As a personal trainer if you stop for second and really think about it, do you bore your clients? Are there ever times when you leave a session and think “Hmmm, there wasn’t much engagement in that session”. If we are honest the answer is probably yes to both of these questions for all of us to some extent. After all, it is a business that centres around motivating people and communicating. Bored personal training clients soon become ex-personal training clients! Effective personal training requires more than technical knowledge.
Regardless of a personal trainer’s expertise, they can’t be all things to all people right? This is true, but there are some important trap doors to avoid if you want to maximise your chances of clients sticking with you for the long haul. Here, I highlight the ‘must do’ factors when it comes to working with people one to one in fitness.
The Effective Personal Training Landscape 101
From the very outset you have to set clear boundaries and ground rules for the client. Manage their expectations of what things will be like from the get go. This includes all of the logistics such as punctuality, adherence, routine and effort. If either you or the client fail to meet these standards then address is straight away. Failure to do so creates a precedent for repeat episodes in the future. Whilst pulling someone up on effort, punctuality or a late can be daunting and awkward, it does save hassle further down the line. Ultimately, people like to know where they stand, so it’s important to set the tone from the start, and in a personal training scenario it’s up to you!
Develop Shared Interest
Effective personal training requires results. Trainer and client need to share a vested interest in achieving the clients health and fitness goals. Getting them their safely and quickly has to be the shared aim. If you genuinely commit to this then ultimately you need nothing else in common. Of course this is obvious?! However, when it comes to making a living there may be tendency to simply take on a client thinking purely of the financials – this rarely works and will be a short lived coaching relationship. Take on clients that you want to help. The quality of your programming and coaching follows from this. Clients can tell how much effort has gone into programming sessions and will feed off of your enthusiasm.
We all know that clients aren’t robots and that effective personal training has a significant social element. Take time to get to know your client, and what makes them tick outside of training. Sessions will go much more smoothly when clients are engaged fully, and this means during rest periods too. Avoid situations where a client is looking at the clock pining for the end of the session because time is moving slowly. Developing a sustainable relationship with a client requires a genuine effort to engage the client on a different levels.
NK Fitness provide a number of effective personal training solutions in Ascot for clients that range from elite athletes, young performers and those just looking to be fit and healthy. If you would like to know how we could help you be fitter and healthier then please contact us for a free consultation.
