A Starting Point Session tells you which movements you currently own, which ones are limited, and what to train first. It runs 45 minutes to an hour, involves no workout, and you leave with a written report whether you ever train with us or not.
It exists because almost nobody starting an exercise program knows where they are starting from. They know where they used to be, they know where they would like to be, and they guess at everything in between.
If you have just finished physical therapy, your last PT appointment is a starting line covers the gap you are standing in right now. If it is your back specifically, read how to lift safely after a back injury. And if it has simply been years since you trained, strength training after 50 walks through what the first month looks like.
What happens in the session
You will not break a sweat. Wear what you would train in, but you are not training.
We talk first. What you want to be able to do, what you have been told to avoid, what hurts and when, what you have already tried. If you came out of physical therapy, chiropractic or orthopedic care, this is where we find out what your clinician set as restrictions.
Then we screen how you move. Squatting and hinging patterns, how your hips and shoulders behave at end range, seated rotation, single-leg balance, and some basic clearing checks around the hip and shoulder. Each one answers a specific question: can you get into this position, can you control it, and does it provoke anything.
It is not a fitness test. Nobody is counting your push-ups and nobody is comparing you to a twenty-five-year-old.
What the report says
You leave with it written down, which is the part people are most surprised by.
The report covers what you do well, which patterns are currently limited and what that limitation looks like in daily life, which movements to start with, and which to leave alone until something changes. Where a restriction came from your clinician, it says so and it stays.
It is yours. Take it to your physical therapist, take it to another gym, or put it in a drawer. We write it the same either way.
What it is not
It is not a diagnosis. We are coaches, not clinicians. A screen identifies what you can and cannot currently do under load. It does not name a condition, and if something in it suggests you should see a professional, we say that plainly.
It is not a sales pitch. At the end we tell you what we would do if you trained with us, because you will ask. Then you go home. There is no close.
It is not a workout. People arrive braced for a trial session. It is a conversation and some movement screening, and most people find it the most relaxed 45 minutes to an hour they have spent in a gym.
Who runs them
Ryan runs the sessions at Coraopolis. Chelsea runs them at Lawrence. Both locations, same screen, same report.
There is a limited number of slots each week because the two of us run all of them personally, so booking a week or so out is normal.
Book a Starting Point Session in Coraopolis — 409 Mulberry St, with Ryan
Book a Starting Point Session in Lawrence — 108 Commerce Blvd., Suite C, with Chelsea
If you would rather see us first
We are hosting Life After PT on Wednesday, November 18 at the Lawrence studio. A physical therapist on what discharge actually means, a registered dietitian on eating to rebuild, one of our members on what coming back felt like, and Coach Chelsea on the first four weeks of training. Free, 6:30 to 8:00 PM, thirty seats.
It is a reasonable way to decide whether we are people you would want to work with before you book anything.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Starting Point Session cost?
It is free, and so is the written report that comes with it. There is no obligation to train with us afterwards.
How long does it take?
45 minutes to an hour. We book the full window so nobody is rushed.
Do I need to be cleared by a doctor first?
If you are currently under care for an injury, finish with your clinician first and bring whatever restrictions they set. If you are simply out of practice rather than injured, no clearance is needed to be screened.
What should I wear?
Whatever you would move in. You will be squatting, reaching and balancing, not running.
Is this the same as a free trial session?
No. A trial is training. A Starting Point Session is screening and a conversation, with no workout in it. They are different things and this one comes first.
Where are you located?
Two locations: 409 Mulberry Street in Coraopolis, and 108 Commerce Boulevard, Suite C in Lawrence. Both serve the surrounding western and southern suburbs.
Keep reading
- Your Last PT Appointment Is a Starting Line — what to do with the strength you built once physical therapy ends
- How to Lift Safely After a Back Injury — what makes loading safe again, and what your clinician’s restrictions mean in a gym
- Strength Training After 50 — the first four weeks, week by week
Ready to find your starting point? Book in Coraopolis or book in Lawrence. Free, 45 minutes to an hour, and the written report is yours either way.