What This Is
Personal training at Nichols PT & Wellness is one-on-one strength and fitness coaching with a Doctor of Physical Therapy. You get an individual program for strength, mobility, balance, and endurance, and you get me beside you while you do it, in your home, your garage, or your gym.
The difference from a typical training session is the starting point. Before we lift anything, I evaluate you the same way I evaluate a physical therapy client. I look at how you move, determine if you have any joint or mobility restrictions, where you are strong, where you are limited, and what your body will need from a program. Then I build the program around that, not around a template.
Who It Is For
Three groups of people tend to find this is exactly what they were looking for.
Adults in their forties, fifties, and sixties who want to get going again. Maybe it has been a while. Maybe the last time you started a routine, an old knee or a cranky low back or shoulder shut it down in the first month. A plan that fits your body, and someone watching your form, changes that story.
Older adults who want to stay strong and independent. Strength is the thing that keeps you carrying groceries, getting up from the floor, climbing stairs, and staying steady on your feet. It can be built at any age. I have helped people in their seventies and eighties get measurably stronger, safely, at home.
Athletes and active people who want a smarter offseason. If you already train hard, having a physical therapist design and coach your strength work means fewer setbacks and better carryover to your sport.
Why a Physical Therapist
Screening first matters. Small mobility restrictions and strength gaps are easy to miss and easy to aggravate. Finding them before we load them means fewer surprises in weeks four, five, and six, which is exactly when a lot of new routines fall apart.
It also means that if something does flare up, we do not have to guess. We can pause, evaluate it on the spot, treat it, and adjust the plan. You are already working with the person who can do that. There is no waiting for an appointment somewhere else while the momentum drains away.
And I understand how strength is actually built. Getting stronger takes progressive overload, which means a plan that gradually asks a little more of you over time. Constantly swapping exercises for variety feels productive, but it rarely produces results. We progress with purpose.
What Sessions Look Like
Every session is sixty minutes, one on one. I bring what we need, and I am glad to use equipment you already have. A lot can be done with a few dumbbells, a kettlebell, a band, and floor space.
The first session is the evaluation and a first workout. We talk about your goals and history, I assess how you move, and we start with a session that is appropriate for where you are today. You leave with a plan and a clear sense of what the next few weeks look like.
Follow-up sessions are the training. I coach every rep, adjust the load and the plan as you progress, and we track what is changing. Between sessions, most people do some work on their own with a simple program I give them. How often we meet depends on you. Some people see me once a week and train independently in between. Others prefer two or three sessions a week with me. We figure out what fits your life and your budget.
What You Will Notice
People usually tell me the first thing they notice is confidence. Movements that felt risky start to feel normal. Then the numbers move. Then the things that matter move: the stairs are easier, the yard work does not wreck your back, the hike is fun again, the golf swing has more in it.
Pricing
- First session, including your evaluation: $210, sixty minutes
- Follow-up sessions: $160, sixty minutes
Payment is at the time of each session by cash, check, or Venmo. Wellness is a private-pay service. Because this is fitness rather than treatment of a diagnosed condition, I do not provide insurance superbills for wellness sessions. I can give you a basic receipt if you want to use HSA funds. If your goals turn out to be more about pain than about fitness, we can shift to a physical therapy plan of care at the same price, and superbills are available for that.
Open to Everyone
The wellness program is open to anyone who wants to get stronger, regardless of age, ability, or insurance. If you are on Medicare and looking for a way to build strength and balance with expert guidance, this is a good fit, and I would be glad to talk with you about it.
How to Start
Request an evaluation and choose personal training as your interest, or book a free fifteen minute meet and greet by phone or video if you want to talk it through first. Either way, I will get back to you within one business day.