VAULT · Personal Training Program
Personal training is the second revenue engine after membership. At maturity, PT contributes ~$720K/yr net to the house at industry-standard split economics.
PT is also the retention lever for Black Card. Four included sessions/month means Black Card members build a coaching relationship inside VAULT that competitors cannot replicate.
Head of Personal Training hired month 3 pre-opening. Reports to GM. Owns trainer hiring, session-quality QA, ongoing education, and PT program P&L.
The trainer roster
Y1 target: 12-15 trainers. Y2 target: 18-22 trainers. Y3 maturity: 22-26 trainers.
Roster mix
Deliberate mix across specializations, not a monoculture of generic strength coaches:
| Specialization | Y1 count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General strength + hypertrophy | 4 | The gym-floor anchor trainers, CSCS or NASM-CPT + CPPS preferred |
| Mobility + corrective | 2 | FRC + Postural Restoration Institute background |
| Pole-specific conditioning | 2 | Cross-appointed with pole coaching staff, grip + shoulder + core specialists |
| Dance conditioning | 2 | Ballet + contemporary conditioning, ex-professional dancer background preferred |
| Recovery + regeneration | 1 | Modality-focused: sauna protocols, breathwork, contrast, sleep coaching |
| Sports performance | 1-2 | For Charlotte pro + collegiate athlete clients, Panthers/Hornets adjacent, university D1 |
| Pre + postnatal | 1 | Certification required, Studio + Black Card demographic reality |
Head of PT holds one specialization slot personally.
Certifications required (baseline)
- CSCS, NASM-CPT, ACSM-CPT, or ACE-CPT
- CPR/AED current
- Specialization certification for the assigned track (FRC for mobility, PN1 for nutrition guidance, etc.)
- Annual continuing education budget of $1,200/trainer
Trainer compensation
Session-based split. Trainers keep 60-70% of session revenue. House keeps 30-40%.
| Trainer tier | Session rate | Trainer share | House share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate (0-3 yr experience or new to VAULT) | $150 | $90 (60%) | $60 (40%) |
| Trainer (established, 3-7 yr experience, VAULT-certified) | $200 | $130 (65%) | $70 (35%) |
| Senior Trainer (7+ yr, specialization credential, book) | $250 | $175 (70%) | $75 (30%) |
Head of PT compensation: salary base $95K + PT session earnings on their own book + 5% override on total department PT revenue.
Trainer employment structure: W-2 employees with benefits eligibility at 30+ sessions/wk average, 1099 possible for specialists with an outside primary book. Charlotte market convention leans W-2 at the premium tier.
Package pricing (to member)
Members buy sessions in packages. Packages expire in 90 or 180 days depending on size. Auto-renew opt-in.
Associate rate ($150/session):
| Package | Price | Per session | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 sessions | $600 | $150 | 90 days |
| 12 sessions | $1,680 | $140 | 180 days |
| 24 sessions | $3,120 | $130 | 180 days |
| 48 sessions | $5,760 | $120 | 12 months |
Trainer rate ($200/session):
| Package | Price | Per session | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 sessions | $800 | $200 | 90 days |
| 12 sessions | $2,220 | $185 | 180 days |
| 24 sessions | $4,200 | $175 | 180 days |
| 48 sessions | $7,680 | $160 | 12 months |
Senior Trainer rate ($250/session):
| Package | Price | Per session | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 sessions | $1,000 | $250 | 90 days |
| 12 sessions | $2,760 | $230 | 180 days |
| 24 sessions | $5,160 | $215 | 180 days |
| 48 sessions | $9,600 | $200 | 12 months |
Semi-private (2 members, 1 trainer): 60% of applicable per-session rate per member. Small group (3-4 members, 1 trainer, programmed 6-week cycle): flat $95/session per member.
Black Card included sessions
Black Card gets 4 monthly sessions included in dues. Members choose their trainer (subject to availability).
Mechanics: - Sessions roll for 30 days beyond issue (a Black Card member joining June 1 can use June’s 4 sessions through July 31) - Cannot bank beyond 30-day rollover - Sessions default to Trainer-tier rate. Black Card members using Senior Trainer sessions burn 1.25 credits per session. Associate-tier trainer sessions burn 0.85 credits (small incentive to feed roster growth). - Concierge coordinates first trainer pairing and rebalances if a member wants to change
House economics on Black Card sessions: - $200 session value included in dues - Trainer paid $130 (65% Trainer-tier) - House “cost” = $130 per session - 4 sessions/month per Black Card member = $520/mo in comped trainer cost - Against $999 dues, session cost is 52% of Black Card dues gross
This is expensive by design. Black Card members are the walking advertising for VAULT. The PT relationship makes the membership sticky and generates outsized referral value.
Assessment protocols
Every new PT client (Associate through Senior Trainer) gets a standardized intake before their first working session.
Intake session (60-90 min, no charge for Black Card, single-session equivalent charge for others):
- PAR-Q + medical intake (health history, injury log, medication, contraindications)
- Movement screen (FMS baseline, joint-by-joint mobility check)
- Body composition (InBody 970, bio-impedance, tracked quarterly)
- Baseline strength markers (as appropriate: goblet squat max, weighted carry duration, pull test, plank variations)
- Cardio baseline (Concept2 500m + 2K pace, or 5-min bike test)
- Goal-setting conversation (3-month + 12-month goals, subjective + objective)
- Program design handoff (trainer builds first 4-week block, client sees it in-app before session 1)
Reassessment cadence: every 12 weeks. Body comp + strength markers + subjective wellness questionnaire.
Documentation: all assessments logged in the PT software (Mindbody clinical or Trainerize, decision Y1). Trainer session notes required within 24 hours of each session.
PT specializations (member-facing tracks)
Strength
Traditional periodized strength for members whose primary goal is muscle + hypertrophy + performance. Rogue platforms + Eleiko plates. Compound-lift technical bias.
Mobility
Corrective + functional range work. Members with desk-jobs, prior injuries, upcoming surgeries, or aging into a mobility priority.
Pole-specific conditioning
The differentiator. No other Charlotte facility programs strength-and-conditioning specifically to support pole athletes. Grip endurance, shoulder stability, active flexibility, invert strength, core in extension. Runs in tight coordination with pole coaching.
Dance conditioning
Turn-out, foot articulation, hip strength, jump landing mechanics, low-back health. Sourced from ex-pro dancers who understand the demands of contemporary + editorial dance work.
Recovery + regeneration
Not classic PT. Coaches members on protocol adherence: sauna cadence, cold plunge frequency, sleep, breathwork, HRV. Session includes 30 min hands-on mobility + 30 min recovery-modality guidance.
Sports performance
For Charlotte pro and collegiate athletes. Speed, power, plyometric, off-season conditioning. Discretely booked, private-studio-heavy, non-broadcast day preference.
PT program economics
At maturity (Y3+):
- 22 trainers average
- Average trainer books 22 paid sessions/wk (some higher, some lower)
- 22 trainers x 22 sessions x 50 weeks = 24,200 paid sessions/yr
- Weighted average per-session revenue: $180
- Gross PT revenue: ~$4.36M/yr
- Weighted trainer share (blended 65%): ~$2.83M
- House PT margin: ~$1.53M/yr gross
- Less: Head of PT overhead + admin overhead: ~$180K
- Less: Black Card comped sessions (120 members x 4/mo x $130 trainer cost x 12): ~$748K
Net PT contribution to house at maturity: ~$720K/yr as noted in 01_MEMBERSHIP_TIERS.
Y1 will be well below this. Target Y1 net PT contribution: ~$150K. Y2: ~$420K.
Trainer QA
- Head of PT observes every trainer minimum 1x/quarter (paid observation, not surprise)
- Every trainer completes 1 continuing education activity/quarter (funded)
- Client NPS survey after 4-session milestone + every reassessment
- Trainer performance review semi-annual, tied to book size + retention + NPS + peer QA
- Trainers who fall below retention threshold (client rebook rate <70%) enter a coaching plan
Trainer development pipeline
Associate to Trainer promotion: 24 months tenure + 1 specialization credential added + 65%+ retention + Head of PT sign-off.
Trainer to Senior: additional 24 months + book of at least 30 active clients + advanced credential + Head of PT sign-off.
This is the retention play for trainer talent. Charlotte trainers job-hop for $10-$25 more per session at competitor facilities. VAULT keeps them by (a) paying at the top of market, (b) offering a real promotion ladder, (c) funding continuing education, (d) offering W-2 benefits at 30-session threshold.
Non-PT complementary services
Not counted in PT program but adjacent:
- Nutrition consulting (RD on retainer, sessions billed direct to member, small revenue share to house)
- Sleep + HRV coaching (partner practitioner, quarterly on-site clinics)
- Physical therapy referral network (VAULT-adjacent PT clinic partnership Y2, not owned by VAULT)
These are pipeline for PT (referrals in) and retention for Black Card (comprehensive wellness ecosystem).
Next docs
- 04_RECOVERY_WING — recovery programming
- 05_MEMBERS_LOUNGE_CAFE — lounge + café program