A gym membership, a class pass and an hour of coaching all get filed under “fitness.” They are not the same purchase, and the price gap between them isn’t the interesting part — what’s inside them is. Here’s the whole picture, including where I’m not the right answer.
A membership, a class pass and an hour of coaching are three completely different purchases. Here is exactly what you get for what you pay — and what you don’t.
| What you get | Where Michelle sits MICHELLE BAJAJ FITNESS Private studio, South Surrey | AVERAGE PERSONAL TRAINER 1-on-1 in a commercial gym | AVERAGE BOUTIQUE GYM Group HIIT, spin, bootcamp studios | AVERAGE BIG-BOX GYM Club16, Fitness World and similar chains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs | From $100per 1-on-1 session, tiered by how often you train — partner training works out from $75 each | $60–$150per session — most sit at $80–$120 | $150–$250per month for class access | $30–$70per month, training not included |
| Who coaches you | Michelle. Every session. 7+ years, certified in training and nutrition | Varies widely — often a newer trainer working through a client list | Whichever instructor is scheduled that hour | Only if you pay for training on top — and often a newer trainer building a client list |
| Where you train | Private studio — just you and your coach, no audience, no waiting | Usually a shared gym floor with everyone else | A class studio with 12–30 other people | Crowded floor, equipment queues at peak hours |
| Your program | Built for your body and goals, adjusted every week as you progress | Sometimes custom, often a template reused across clients | Same workout for everyone in the room that day | Whatever you can piece together yourself |
| Nutrition coaching | Included — custom meal plans and macro targets, reviewed as you go | Usually a paid add-on, or not offered at all | Occasional challenges or handouts | Not offered |
| Hands-on work | Form corrected in real time, plus hands-on massage and a guided cooldown every session | Verbal cues, hands-on depends on the trainer | Cues shouted from the front of the room | None |
| Between sessions | 7-day-a-week two-way messaging in the app — ask anything, any day | Rarely included | Not offered | Not offered |
| Injuries & limitations | Programmed around, session by session — nothing gets aggravated | Depends entirely on the trainer’s experience | You modify on your own, mid-class | You’re on your own |
| Accountability | Weekly check-ins and progress reviews — she notices the week you go quiet | Varies — often only during the paid hour | Nobody follows up if you stop showing | Nobody follows up if you stop showing |
| Commitment | No lock-in contract, flexible packages, cancel anytime | Often prepaid session blocks | Monthly membership, minimum terms common | Month-to-month or minimum-term plans, with cancellation fees on the term plans |
| Guarantee | The 100-Day Promise — do the work and don’t see results, and coaching continues free until you do | Rare | None | None |
| How many clients | Capped at 30, deliberately — so nobody becomes a name on a list | As many as the schedule holds | Volume-driven — fuller classes are better for the business | Volume model — thousands of members per location |
Figures are typical Metro Vancouver ranges for 2026 and are given as a guide only — individual trainers, studios and gyms vary, and plenty of them do excellent work. The point isn’t that cheaper is bad. It’s that a $100 session and a $50 month buy two completely different things.
Spots are capped at 30 clients — and rates go up in October.
The hour looks identical on paper. What differs is everything around it — whether your program is actually rebuilt as you progress, whether anyone answers when you have a question on a Sunday, and whether your nutrition is coached or just mentioned.
Ask any trainer you’re considering three questions: how often does my program change, what happens between sessions, and how many clients are you carrying right now. The answers tell you more than the rate does.
Group studios are genuinely good at one thing: getting you to show up and work hard in a room full of energy. That’s worth something, and for some people it’s enough.
What they can’t do is build the session around your shoulder, your schedule and your goal. One class is written for the room, not for you — so if you’re carrying an injury or chasing something specific, you’re modifying on the fly, alone, mid-workout.
A membership buys access to equipment. That’s the entire product, and at $30–$70 a month it’s honestly priced for what it is.
The catch is what it assumes: that you already know what to do, how to progress it, how to eat around it, and how to keep going in February. Most memberships go unused within a few months — not because people are lazy, but because nobody was ever going to notice if they stopped.
A comparison chart that says I win every row would be worth nothing. So here’s where you should genuinely pick something else:
What I’m built for is the person who has already tried the cheaper versions, knows the gap isn’t willpower, and wants one coach who actually knows their history.
She made me go from dreading going to the gym, to being excited to go. She pushed me hard, and always believed in me, even when I didn’t. Beyond workouts, her guidance on nutrition and health was invaluable. In just 12 sessions, I gained 4 pounds of muscle!
Michelle is an incredibly dedicated trainer who helped me lose my pregnancy weight. Knowing I suffer from migraines, she customized my workouts to ensure they didn’t trigger any episodes. She also has excellent knowledge of nutrition and diet, which has been a huge help to me!
I’ve been working out for over six months and truly appreciate having Michelle as my personal trainer. From exercises to diet plans, she generously shares her expertise. She understands my specific needs and designs a long-term workout plan that perfectly aligns with my goals.
I stand behind every program with my 100-Day Promise: show up, follow your plan, and stay in touch with me through the app for 100 days. If you don’t see results, I’ll keep coaching you — completely free — until you do. All I ask is that you do the work. You do that, and I’ve got you.
Full breakdown of 1-on-1 and 2-on-1 partner training in the South Surrey studio — what’s included, how the tiered pricing works, and how to start. Training remotely? There’s an online version too.
In-person training Online coaching