What are your hours?
We are open 7 days a week by appointment.
Monday-Thursday 5:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday 5:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 6 a.m. – 2 p.m.
What are your rates?
Following an in-depth consultation and training, clients choose a training plan that aligns with their schedule, abilities, and goals.
- In-depth Assessment and Training: $175 (75 minutes)
- Personal Training: $40 – $75 (25 minutes)
- Personal Training Semi-Private: $50 (50 minutes)
- Group Personal Training (must be purchased up front for all sessions in a series; 8-week classes shown below, add or subtract weekly cost for classes running in a longer or shorter series)
- 25-minute modules: 8 weeks for $160 ($20/week)
- 50-minute modules: 8 weeks for $320 ($40/week)
- 75-minute modules: 8 weeks for $480 ($60/week)
- Open Training: $15 (25 minutes)
- Consultation: $30 (10 minutes)
- Meetings: $75 (25 minutes)
- Health and Wellness Fitness Coaching Program: $850
- Monthly Packages (Fitness Coaching Program): starting at $325
How do I schedule my training sessions?
If you are new to Monarch Fitness Coaching, begin your transformation by scheduling an In-Depth Consultation and Training HERE. If you would prefer more information before scheduling an In-Depth Consultation and Training, Monarch Fitness Coaching also offers a FREE 10-minute consultation. Schedule HERE.
If you have a Fitness Coaching Program, you can find links to schedule training in the TrueCoach app. Click the account button at the bottom, then documents, then links.pdf. For your convenience, the links are also included below:
ONE-ON-ONE PERSONAL TRAINING
Coach Heather
Coach Will
SEMI-PRIVATE PERSONAL TRAINING (SPPT)
One per week included as part of your Fitness Coaching Program.
Monday: 7:30 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m.
Friday: 11 a.m.
Saturday: 11:30 a.m.
GROUP PERSONAL TRAINING (GPT)
Unlimited as part of your Fitness Coaching Program. Coach approval required.
Join via Zoom
Or Sign Up for In–Person
SUNDAY
MONDAY
- 10 a.m. Flexibility: Mobility
- 11 a.m. Flow
- 6 p.m. Program Development
- 7 p.m. Strength and Stability: Core
TUESDAY
- 7 a.m. Strength and Stability: Core
- 9:30 a.m. Strength and Stability: Core
- 10 a.m. Strength: Body Weight Strength 50 Minute
- 7 p.m. Cardio and Strength: Circuit
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
- 7 a.m. 50 minute Stability and Strength
- 9:30 a.m. 25 minute Stability and Strength
- 7 p.m. 50 minute Stability and Strength
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
OPEN TRAINING
Unlimited as part of your Fitness Coaching Program. Coach approval required.
Join via Zoom during Group Personal Training or via Zoom during Semi-Private Personal Training
CONSULTATION
One per month included as part of your Fitness Coaching Program.
Sign up: 10 minute
MEETINGS
Coach Heather: 25 minute
ADDITIONAL ONE-ON-ONE PERSONAL TRAINING OPTIONS
Coach Matt
What should I expect during my In-Depth Consultation and Training?
An In-Depth Consultation and Training session is your opportunity to discuss your fitness goals with a certified master personal trainer from Monarch Fitness Coaching. Your personal trainer specializes in program design and will provide feedback on your current movement patterns, as well as personalized recommendations to help you achieve your goals. You’ll also learn exercises to help you begin progressing immediately.
Who: Open to anyone, not just those planning to continue training with Monarch Fitness Coaching
Where: In-person at our studio (928 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, IL) or via Zoom
When: Schedule HERE. Appointments available 7 days a week
Why: Get an expert assessment of your current fitness level along with actionable steps to move you toward your goals.
Duration: 75 minutes
What’s included in my Health and Wellness Fitness Coaching Program?
Following an In-Depth Consultation and Training, many clients choose to participate in the Health and Wellness Coaching Program as their next step.
The six-week Health and Wellness Fitness Coaching Program is developed with your unique needs in mind. Unlike most programs, you receive detailed, personalized feedback about how you are moving and how your choices impact your ability to reach your goals. No two training programs are the same.
Your program may include the following:
- Six personal training sessions (50 minutes)
- A detailed daily plan with written and video instruction as well as exercise: duration, frequency, and intensity
- One personal training semi-private per week (add more for $50)
- Weekly group personal training for cardio, strength, balance and stability, flexibility/mobility and core
- Coach-supported open training
- One-on-one meetings
- Unlimited email contact with fast response time
- Unlimited modifications to your plan
- Timely feedback to keep you moving toward your goals
- Reduced cost of personal training from $75 to $50 per 25 minutes (48 hour cancellation policy)
- Automatically transition to Monthly Fitness Coaching Program (30 day cancellation policy)
- You pick what works best for you.
What’s included in my Fitness Coaching Program?
Following the completion of the six-week Health and Wellness Fitness Coaching Program, many clients transition to the Monthly Fitness Coaching Program.
Your Monthly Fitness Coaching Program is unique to you. Unlike most fitness plans, you receive detailed, personalized feedback about how you are moving and how your choices impact your ability to reach your goals. No two training programs are the same.
Your program may include the following:
- A detailed daily plan with written and video instruction as well as exercise: duration, frequency, and intensity
- One personal training semi-private per week (add more for $50)
- Unlimited group personal training for cardio, strength, balance and stability, flexibility/mobility and core
- Coach-supported open training
- Monthly one-on-one meeting (add more for $30)
- Unlimited email contact with fast response times
- Unlimited modifications and adjustments to your plan
- Timely feedback to keep you moving toward your goals
- Reduced cost of personal training from $75 to $50 per 25 minutes
- You pick what works best for you.
Location options: location of your choice including virtual and 928 Chicago
Avenue
Duration: customized based on your training needs
Prerequisites: an assessment is required prior to participation
Cost: Starting at $325 per month
When do you offer Personal Training?
Monarch Fitness Coaching offers both one-on-one personal training and semi-private personal training for groups of 3-5 people. Clients must complete an in-depth consultation and training before attending personal training. Schedule HERE.
When do you offer Group Personal Training?
Each member of the group completes a similar workout with individualized modifications. All Monarch Fitness Coaching group personal training classes require coach approval. Schedule an in-depth consultation and training HERE.
When do you offer Open Training?
Similar to belonging to a gym, open training at Monarch Fitness Coaching has the added benefit of being in a supervised setting. Clients must complete an in-depth consultation and training before attending open training. Schedule HERE.
What if I can’t keep up?
Your personal trainer works with you every step of the way to determine the training that works best for you. You will be introduced to new exercises slowly and only move on to group classes or more advanced movements when you are ready.
I am going to have surgery. When should I schedule training?
We work with clients pre-surgery to ensure they go into surgery in the best physical condition possible as well as post surgery to help maintain health and fitness and fill in any gaps not covered by therapy.
What if I can’t afford Monarch Fitness Coaching’s services?
We know that health and fitness services may cost more than some members of our community can afford. We believe that all members of our community deserve to move well, do more, and be happier. Consequently, Monarch Fitness Coaching strives to make our services accessible to all of our community, irrespective of ability to pay.
Monarch Fitness Coaching’s Pay-What-You-Can Program allows you to work within your budget, so we can provide you with the support you need to progress toward your goals. Over half our clients have taken advantage of this service at some point in their training.
To take advantage of the program, when asked during your In-Depth Consultation and Training if you are interested in our Pay-What-You-Can Program, simply respond “Yes.” If you are an existing client who would like to participate in our program, simply let your coach know.
What Training is Required for Personal Trainers?
At Monarch Fitness Coaching, our personal trainers (fitness coaches) are required to have a personal training certification. Most coaches have numerous certifications. Additionally, we require our coaches to complete Monarch Fitness Coaching Certifications.
The Monarch Method Assistant Personal Training Certification Program trains our coaches to work one-on-one with you while under the supervision of another personal trainer. Additionally the assistant personal trainers serve as aids, and supervise open training. The certification program takes 3–6 months.
The Monarch Method One-On-One and Semi-Private Personal Training Certification Program trains our certified personal trainers to provide personal training to individuals and small groups. The certification program takes 6–12 months.
The Monarch Method Group Personal Training Certification Program, trains our certified personal trainers to instruct group personal training modules. The certification program takes 6–12 months
The Monarch Method Program Design Certification, teaches our certified personal trainers to develop programming for individuals, small groups, and group personal training. The certification program takes 18–24 months.
What Do Personal Trainers Do?
Personal trainers offer a variety of services to clients. At Monarch Fitness Coaching, our personal trainers provide you with the following:
- Assessments
- Exercise programming
- One-on-one training
- Shared personal training
- Group personal training
- Customized independent personal training
- Support during open training
- Nutrition support
What is One-On-One Training?
Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches will develop a training program that is customized to your unique needs. You will be guided through your session step by step, resulting in the maximum benefit from your training time. We offer one-on-one personal training seven days a week, making finding a time that works with your schedule easy. If you are looking for accountability, customization, efficient use of time, and feedback on form, you will find one-on-one personal training beneficial.
What is Semi-Private Personal Training?
Work with Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches and up to 3–5 other clients during a shared personal training session. Your personal trainer will develop a training program that is customized to your unique needs. Prior to attending semi-private personal training, you will be able to view your program through Monarch Fitness Coaching’s training software, which includes videos, written instructions, sets, reps, and specific custom feedback. Each person in the shared time will have an individualized program. We offer semi-private personal training five days a week at varying times, making finding a time that works with your schedule convenient. If you are looking for accountability, customization, and guidance as well as the opportunity to train with other people, you will find semi-private personal training beneficial.
What is Group Personal Training?
Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches will guide you through a training program that prioritizes and integrates strength, stability, flexibility and cardio into modules with different focuses. Prior to attending group personal training, you will be able to view your program through Monarch Fitness Coaching’s training software, which includes videos, written instructions, sets, reps, and specific custom feedback for you. You will work alongside other individuals who have similar goals. We offer multiple group personal training sessions seven days a week. If you are looking for camaraderie, learn well working with others, and want accountability, customization, and guidance, you will find group personal training beneficial.
What is Open Training?
Similar to belonging to a gym, open training allows you to complete your assigned workouts in a supervised setting. Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches will develop a training program for you that prioritizes your individual goals. You will be assigned workouts through Monarch Fitness Coaching’s software, which includes videos, written instructions, sets, reps, and specific custom feedback for you. You decide when you want to complete the workouts, and either come to open training in-studio or via Zoom. We offer open training seven days a week. If you are looking for custom training that you can complete in a supervised setting, open training is for you.
How Does Independent Training Work?
Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches will develop a training program for you that prioritizes your individual goals. You will be assigned workouts through our software, which includes videos, written instructions, sets, reps, and specific custom feedback for you. You complete your assigned workout in the location of your choice, at the time you choose. Communicate either through the training app or on-line with your coach by adding comments, videos and results to your workout. Independent training works well for clients who want flexibility, accountability, and feedback.
What is Strength Training?
Strength training is a type of exercise that involves contracting your muscles against an outside resistance. Improve your ability to lift, carry, push, and pull. Use your own body weight, resistance bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, and more! Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches develop strength training programs for you that start with moving your own body weight and prioritize your individual goals. In addition to improving your strength, improve your bone density, muscle mass, boost your energy and mood, and manage pain.
What is Cardio Fitness?
Cardio Fitness is your ability to take in oxygen and deliver it to your muscles and organs. Walking, jogging, hiking, cycling, swimming, rowing, stair climbing, and cross-country skiing are examples of aerobic exercises that may improve your cardio fitness, also called cardiovascular fitness and cardiorespiratory fitness. Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches develop cardio fitness training programs for you which start with low-intensity aerobic exercises and safely build your cardiovascular function by increasing duration, then intensity. In addition to improving your cardio fitness, improve your stamina, boost your mood, live longer, improve brain function, and reduce your risk of many diseases including heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
What is Stability Training?
Improve your muscles’ ability both to react quickly to changes and to stabilize your joints. Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches develop stability fitness training programs for you that start with improving your muscle strength and your ability to move in an efficient and effective way. You then work on improving your reaction time by challenging your muscles to stabilize you on uneven and wobbly surfaces and/or while you are moving more quickly. Lower your risk of overuse injuries, reduce the risk of falling, prevent accidents, which can result in acute injury, and stimulate your brain.
What is Flexibility Training?
Improve your joints’ range of motion by stretching your muscles in order to increase your flexibility. Everyone needs a minimum amount of flexibility in order to move well. Reduced range of motion in your joints results in compensatory movement patterns and can lead to injury. Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches will assess the range of motion in your joints, let you know if you meet the guidelines for minimum ranges, and develop a fitness coaching program that improves your flexibility. Did you know that you need approximately 65 degrees of big toe flexion in order to walk without compromising the health of your other joints? Through flexibility training, you can decrease your risk of injury, increase your flexibility, relax, and reduce stress.
What is Mobility Training?
Mobility training improves both the passive and active range of motion in your joints. You might already be stretching and working on your passive range of motion through flexibility training. If you can bend your knee and bring your heel to your glute with your hand, that’s great! Your passive range of motion in your knee is excellent. If you try to bring your heel to your glute without using your hand, this is your active range of motion. Assuming your passive range of motion is healthy, having an active range of motion within 15 degrees of passive range, reduces your risk of injury in the joint. Monarch Fitness Coaching’s certified personal trainers and coaches will assess the range of motion in your joints, let you know if you are at risk of injury caused by a difference between your passive and active range of motion, and develop a fitness coaching program that improves your mobility. Mobility training will decrease your risk of injury, increase your control over your joints, improve your strength, improve circulation, and improve your ability to move well.
What Should I Expect From a Personal Trainer?
At Monarch Fitness Coaching, the first time you meet with one of our certified personal trainers will be for an In-Depth Consultation and Training. Your personal trainer (fitness coach) will spend time talking to you about your goals. You will then receive a movement pattern evaluation. Following the evaluation, you will receive feedback and a plan to get you started progressing toward your goals. Schedule your In-Depth Consultation and Training.
All competent personal trainers, like those at Monarch Fitness Coaching, will take the time to understand your goals and current fitness level. If a personal trainer ever suggests that you should start training, before an evaluation, this is a red flag. If the trainer doesn’t understand your needs, the workout will be less effective and might lead to injury.
Are Personal Training Programs Individualized?
All personal training programs at Monarch Fitness Coaching including one-on-one training, shared training, and group personal training are individualized. If you are in a shared personal training time at Monarch Fitness Coaching, the people you are sharing with will be working on different developmental skills. If you are in a group personal training, your work point for an exercise may be different from the people training with you. One example of this is for push-ups. You might be doing the push-up on a 30-inch box, another person might be doing the push-up on a wall, and a third person might be doing a chest press.
At other gyms and studios, some personal trainers do not provide individual programs. If you notice that your program is not customized to meet your individual goals, the personal trainer you are working with might not be a good fit. The lack of focus on your individual needs will make the workout less effective and might lead to injury.
What is Virtual Personal Training
Monarch Fitness Coaching provides virtual personal training for one-on-one personal training, shared personal training, group personal training, and open training. Monarch Fitness Coaching utilizes Zoom for our virtual personal training. According to their website, “Zoom is a communication platform that allows users to connect with video, audio, phone, and chat. Using Zoom requires an internet connection and a supported device.”
Virtual personal training allows you to complete your training from the location of your choice. If you are short on time on a particular day or can not make it into the studio, virtual personal training is an excellent option.
Over 95% of our clients train virtually at some point. Approximately 20% of our clients train primarily virtually.
How Does Virtual Personal Training Work?
Most clients find they need to set up a six-foot by two-foot training space. All Monarch Fitness Coaching Programs include links to virtual training supported by Zoom. Click on the provided link to join your training. If it is your first time using Zoom, you will be prompted to create an account. Most clients find that using their phone camera provides the best views for their personal trainer (coach) to give feedback.
Depending on your goals and the areas you are working to develop, your coach will ask you to provide side, front, or back views. Often the coach is able to see you in a way that they are unable to in the studio. We have found that a combination of in-person and virtual personal training is very beneficial and do not see a disadvantage to training exclusively virtually.
How is Monarch Fitness Coaching Different from a Traditional Gym?
Your needs are different, and so is the focus of your training. At a traditional gym you are given access to equipment, but are not provided with guidance on how to progress toward your goals. Monarch Fitness Coaching’s unique approach prioritizes and integrates strength, cardio, flexibility, and stability into custom training. You pick the type of personal training that works best for you.
What is Monarch Fitness Coaching’s Origin Story?
Coach Heather, the owner and lead personal trainer of Monarch Fitness Coaching, has always cherished being active and spending time outdoors. For her, movement is not just a physical act, but a means of emotional regulation, as well as a source of joy and solace.
When Coach Heather began teaching group fitness classes including cycling, core, and circuit, she observed that clients did not make progress toward their goals and often hurt themselves despite putting in the time and effort. Reflecting on her experience competing and coaching in sports like running, swimming, cycling, orienteering, and skiing, she identified two key factors for success: 1) an emphasis on movement patterns and healthy form, and 2) a multidisciplinary approach that utilizes best practices from many different health and wellness disciplines. That realization became the foundation of Monarch Fitness Coaching.
What’s the Story Behind the Name of Your Business?
Monarch Fitness Coaching is about transforming the way people move through life. The Monarch butterfly represents possibility and the power of transformation. Coach Heather, the owner and lead personal trainer of Monarch Fitness Coaching, knew the Monarch butterfly is a symbol of her home state, Vermont. Additionally, their migration is often observed in Evanston. It felt like the perfect representation for the business.
What Monarch Clients Say
“I train so I can work in my garden, take care of my plants, and enjoy life.”
“I was able not only to meet my goals, but surpass them. I’ve never been able to accomplish as much on my own or without getting injured.”
“With cardio, strength, and flexibility training, I can hike and bird-watch with my dog, Wheeler.”
“Monarch Fitness Coaching really knows their stuff. I have lost 70 lbs., and I feel and look great.”
“Because of my strength and stability training, I can ski with my granddaughter!”
“Thanks to Monarch Fitness Coaching, hip and back pain no longer interferes with driving, golf, and basketball.”
