Olympic weightlifting and franchise gyms have both been around for years but have been typically been separated. With the recent explosion of Olympic weightlifting outside the strength and conditioning community, that separation is about to become obsolete. More and more individuals are being exposed to, and wanting to learn, the Olympic lifts, and you want to be the person they learn from in the franchise gym. There are 279,100 trainers in the United States, so you need to stand out and bring something new to the table in order for a franchise to invest in you. If you establish a relationship with a franchise gym, answer their questions, and promote yourself accordingly, you can establish a weightlifting program in a franchise.

The Basics

Before you even consider teaching someone how to perform the Olympic lifts, make sure you have the requisite knowledge and legal protection to do so. You don't have to be the quintessential expert in your area to get started, but you do need to know how to make sure individuals can perform the movements safely and effectively. If someone gets hurt on your watch, especially in this type of setting where people may erroneously think the lifts are inherently dangerous, you can kiss your potential program goodbye. At the very least try to shadow someone who has experience coaching the lifts and read "Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide For Athletes & Coaches".  The best thing you can do for yourself is complete your USA Weightlifting certification and/or attend a Catalyst Athletics certification if you have the means. The more reputable certifications you have, the easier to will be to convince potential athletes and gym management to work with you.

Work With Gym Management

The worst thing you can do in a franchise is to not establish a relationship with the gym. "The gym" is more than just the owners. It also includes the faces of the gym: managers and other trainers. You do not want to step on any toes and ruin any chance you may have at getting your program up and running by disrespecting these individuals.

Training, or trying to begin a weightlifting program, without consulting these people will make you look like an arrogant snob and you could find yourself kicked out of the facility. Most gyms have policies that prohibit personal training without explicit permission from management. Don't get mad at the gym for this. Most gyms contract with outside companies who find and manage trainers for the facility. Outside training within their facility by unaffiliated trainers can open the gym, and any other training company within it, up to liability.

Set Up A Meeting With Gym Management

Set up a time to sit and talk with a gym manager(s). Show them what you plan to do and what others have done to make their programs successful.

• Email your resume beforehand with an outline of what you are going to cover. Include any videos you have of athletes training these lifts and you coaching. Allow the manager(s) to prepare questions should they have any.
• Bring a hard copy of your resume to the meeting and two copies of the outline you emailed to the Manager (one for you and one for him).
• Create a PowerPoint or have easy access videos of individuals performing these lifts to show the manager(s) in case they did not see your email. Use individuals you have personally trained over Olympic level athletes if possible; the more tangible you can make these lifts, the better. If you have not trained anyone before, you have permission to use footage of my athletes in a franchise setting so long as you email me beforehand.

Prepare A Business Plan

Don't go into your meeting without a viable business plan for your weightlifting program. You can't expect the gym to agree to a new program just because you say it will do well. Make sure you have answers for some of the Manager's most important questions.

• How will this benefit the gym? If you can't answer this question, then don't even bother setting up a meeting. If marketed correctly, Olympic weightlifting services will set their gym apart from their peers. Since it is a new service in their facility and exciting to learn for the average gym goer, the gym will have to ability to increase membership and personal training sales.
• How will you get access to members? If you don't have existing clients, then you are going to need the gym's help in developing your client book. There a few ways to accomplish this: (1) sign on as a trainer with the gym, or the contracting company, and get referrals or consultations through new signups, (2) place promotional flyers in the gym, and on the internet, once permission has been granted, and/or (3) set up an Open House for existing gym members to try out the lifts for free to generate interest (and clients).
• Are you bringing a book of clients into the gym? If so will they be joining the gym? Having a book of clients will make your sales pitch to the facility easier because it shows you are established as a trainer. But don't expect them to be able to train in the facility for free. The gym will likely ask for them to join the facility and then ask for a percentage of your training fees from them. If your book is big enough, then the gym will be more likely to negotiate with you on what those fees would be.
• How much are you expecting to get paid? Will you charge members or will you ask the franchise to compensate you? I highly discourage you offering your services for free, even if you are new. If you are establishing a program, then it's safe to say you want it to succeed. When it does you will kick yourself not negotiating a fee. Typically trainers keep 30-60 percent of what they charge and the gym gets the rest. If a client isn't a member of the facility (if this is even allowed), the percentage you keep will drop even more. Every facility is different, so do some research in your area to see what its norm is. You could ask for a flat fee each month and leave it open for renegotiation after three months but you'll have to weigh the pros and cons of what happens if you take on more clients than you anticipated and aren't being compensated fairly.
• Will you be paying rent? This question goes hand in hand with the previous question on compensation. Typically the training fee percentage the gym takes acts as "rent," but not all gyms adhere to this. You are taking up space and equipment in the facility so rent is to be expected.
• What kind of equipment do you need? Don't be naive and think you will be able to utilize iron plates in teaching these lifts in a franchise setting. Beginners will be dropping the weights and World War III will erupt if they crack the floor or the plates. A platform would be ideal but if you cannot procure one, or make one, ensure a solid rubber flooring underneath your athletes feet or under the weights, at the very least. You don't need to go in with an Eleiko set of plates, either. Of course that would be great but if you're limited on funds, just purchase reliable bumpers (pounds is fine too) that can offer a decent range of weight for your athletes. Purchase more equipment as your program grows and funds become more available.

Make sure to get answers to these questions and have the parameters of your agreement with the gym in writing and signed by yourself and the party in charge. (This may be the manager, but the gym owner--AKA whoever signs the checks--needs to be consulted as well just to cover your bases).

Promoting Your Program

Once you have established a working relationship with the franchise, you will need to promote your services and your program. Here are a few ways you can effectively do that in your new facility:

• Offer a weightlifting clinic free of charge to gym members. Find out when a high traffic time in the gym is, schedule it then, hang a signup sheet on the wall near the flyer (to get contact information you can use for leads later), and promote your event for at least three weeks beforehand.  Plant your own athletes if you need to ensure the clinic actually happens and your presence is visible.
• Actually train at your gym. The more you perform the lifts in front of others, the better chance you have at individuals wanting to learn them.
• Talk to members. Being on site isn't enough; you have to talk to people. If someone is watching you like a hawk while you clean, go up and talk to them about it. Offer to show them how to do it then and there. Keep it short and leave them wanting more. You can schedule a session or a consultation when you are done.
• Offer a free 30-minute consultation to new members or those interested in learning about weightlifting. If you do your job right, they will be eager to keep learning and sign up with you. Be careful not to offer too much for free.
• Put promotional flyers up around high traffic areas in the gym. Water fountains, locker rooms, front desk area. Include a picture of yourself, a brief bio, what people can expect to learn from you, and contact information. Do not include pricing on the flyer; this encourages price shoppers.
• Promote yourself on social media. Make sure the gym posts your information as well. They are the gatekeepers of the members and you need them on your side. Get before and after videos of clients, befriend and tag them online, and post their progress. Word of mouth is your biggest ally.

Conclusion

Embrace the growing popularity of Olympic weightlifting and offer it to a new population in franchise gyms. You'd be surprised how many people will want to work with you and how many former athletes will jump at the chance to learn something new. Establishing a weightlifting program within a franchise may be difficult to start but it can flourish. If you establish a meaningful, working relationship with gym management and continuously stay in the eye of gym members, the separation between the cultures will be diminished, and you will succeed.