonalds of fitness!!!
They don’t care about quality or fairness to employees. They are the worst culprit in the fitness industry.
I have been a trainer in New York for 25 years including a short stint in this place so I know first hand how these scam clubs operate exploiting their workers.
I always tell young trainers to ditch this company they are a total scam. I also always tell clients to not sponsor this type of business that exploits people!, is as simple as that. Can you imagen the gall of these people they make 80-90% profit on each session! They then pay the trainer almost nothing and provide no benefits.
19
@Patrick
per the article: "the gym offers a well-regarded professional development program, as well as health insurance and other employee benefits that few fitness chains provide"
1
@Andy Deckman
McDonalds also provides their workers insurance, tuition reimbursements and flexible schedules to study. It is a fantastic company to work for if you're a student or trying to make your way up in the world.
Note I said McDonalds, not a franchise of McDonalds.
3
Yet another corporation exploiting labor to the fullest extent possible.
Is this really news anymore?
6
Yea...this sounds like a place I'd want to work out at....
Can't even treat your employees decently?
Dear God.
2
Part 2
People! Please understand,... you don’t need a fancy gym with an expensive membership, amenities and super expensive sessions with underpaid trainers to get in shape! You don’t need a facility at all to get in shape. This is the biggest lie exploited in this capitalist country for the benefit of the few. It’s a total fantasy you DO NOT Need a gym! All you need is a kind trainer that understands you and knows his craft. You can work out at home without equipment, you can workout in the park without any of that! You dont even need those gimmicky classes they offer; spinning,.. and such. Find a good trainer that may have a studio to work with you or train at home in the park... Trust me you will save thousands of dollars while getting in great shape. Forget Equinox! It is a total SCAM
18
Why anyone would join one of these places when you have the Y, where you can get yourself clean, you can have a good time...
6
@W.H. No sauna, jacuzzi, steam. And it's not pretty. Anyone who has ever remodeled a kitchen or bathroom could be asked the same question. "Why update your 1960 kitchen? The oven still works. The fridge keeps food cold. Why not have shag carpet with stains from the 1980s? " The answer: beauty and aesthetics. If environment did not matter, no one would ever hire an interior decorator, contractor, or any other decor specialist. There would be no architects. Civil engineers could build homes and we could all live in Levittown.
5
@Victoria
Your obsession with "pretty" comes across as incredibly shallow when set against the very real issues detailed in this article.
2
@Victoria Have you been in a Y lately? Many of them have the new and latest equipment, saunas, hot tubs, indoor and outdoor pools, etc.
3
It seems strange to write an article about how hard it is to work at Equinox just because they don’t have enough places to nap while you’re at work.
Seems like a weird and made up concern that you wouldn’t voice about any other workplace...
9
@LB You missed the point I think.
8
@LB
Seems like you completely missed the point of the article.
6
@LB Think a little deeper - why are employees so exhausted that they need a place to sleep at work??
9
Based on the article, it's very competitive to make a top trainer at Equinox, where a trainer can make six figures. To my understanding, a very few Gym offers a six-figure job for a trainer. Doesn't that alone explain why trainers are so competitive?
For more than one reason this article is very biased. Where is the comparison to other parts of the industry or industry expert? Where is the interview with the customers? I'm surprised by this article, because to understanding Equinox is not any different vs any other Gym on the trainers - perhaps better.
Basically, this article is all about: I have a friend who is a trainer at Equinox. He/she is a nice person but complains a lot. Therefore, Equinox must be evil.
10
@Jersey City Resident
Equinox is an easy target because its customers are rich/entitled/privileged/etc (a popular target in these pages these days) and happens to be part-owned by someone who held a fundraiser for the president
6
It’s like an urban country club. I had a client who wanted to have a meeting there instead of the usual Starbucks/Pain Quotidien meeting place I am used to. They have fancy lounge chairs and $12 smoothies. It was all “see and be seen”.
9
@mci You have this part right. Country clubs have 50,000 initiation. Far higher dues. But yes, it is a CLUB. Not a gym. And not exclusive: no need for a sponsor, connections. Anyone with a credit card and 200 or 300 can join. Beautiful leather couches, granite.... Starbucks is not pleasant or private. There are clubs all over the city: Metropolitan, Harmonie, Colony, Yale (I joined this year). Some are still men only: Brook, Knickerbocker NY Racquet and Tennis. Those are exclusive. Equinox offers benefits of club but you don't have to "know " someone. NY is a dining club town.
2
Imagine the Peloton executives reading this article and smacking their lips with excitement, a new market! Sell a $3,000 at-home workout setup, $75/month, remotely monitored, with star trainers saying, "Dave in Vermont, nice power lift!" Then they can get rid of the expensive remote trainers and use CGI actors. Then on to remote yoga, the list is endless.
17
@David Evans Right on! Thanks for the great Christmas gift idea, BTW. Wifey's gained a few pounds, maybe she'd like one of those bikes as a present.
6
I'd like to preface my comment with the fact that unsafe or unfair work environments should not exist ANYWHERE or in any profession.
However, I'm shocked at the amount of outrage here in the comment section. If you're a personal trainer, just don't work for Equinox?
To me, this sounds no different than interns or low-end staff members of a big finance company. You're telling me that a bunch of the underlings in those corporations don't do unpaid work with little to no sleep? Don't go into that industry if you're not prepared to put in the time. That's why I didn't do that, but it's also why I'm not a millionaire. That being said, I'm a teacher, and I doubt that I need to elucidate the toll my working non-paid hours put on my personal life.
Equinox is a company looking to maximize profits. It wouldn't exist if 1. The demand from customers wasn't there and 2. If the supply of workers who continue to allow themselves to be taken advantage of aren't there.
16
Is that the new (very old) threshold of labor/management relations: “the supply of workers who allow themselves to be taken advantage of” is available? This is why we have unions and Equinox seems ripe for an organizing campaign. Many teachers have unions and the workforce is stronger as a result. I am a union member as an adjunct faculty member at a prominent university. This offers at least a floor of protections and fairness, which Equinox workers seem to be lacking.
12
@Jasmine12
I agree that it sounds as if a labor organization of some sort would be beneficial for Equinox Trainers. I guess my point is that there is no shortage of jobs for Personal Trainers that do NOT involve Equinox. It sounds to me as if there is opportunity for those who go above and beyond to make large sums of money. That number is scarce, but is it really different than any other profession in the private sector?
Let's even go as far as to consider professional athletes: there are a small percentage at the top who make vast sums of money. Tons of professional athletes only last a couple of years in that line of work before bowing out and pursuing other endeavors. It's a gamble to shoot for the top, but one that comes with high rewards.
I hope I'm explaining my perspective properly; on the flip side, articles like this should make all Equinox members stand up and take notice and refuse to continue patronizing their locations if worker conditions don't improve...if, that is, those people care at all.
3
It's not just Equinox -- the shift towards profiting from personal training affects other gyms in the city as they try to compete with or emulate Equinox. My own "elite"-branded NYSC gym has an office with glass windows that allow anyone passing by to see a whiteboard detailing exactly how many personal training clients each trainer has signed up for the month. I find it extremely tacky. When I first started working out there I constantly had trainers approaching me trying to get me to sign up for their services. Over time the gym's square footage has been relegated less to independent cardio and weights equipment and more to space intended for PT clients...even though my dues have nearly doubled in that time. I would not be shocked one bit to find out trainers at other gyms throughout the city face the same fleecing as Equinox trainers.
13
I was an Equinox member for about a year (thanks to a work discount). The gym itself was great- always clean, not too crowded. When I signed up for my free personal training session, I explained that I was extremely out of shape and had a health condition that prohibited me from lifting heavy items. I needed a trainer who was sensitive to that or was an expert in my condition. They assigned me to someone who was nice, until I popped a tendon in my leg during one of the sessions. I told him as it happened and the look of shock on his face let me know he really didn't know what to do. He ended the session by having me foam roll my leg. He told me he would check on me the next day to see how I was feeling- he didn't- and every time I passed him in the gym after that, he ignored me. Not sure why he would do that if he actively needed to recruit clients. In any event, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I switched companies, so I no longer have a work discount and I would never go back there due to the cost and the Trump ties.
25
@NYC
Being a personal trainer requires almost no qualifications, as you learned. Trainers can be replaced by the next person who walks in off the street. So it's very competitive, and the workplaces are miserable as result.
55
@NYC I've been a member of a few clubs and never had a trainer who personalized the workout and they've all claimed experience that they did not have (if I requested it).
6
From what I understand, as another commenter has already pointed out, you need to be a full time employee at Equinox to qualify for health insurance. Group fitness instructors spend a large chunk of time schlepping to and fro across the city. Working "full time" there must actually mean a totally inhumane number of hours. I find the high bar for health insurance much more scandalous than beginning trainers being expected to attract new clients on the floor. Lower the bar for qualifying for health insurance, Equinox.
7
There are good jobs and bad jobs and what may work for one person may be bad for another.
There seems to be a clear path to earning a substantial living with this company if one is willing to navigate the issues presented.
Few who have been successful have found the path to success easy.
In the end, no one is forced to work there and it doesn't seem as though the company has changed the rules in midstream to the disadvantage of these employees. If it isn't to your taste, leave. If enough trainers leave, Equinox will need to make adjustments.
Does it need to be more complicated than that?
10
@Lkf Not paying overtime is a crime. Expecting someone to work 80 hours a week is absurd. Equinox will not make adjustments - they'll just wait for new meat to walk through the door, abuse them like they abused the others, and watch them quit and walk out like so many others before them. And the cycle will repeat over and over and over again.
19
@Lkf
Of course it's not "more complicated than that," if you ignore most of the substance of the article.
4
The sooner us working people realize we have more to gain by working together the better. From software engineers to baristas labor needs to stick together.
187
@FightForIt That used to happen. It was called Union. that's largely been done away with.
16
In Western Europe some gyms are not continuously staffed but monitored remotely. Or staffed with a skeleton crew.
And why not? People can use the equipment at their own risk, including after normal hours. Just as they could do at home.
The real answer of course is American tort lawyers--under our current system, lack of adults monitoring other adults using a gym would be negligence per se.
I'd like to see the laws changed so members could waive this "safety net", akin to working out in your home gym.
It would probably reduce the costs of operating a gym (and membership fees) by 50-90%.
And save these poor trainers their overtime.
7
@Mmm
My gym is 24 hours, not always staffed and no one uses a trainer.
I suspect the struggle for fitness trainers is a lack of business. There are only so many people who can afford one on one attention at the gym. Throw in competition from Crossfit and other boutique programs and most of your wealthy clients have a lot of effective options. For people with less money, online training options abound. Then lots of places like Planet Fitness have circuits etc that are pretty simple to figure out.
So sure, it probably is awful financially to be a trainer, but its not much difference than the struggle in other fields with limited demand and a lot of practitioners.
4
@Mmm Ah, another "in EUROPE they ...." post. Anytime fitness is rarely staffed - I thought it would be a great gym for me, right on my route home from the night shift. However, I'd go to the gym & find two guys just hanging out by the entrance, as if waiting for someone to open the door w\their electronic key, and decide I didn't have to work out that night. I'm just waiting for my contract to expire & then I'm done w\that place.
4
As for the lawyers I would argue that when many gyms and/or trainers are recruiting new clients the will often claim that everyone can do the particular classes and exercises they include in their programs. Some will go so far as to claim they are experienced trainers and can spot whenever someone is doing something in an unsafe manner. However, once the client signs up for a program the first thing they are asked to sign is a waiver indicating that if they are hurt it’s not the trainer and/or gyms fault. Thereafter, what you see in many classes are trainers who simple push everyone to do just “one more rep” or “pick up the pace”.
The truth is many people cannot safely do what the trainers are asking them to do. These individuals do end up the emergency departments of hospitals suffering from injuries related do doing burpees, lunges, running on treadmills, etc. despite having been assured by the gym or trainer that they will be monitored and that nothing bad will happen.
So yes, unfair labor practices need to be corrected. However inappropriate claims presented to clients also need to be addressed. Give the lawyers a break, then can play a positive role in making these things happen.
3
I know this doesn't work for a great many people in NYC or other cities, but if you have the most minimal of space, buy a squat rack, a good power bar and some plates.
Lifting at home and having a remote trainer set my workouts and assess my lifts via video was one of the best choices I made. I get the benefit of a trainer (not in real time, but that's fine), I get to workout when I want, and I never have to wait for a squat rack. Aerobically, jogging, a rowing machine or a stationary bike also takes up very little space (and can be stored in the rack).
My remote trainer is great, always available to talk within 24 hours, and I can visit them in person if needed (never have though). It's also much much more cost effective for both of us.
Look around. There are a lot of great remote training companies out there (e.g., Barbell Logic, Barbell Medicine, Hybrid Strength, Kabuki Strength Lab to name a few) that have amazing trainers.
Save yourself from the hassle, misery and politics of a globe gym.
10
@Bob Lob Thanks for this!
2
@Bob Lob I have a coach who provides me with my workout plan weekly online, and checks my results and gives feedback/adjusts accordingly. This works great for me, but I still need access to equipment -- e.g., a pool for swimming, a treadmill for when it's icy out or weather otherwise doesn't permit a run. I was at a very posh gym here in Philly, and switched a few years ago to the Y. I am so much happier at the Y, not just because it's less expensive, but people there (staff and patrons) are so much nicer and inclusive. It's all about priorities -- if you think your gym should be about the club experience, places like Equinox are there for you. If your priority is actually fitness, a remote trainer/coach, local running or cycling clubs (or whatever activity motivates you), there are so many better options to get the equipment you need.
2
@Jill Yes! I very much agree. I have friends who do what you do, or even join a super cheap gym (like an Anytime Fitness) that has what they need.
Some people need the plethora of classes, trainers, the atmosphere, the juice and smoothie bar, etc. But, I just want to work out, get some feedback and be on my way.
I personally use Barbell Logic, which is an off-shoot of Starting Strength. They have lots of great trainers, including people who specialize in clients with injuries, restrictions, etc. They also have nutritionists, PT advisors, etc. depending on what people need to want.
I'm not trying to sell them as the other companies I mentioned (Barbell Medicine, Kabuki, Hybrid, etc.) also offer the same services.
I personally preferred going with a company that employed multiple trainers, but I bought into their "approach" to fineness as it matched my goals as well, and if my trainer leaves, I can keep working with someone similar. Also, if I get injured or need to rehab something, they have people I can consult with or can also help my trainer design modified exercises.
For many people, like you and myself, this approach works great! One of the few times the internet has proved to have resulted in something helpful.
As a former member of Lifetime Fitness, I signed up for a 13-week group training session, which was an additional charge to the monthly membership fees. I told the manager I had an artificial hip and wasn’t sure if I could do the class. He assured me that if I decided to stop I would not be charged for the classes I didn’t attend. After two weeks, my other hip began to hurt and I told the trainer I wanted to cancel the rest of my sessions and I put my membership on a medical freeze. I had a doctor’s note, which they required, and later discovered that I was charged not only for the balance of the 13 week session but for subsequent 13-week classes. When I brought this to their attention they said it was because although my account was frozen, my daughter’s was still active therefore the system considered our family account active and kept charging me. I was told I needed to speak to the club manager about a refund. After multiple attempts to reach this person including phone calls, e-mails and personal visits to the club, I never received a call back. I was basically ghosted. I considered legal action but the amount of money was not worth the stress and attorney’s fees. These chain fitness clubs don’t care about anything other than the bottom line.
33
If you've ever been inside an Equinox, and especially the ones in Manhattan, you can sense everything in this article in the atmosphere. There's a faux-elitism and an arrogance in the air exuded by the staff and the clientele. Very showboat-y. It's really only for people who want to preen and strut and show off and are paying top dollar to be part of an exclusive club. It's not about fitness or exercising.
65
@A i disagree. I have been a member (off and on..mostly on) dating back to the 1st Equinox opening in Manhattan on Wall St. While the gym is arguably one of the nicest chain establishments, the air of faux-elitism and arrogance is simply a matter of your perception.
I spent a considerable amount of time living in Newark and used my all city access pass to Equinox as a tool for fitness and a home away from home of sorts.
While the expense can be a splurge, I am of the impression that you get what you pay for.
6
@A Sadly I agree. I was a member for a few years and worked out at various locations, trying to find the right fit. I just wanted to work out without any attitude or pretentiousness surrounding me. But each Equinox seemed to have similar, strutting, fit members (I was told that models would usually get a free membership or huge discount).
5
So true
Nicely timed - My trainer has earned an extra generous holiday bonus!
8
@Christine That's really nice. I never did personal training. No interest or money. I taught body sculpting young, a dancer for years, yoga 20 plus years. I liked the one free session a year and I do it on my own. I miss Equinox. I'm sure your trainer will be grateful and touched.
2
@Christine yeah!!! You go Christine!!! People like you make this job worth it.
1
I was fortunate to have had one of the top trainers at Equinox (and in the entire company, from what I understood) for a number of years. During that time, as an "all access" Equinox member, I became close friends with several other leading trainers at various clubs. They've all left Equinox, citing reasons from remuneration to working conditions. All have gone on to establish very successful private practices (and siphoning off me as an Equinox member, though my decision was primarily due to club's now exorbitant, ridiculous cost).
Equinox clearly has a "talent" problem, unable to retain excellent personal trainers because of their management practices and corporate culture. In my view, Equinox's inability to keep these high-performing individuals feeling valued and respected within their company--and as their most valued brand assets--should be of major concern, warranting a major corporate rethink and, perhaps, a shake-up at the executive level.
68
@James L. There are so many good boutique gyms with excellent trainers now. This is Equinox's real competition.
6
I joined Equinox twice over a few years. You are given a "free" assessment at the beginning by a trainer which is how Equinox gets you to end up having private lessons with which costs about $130 an hour on top of your monthly dues of about $250 a month so you can see how quickly you can end up spending on your fitness. Ten sessions cost $1300 and they go fast if you're going even once a week. While I enjoyed my private training, I couldn't nor wanted to continue spending that much on my fitness. Finally I quit for good when I found out the owner was a Trump supporter.
32
Longtime Equinox member here, using clubs in Manhattan & Boston. I’ve also been a personal training client there for some time as a few injuries over the decades have made me very reluctant to lift weights alone. Sure, training is expensive, but it’s worth it to me to be safe. When were private personal training sessions at a recreational gym (as opposed to, say, physical therapy) anything but a luxury product? This needs to be kept in perspective. Both of my trainers are excellent guys who never employ any hard sell tactics on me and are trained professionals who have helped me to reach my goals safely. I’m highly satisfied. You get what you pay for!
8
@UpperEastSideGuy
What exactly is a "trained professional" in this field?
Who issues the degrees? What are the qualifying requirements?
Are we talking about Equinox University, which trains people by obliging them to pick up weights for minimum wage and pitch potential clients?
Of course, keeping clients happy is 99% of the job, in any field. There are no bad dentists in the world, despite all the bad dental work....
2
Upper East Side gal, Destination member and bicoastal too. You are quite right. Training has ALWAYS been for the really wealthy. 290 (I upgraded 2015) gave me access to a luxury gym, where everything and everyone is beautiful, in ANY CITY IN THE UNITED STATES I am likely to be for over 3 days.
SCLA, on Sepulveda, the original before Eq bought the chain, is a palace. I love the cafeteria AND the Oliver. The jacuzzi works always. Pool is beautiful. I swam Alcatraz for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS this year (raised 3300).
I'd rather inhale asbestos than swim in chlorine.
And ONLY Equinox offers Iyengar yoga. I can't stand hot yoga (call me crazy but I pay my electricity bill because I enjoy air conditioning). I can't afford the Institute and I am not traveling to Chelsea from the UES to study with the Iyengar people at the club.
The treadmills are better at Equinox than at other clubs. Precor treadmills, at least, they have at HRC.
But I did one free session a year and then did it in my own.
LifeTime's entrance to the market will be fascinating. So many people yearn for an alternative but there isn't one. Not if you have eyeballs. The visuals at every other club are frightful.
1
EX MEMBER. Not since Aug 2018.
As someone posted, "sales jobs masquerading as something else." If you want to be an exercise trainer, but you can only make it if you have excellent sales skills, it's bait and switch.
18
Most Equinox trainers with any skill and ambition move on to train in their own gyms, quit the fitness business, and/or work in the fitness industry in other capacities. It's a start, but Equinox gets back many multiples for every dollar invested in new trainers. Sometimes clients will follow a trainer heading off on their own so Equinox eventually pays a price for the system they employ. I was with my Equinox trainer for 9 years after we both quit Equinox.
11
I have been training at a locally owned club and it is wonderful. You don't need a super luxurious club. The object is exercise NOT a day at the spa. I have personal trainer that I meet with twice a month, I also take classes.
It does not surprise me that a business with profits only on it's mind would treat it's employees poorly, it happens all the time.
4
@Astralnut
"You don't need a super luxurious club."
You don't need a "locally owned club" either. This has nothing to do with what people "need."
1
As a self employed personal trainer with my own fitness studio in San Jose CA, I hate when our Personal Training profession looks unprofessional. I work very hard and take care of my clients, the Equinox brand has been deteriorating for years and new management needs to be brought in if they want to succeed at the higher level. Unhappy employees make unhappy unsuccessful clients who don't come back.
23
The article should have included feedback from the Massage Therapists as well. They're in the same boat as the Trainers. Lots of unpaid time, expectations of circling the club trying to get clients, a scheduled time to be at the club with no guarantee of any appointments.
32
@Lisa And usually stuck in the basement of the club for hours...
1
If as a trainer you can’t exercise leadership over yourself to be effective in the face of the circumstances of first starting out, then how can you expect to be effective exercising leadership with a fitness client who wants to quit when things get tough? With that said I’d never dream of taking a trainer job! But those people who do take on the challenge are equal to the task and not victims.
3
While visiting NYC a few years ago, I went to Equinox as a guest and they have inundated me with calls and e-mails ever since. I have politely explained that I'm not a candidate (I live a few thousand miles away) but they just won't quit. As to Mr. Ross, perhaps the same plantation mentality employed by the NFL (he owns the Dolphins) is applied to Equinox trainers. Buyer (and visitor) beware.
26
I work out at a health club outside of the city where the trainers are virtually all just out of school ( either college or high school) and "certified" as fitness trainers. While they may be certified in training techniques, they are clearly not trained in sales skills. I worked with one, who I selected, based on information provided by the club, for a three month period. He was often a few minutes late for the session, and largely distracted or disinterested in the process of training. While I was in the fortunate position of being able to pay the session fee of 60.00 per, I discontinued after three months due to his lack of interest. I have observed the many other trainers at the club during the three times a week I'm there and see the same pattern of performance. Seems like they want a decent salary without the commensurate effort. As long as the Club is honest with their work requirements and benefits at the time of hiring, potential trainers should have no complaints. They are not forced to stay under a contract and are free to take their expertise elsewhere. Frankly, the article smacks of millennial whining.
12
I just cancelled my membership because I can’t afford paying $260 per month. I could never afford a single private session. Wow, I thought at least those trainers were making a lot of money
19
So the nasty way they do business “is not reflective of Equinox policy or our values in any way” huh? Experience and the testimony of your employees and customers says otherwise.
Stop going there. Stop working there. Just stop.
75
I am surprised you did not list how much Equinox is charging members for the training sessions. The more advanced the trainer, the more expensive. Sure you can buy pack of sessions but it's usually starting around $120 or so. Which means Equinox pockets around $80-90 of that. Considering it cost around $180-300 a month to join depending the membership level, it's pretty disgraceful. But then again, you gotta make money if your chairman is going to be hosting a Trump fundraiser.
289
I am close friends with an Equinox group fitness instructor (he teaches those insane HIIT classes at many clubs throughout NYC, in addition to training private clients).
The statement in the start of the article that Equinox offers health insurance is, at best, misleading and requires some severe fine print. The author should revise this.
Equinox does offer health insurance, for those working "full time." If your job, like my friend's, is to zigzag around New York City teaching fitness classes at a dozen different clubs each week, and Equinox only counts time during class as on the clock, it is almost comically impossible to work "full time" there. That would mean teaching 40 hour-long classes a week (which of course, are never scheduled back-to-back), plus commuting time.
Equinox is the one requiring them to teach at Wall Street at 10 and then on the Upper East Side at 12 and Brooklyn at 2:30, but only time spent in class counts. Do the math. Working "full time" easily means actually working 80-90 hours a week.
This is why my friend, in addition to most of his colleagues, are working in a glamorous gym with high-end machines, plush amenities and an almost cult-like obsession with fitness...but they have no health insurance.
Although this article focused on the private trainers and not the class instructors, I can only assume it's a similar story. Thank you to the Times for publishing this. Your move, Equinox.
439
Like many jobs where there is a potential to make a 6 figure salary, you are required to 'pay your dues'. I worked for 8 years at the Reebok Sports Club (it was later bought out by Equinox). It was a grueling first year, then got easier. However once they increased the hours needed to qualify for health insurance I decided to leave. Now I have my own company. I work less and make more. And if I'm being honest, I'd have to attribute some of my success to the time I spent working at the luxury fitness club.
14
Yeah these are just sales jobs masquerading as something else. The focus isn't so much on helping people as much as it is on selling people. Numbers numbers numbers. Probably an ok starter gig to get in and get some experience, maybe build up a little bit of a clientele, and then move into private practice as an independent trainer. The thing they never tell you in these client-dependant businesses is you're going to be very poor for a couple years.
24
I'm sure this is the case for all gyms. The whole personal trainer thing is a racket. Gyms - including much less expensive gyms like Crunch - charge absolutely outrageous fees for personal training sessions, and only a fraction of that goes to the person doing the actual work (the trainer).
Gyms are able to get away with this because all gyms do it, and they have a captive audience in their client base.
A much more humane - and likely just as profitable, given how elastic demand for trainers is - approach would be for gyms to charge only a 30-50% markup instead of the current 150-400%, meaning sessions would be cheaper and therefore more people would buy them, and trainers would be paid more equitably.
For example, instead of paying the trainer $30 - $50 and charging $150 (a markup of between 200-400%), pay the trainer $50 - $75 and charge $75-$100 (markups of 30-50%). Gym would still make plenty of money since demand would go up. Trainers would not need to hustle for clients so much. Trainer turnover would go down. Great trainers would be rewarded by loyal clients who could afford to stick with them for longer periods - more people can afford $75/ hour over $150/ hour.
Win - win - win.
Someone build a basic elasticity model and stop this nonsense.
32
@ae My guess the demand is inelastic and a reduction in price would not dramatically increase the number of personal training sessions, at least not in the long run. Might as well charge the higher fees as you use less resources for the same revenue. Only people with a reasonable amount of disposable wealth can afford a personal trainer over a long period of time. Build up a practice (in anything) and then keep raising prices until clients start to leave. As evidenced in this article there are more short term (potential long term) clients walking in everyday. Let the cheap newbies do the hard work of creating the long term client. Not only do the newbies train themselves into being better salesman, the club keeps the investment in each new client low. Churn baby Churn, both the employee and the customer. Eventually both long term customers and employees will rise. And that is the service economy at the national level.
6
I’m an Equinox member and love the brand (and I’m a gay Democrat who stayed during all the Stephen Ross controversy). They offer a great product (it’s the cleanest gym I’ve ever been a member of). As for conditions for trainers, that’s common through the industry. The bar for entry is so low (like real estate agents or massage therapists) that you really have to hustle. Another gym chain I’m aware of expects their trainers to push the gym’s branded line of vitamins and protein powders for a commission and they do a hard sell of their products. As for young trainers who “wash out” due to the schedules, yep. Let’s go tote up all the other rookies who don’t make it due to long hours and low pay to get started in their careers (at least trainers aren’t hospital interns).
4
Abuse that is ‘common in the industry’ is still abuse, and it is still wrong. In any industry, in any context. Even a little empathy here would go along way, instead of apathy.
74
@Mark H Yeah they aren't hospital interns. Hospital interns are paid and treated better.
15
In NYS, the bar of entry for massage therapy is not low. Massage therapy is a licensed profession. Before you can sit for the licensing exam, you have to fulfill a minimum of 1000 hours of education. Massage school is not cheap: a licensed massage therapist can easily pay $20-$25K to complete a program in NYC. After you get a license, every 3 years you have to complete 36 hours of continuing education in order to renew your registration with NYS. All of this is to say that massage therapists who work for Equinox have already invested heavily in their own education...and they still experience many hours of unpaid labor.
8
Personal trainers, one day, I hope, will be professionalized and unionized. Their services should be covered by health insurance as preventative care.
82
@betsy : Indeed. And the trainers themselves should receive health insurance as well.
24
@betsy
Personal training paid by health insurance as "preventable care"? Oh please. I have watched a number of people at my gym work out with personal trainers for YEARS and they are still overweight and out of shape. As if an hour or two of activity a week negates all the other hours of the week. For many people, personal training expenses are just trying to buy motivation - and failing.
5
First someone has to establish standards for training and certification so the customer has some idea if the trainer has any idea what they are doing. Ridiculous to pay for unqualified people to put clients at risk with inappropriate work out regimes and unqualified nutritional recommendations.
80
I had an excellent trainer at equinox until i quit over the trump fundraiser. In truth i was going to quit anyway but i wanted my departure to count as a vote against the company.
my trainer was incredibly hard-working and, from my frequent conversations with him about his crazy schedule, i heard a lot about the culture there. this article paints the same picture that i heard from him. he’s not a complainer and recognizes that the only way you can get ahead is 12 to 14 hr day’s, so he figures he just has to have the stamina to grind it out. fundamentally the company fosters a dog eat dog culture amongst its trainers - which I find reprehensible.
to say nothing of the fact that as a member you are *constantly being asked by staff if they can train you.* how uncomfortable and what a poor experience for patrons who already speaking $200 a month membership fee!
it’s a shame that the club has such a slimy commercial model - great people are employed there - my heart goes out to them. but no longer my wallet.
228
Equinox is such an OVER rated OVER priced gym.....at $250/month in NYC....who actually goes to these gyms? I was a member when they first opened over 20 years ago....when my membership hit $200/month a couple of years ago I bailed. As for the trainers there are good and bad...having used many I saw how over-worked and stressed they are! Shame on you Equinox!!
104
@Jim Exactly! While NYSC has varying quality facilities, some pretty grungy, you can't beat the convenience of so many locations, especially near subway stops, or the reasonable fees: As low as $59 a month for a corporate membership if your company participates. And personal training? Have had two excellent trainers, with great results, at $79 a session, and price hasn't gone up in three years. Good riddance to Equinox rubbish and its Trumpista owner!
8
@Jim
It's for people who just want to feel exclusive. Equinox facilities are no better than some significantly less expensive options in New York, such as Chelsea Piers or HRC.
4
Absolutely. I pay $15 a month for Blink in Harlem. There are no classes (I loathe classes, so that’s not a problem), no sauna or steam room, just lots of well-maintained, clean equipment staffed by friendly, professional and courteous people. Yes it would be cheaper to exercise outside, but spinal surgery makes hard surfaces problematical for me and in the bitter cold or steamy heat, it’s worth every cent to work out in a climate-controlled environment.
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Welcome to the world of the have and have Nots. Where certain professions are paying a fortune and you can afford to go to a place like equinox and others who is professions now are being watered and dumb down to pay absolutely nothing and you become a simple service employee. It’s happened in my profession and it will happen in yours where everything is geared towards servicing the wealthy. This is simply an effect of income inequality and it’s got to stop
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I hope this article and more awareness of this situation will lead to better conditions for hard-working employees. Presumably Equinox has the resources to invest a little more in its trainers. That said, there are many people in similar situations, including freelancers and creative agencies who spend considerable time networking and Maning communications and meetings to gain new business and clients without being compensated for that time. In many cases, creating and distributing proposals costs real money on top of the uncompensated time. In other fields, interns aren't compensated, nor are actors going on auditions. Sure, those of us who do this type of work choose to do so, and I don't mean to give Equinox a pass here, but it is worth noting that unpaid hustling for work is common in New York City and elsewhere.
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I joined Equinox a little over a year ago. I cannot say enough about how perfect the facility and its overall fitness experience are. And, I am particularly blessed to have enlisted the services of a singularly gifted Equinox trainer who specializes in working with people who are afflicted with my disability, not only with exercises and breathing and nutritional coaching, but also with Shakespeare monologues and cognitive games and gimmicks. My Equinox/trainer experience is priceless. It is not an exaggeration to say I owe my life to it.
Fitness training as a profession would benefit by imposition of objective standards, rigorously applied and enforced by an independent licensing body. Specialties and sub-specialties could be created to recognize talented and accomplished individuals like my trainer so that clients could be directed to them and also so they could pass their expertise along to train (other) trainers.
Equinox does the very best at what it does, i.e. provide a top-notch experience to its members and an opportunity for the most talented trainers to succeed handsomely. I encourage the trainers who want to move up to seek out ways to standardize and optimize their profession.
14
@Christine Taylor "Fitness training as a profession would benefit by imposition of objective standards, rigorously applied and enforced by an independent licensing body. Specialties and sub-specialties could be created to recognize talented and accomplished individuals like my trainer..." Objective standards and specialties/subspecialties already exist.
6
This is bogus.
I’ve been employed and happy at the same location as a top level trainer for 23+ years.
If you are a GOOD trainer, you don’t spend very many hours searching for clients, word of mouth has them coming to you. I was off the floor in 3 months. The nature of the business means you need to be in the gym to get clients- are you going to get them sitting on your couch? Excellence is self- weeding - in my tenure, the ones who leave after a few months ought to leave. I have worked at a number of other firms in my life, not only is this company a great place to work at my profession, and keeps getting better thru time; not many companies periodically voluntarily give raises across the board but up their benefit packages over the years. WE DONT HAVE TO BEG our bosses for raises- how about you?
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@Lori Connell your experience working at the company is not par for the course. I worked at a location with a small amount of residential members, mostly folks that worked near Times Square, and it's tough to pick up business in that environment. Couple that with high cost of living, and 8.00 per hour and you're going to starve unless you put in unpaid time. How were we rewarded? With a 30% cut of the session rate, before taxes. Not to mention, a lack of resources for a W-2 position. I remember trying to call leads on one of 2 phones for over 25 trainers. A 50 sq ft break room that we had to share with maintenance staff (don't get me started on how terrible they are treated). Several of my clients had issues with their premium laundry service there, and only got partial sessions because of it. To make it right and avoid losing them, I'd often comp the session because my bosses' hands were tied. Right before I left, over if my clients asked me what Tier another trainer was, because the trainer clearly had no idea what she was doing. I told her the young lady was Tier 3. She then asked, "Wait, aren't you Tier 3?" I was embarrassed. So I got paid the same rate as this woman who was fed clients from management, and was turning them over like hotcakes. She ended up dislocating a guy's shoulder. (for those that don't know, it goes Tier 1, 2, 3, 3+, 4. 3+ is a Tier 3 with a nutrition cert, and 4 is basically elite. There are probably less than 40 in the company).
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Well these Trump fundraisers don’t just pay for themselves...
Seriously though, to pay an entry level “tier 1” trainer $26 per hour off of a session that Equinox is charging the customer more than $100 for is outrageous. Of course, equinox will gladly pay the trainer more (and charge the customer a lot more) as the trainer moves up in tiers. This is disingenuously framed as the trainer getting more experience but is really about the number of clients each trainer accumulates to justify the higher per session cost. In most businesses, the more you spend, you get freebies or incentives kicked back to you (e.g. airline frequent flyer programs), but at equinox you get the privilege of paying more for personal training packages.
Glad I quit my membership.
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@Brandon Cobb I'm not judging you by your convictions, however remember that the only people affected by your leaving are the very people who depend on your patronage. The trainers, front desk, and mostly, the maintenance staff who get paid so little they sometimes work 2 other jobs. You don't owe these folks anything, but think of them, not of the millionaires who you're trying to stick it to.
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@Eddie Wholesale change seems to be the best option at this point. Trusting Equinox to improve its practices in the course of normal business seems optimistic at best.
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My wife also quit Equinox after the Trump fundraiser. Her Equinox fees had been $250/month, and when she was deciding between two different places, we realized that she could go to both of them and still save money. When I asked her how things were at the new place, she said it didn't have the same high-end finishes or giant empty lobbies, but she was relieved that no one had asked her about paying for training yet, and people seemed quiet and serious at the new place. At Equinox, there were constantly people on the floor putting back weights, vacuuming and wiping down machines after gym-goers exercised, and I always thought that was a little weird, but this article explains why there are people on the floor putting back weights and handing out towels.
Where do the other half of those monthly dues go, if people aren't being paid a livable wage at a luxury gym? Someone above also mentioned that trainers have a hard time racking up enough hours to get health insurance. That's a real shame, and Equinox should be doing better.
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I find it interesting that the working conditions and low pay don't appear to be in dispute by anyone. My question though is that this appears to be a sales job primarily, although not positioned as such. Many industries operate this way, but in traditional sales positions you know going in what the rules are. Seems Equinox management needs some form of training.
Also of concern, folks spend a good sum going to a gym like this. Hiring beginners without any certification is a misrepresentation of what I am buying if I am the consumer. No one goes unwillingly to a surgeon in training Consumer beware, exercise due diligence before signing on.
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@JoeB Agree, I don't get the point of this article at all. Almost all client based commission/sales jobs operate this way where you are paid a low wage or even no wage at all in the beginning. Building a client base is entirely the responsibility of the salesperson.
6
@John : In other commission-based work, the payoff is high when you make a sale. Here, the payoff is barely above the minimum wage (when you factor in prep time for the training session) once you make a sale.
I used to be a real estate rental agent -- all work on commission, lots of "unpaid" work, but when I closed a deal, I got many hundreds of dollars -- not an expectation that I do more work, or do it for roughly minimum wage.
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@John most sales jobs at least pay a draw. When I worked there, starting rate for a personal training session was 120.00 and as a seasoned veteran I made 33.00 of that. I pulled the lead off the floor while off the clock, did all the programming off the clock, got them to purchase 20 sessions because I was so good, but made 33.00 per session before taxes. It's not fitness, it's trash.
I should mention, I did get a bonus for selling packages. A small taxable bonus, but a bonus nonetheless.
9
Thank you for this article. In addition to being unfair to the trainers, this practice is also not good for the gym clients who have to endure “cold calls” from trainers when they are just trying to work out. Not the fault of the trainers who are generally very courteous, but it makes the gym workout even more of a slog and less enjoyable than it could and should be.
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Been going to Equinox for >10 years. Never been approached on the floor a single time by a trainer, except to be handed a towel.
My sense is there is significant confirmation bias in this article. So would the word be a better place if there was no Equinox?
10
@Paul Sussman I've been an Equinox member for 20 years (I was one of the first members back in the day), have Destination Membership so I'm familiar with most of their Manhattan gyms, and have also never, ever been approached by a trainer soliciting business. Maybe it's me? What I can say is that the really good fitness instructors have all left, but I continue to be a member because my membership status gives me access to their outdoor pools in the summer. And that's important for me since I live in an apartment and have no means of getting to the beach.
11
Completely agree!
Equinox values its real Estate more than employees.
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Thank you NYT for shedding light on this tragedy taking place right here in NYC. In posh Greenwich village to boot. Who would ever imagine the suffering and human cost of helping people get tight abs and core muscle strength.
My heart bleeds. I now believe these trainers deserve to stand side-by side in solidarity with the thousands of exploited workers here and globally.
Maybe a fund-raiser to cover the costs of their ACSM certifications is in order.
13
@Steven Personal trainers do more than sculpt bodies, Steven. By strengthening weak surrounding muscles, I've helped clients relieve pain and avoid surgery. One woman, two months into her first experience with resistance training, claimed her increased strength enabled her to perform the Heimlich on her choking husband. I help people with conditions that limit their physical abilities learn how to work around those limitations in order to stay fit.
I could go on, but I hope this is enough to show you that personal trainers do far more than you described. Like any workers that are being taken advantage of, trainers deserve a safe and equitable working environment.
3
@Steven
Does not all work deserve respect, decent working conditions and livable wages? If not, how do you value work? By what criteria do you sit in judgment of others?
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@Steven
Because it was close and easy to get to I did most of my hip rehab at a gym that was part of a chain. I wasn't the only one there doing the same thing. The trainers helped me a lot. Don't be so judgey
5
Thank you for exposing this sad situation. I wonder how much the rent is at the Greenwich Avenue Equinox? How many businesses in the heart of glamorous cities spend millions of dollars on rent and pennies on the people doing the actual work? Oh, well, viva la capitalism.
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@Jenny
The employees can be replaced. The building on Greenwich Avenue cannot. So one is much more expensive than the other.
6