The Journey to Fitness Autonomy

It may sound a little strange, but at OPEX Gyms our goal is for you to reach the point where you don’t need us anymore.

Our ideal journey for you as an OPEX client is to learn and internalize the behaviors and tools that will help you live long and prosper so that you develop autonomy over your health. You will form a relationship with your OPEX Coach that will develop over time, offering you the perfect balance of challenge and support based on your current level of in fitness. 

Let’s map out a theoretical path from day 1 to years at an OPEX Gym. Keep in mind that every client has a different starting point and goals to reach. The beauty of the OPEX coach-client relationship is that it looks different from one pair to the next!

Month 1

You’re brand new and have tons to learn and discover. You will begin your journey with some 1-on-1 sessions to assess your level of movement, work capacity, body composition, lifestyle and nutrition at day 1. 

Every time you step in the gym you’ll have assistance from the floor coach on training technique and gym etiquette, and they will help you set up your workout, learn new movements and answer all your questions–and you’ll have plenty! You will communicate daily with your personal OPEX Coach through TrueCoach, logging workouts, asking questions, uploading videos and receiving feedback. 

Your personal OPEX Coach will spend your initial and monthly consultations educating you on lifestyle and nutrition to meet your goals. This looks different from one client to the next, but will always begin with a focus on learning and implementing the Basic Lifestyle Guidelines, including hydration, food hygiene, sleep, sun exposure, daily movement and stress management. This could include daily actions such as food and sleep logs, along with tracking habits in TrueCoach for accountability. 

Communication and the learning curve are at an all-time high in the initial months of your OPEX journey, so that you receive as much support as you need to start the process strong.

Year 1

By the 12 month mark, chances are you’re moving and feeling great. You know how to make healthy choices, and now it’s time to start fine-tuning. 

Your fitness IQ is well above average and you no longer need the assistance of the floor coach to understand your daily workout. You know your squats from deadlifts and you’re fluent in reading tempo and reps/sets. You’ve laid a foundation of great movement and have progressed through the OPEX Move Assessment levels 1-3, and now you’re on to more complicated movements. You still appreciate a coach’s eye and feedback as you try out new skills, but you now have the knowledge to ask more specific questions on your training. You still appreciate the accountability of having an OPEX Coach and are excited by the process of learning new movements. 

You’re nailing the Basic Lifestyle Guidelines and are now starting to experiment with more advanced nutrition protocols with your OPEX Coach (relative to your goals, of course). This may include tracking macronutrients or some supplementation. Your OPEX Coach no longer has to worry about whether you’re sleeping 7-8 hours or chewing your food thoroughly–those behaviors are ingrained. Instead, you spend your monthly consults discussing finer details such as meal timing and connecting to your ‘why’ and purpose for training and life. 

Now that behaviors are consistent and your lifestyle is aligned with your goals, you can really make the most of your OPEX education by asking deeper questions and refining details. 

Year 5 

You’re now an OPEX ambassador. You live and breathe great health and fitness–people can smell it on you!

You’ve reached the point where you have all the knowledge you need to do it for yourself. The training, nutrition and lifestyle behaviors your practice daily are simply a part of you. You are the ideal of long-term client autonomy and your coach is content and fulfilled knowing that if life takes you away from your OPEX Gym, you’ll continue to train and live even without their guidance. 

That said, you love the community, the training environment and you value your relationship with your OPEX Coach so much that you want to continue forever. You still receive your daily workouts and monthly consultations, but you’re now in a partnership and share resources, conversation, laughs and learning that keeps you inspired and in it for the long game. 

You don’t need a floor coach to watch you train and keep you safe, but you appreciate their coaching cues on when to push and when to slow down. Your OPEX Coach knows you know longer need them for accountability, but they’re always there to help when your goals pivot and new life challenges arise. 

That’s the beauty of joining an OPEX Gym–it’s a training program and a coach-client relationship that moves with you as you grow.