Instant gratification and cheat codes for results are driving factors in too many people’s fitness journey. It is your job as a private trainer to eliminate the results driven mentality of your client, and convince them to buy into the process of achieving them. The million-dollar question here is, “how?”
With countless pieces of equipment and limitless information available today, it has become an easy question to overcomplicate. Keeping things simple is the best way to evaluate a complex situation. With the following three keys, you can equip both yourself and every client you pick up with the ability to reach goals and achieve success.
3 keys for private trainers to help a client reach their goals
1. Understand their “why”
Every fitness journey starts in a place unique to the individual who is on it. Whether your client is overweight, facing a health crisis, training for a marathon, or simply looking to lead a healthier lifestyle, their motivation is specific to them.
Asking questions that force the issue of uncovering that motivation is essential to building a path to success for each client. Anyone that comes to you as a prospective client needs to be heard and understood. If someone tells you they just want to lose a few pounds, dig deeper. What has driven them to that goal? Is it a matter confidence or fear? Want or need? Getting to understand their “why” will help you form a personal relationship and open doors to further success. Any connection in this line of work will be feeble without genuine upfront questions and expressed desire to understand. Get a grip on your client’s “why” before you even consider the best route to achieving it.
2. Design the right plan
Much like the motivation for starting their fitness journey, each individual will require an entirely unique plan of attack. Strengths, weaknesses, and general ability will set the boundaries of your first sessions together. Designing a plan conducive to improving upon those weaknesses, nurturing strengths, and developing their general ability will clear a path to results.
Maintaining a motivating presence throughout sessions will unlock the opportunity for you to push a client further and learn more about what they need. Take notes during sessions and consider them for the future. To reach goals and achieve what lays beyond them, you will need your clients to be committed to the plan you put before them. However, if glaring weaknesses appear during the process, you’ll need to be able to make adjustments in private to keep their plan suitable for ultimate success.
3. Analyze the situation
After every single training session.
It is absolutely imperative that you keep close tabs on progress, updates, health, and any other changes that may come into the picture. The “why” you uncovered and the plan you tailored to it will be useless without proper, persistent analysis. This third and final key element to finding client success may be the most challenging to upkeep. With each client that is added to your roster, the more difficult it will become to separate your ego—what you think is best—and the legitimate needs of each person you are working with.
Maintain a humble approach to client analysis so that you can remain focused on them at all times. They need you just as much as you need them, and finding a balance between planning and analysis for each client is what will set you apart as a trainer. The easy way will always be sticking to what you know. Push yourself to dig deeper and find the best path for each of your clients.
Want to get started as a personal trainer or private coach? Join the hundreds of coaches already using CoachUp and experience the benefit of working with the best coaching and training platform available! Apply today and get to work tomorrow.
