Personal Training Principles- Why giving a shit gets clients

As a business owner, I often hear dealing with flakes come with the territory. But while I am used to clients who arrive late (if at all) or show up to the session hungover (in which case they immediately hit the floor for burpees), dealing with bum trainers is another proposition entirely.

Without going in too far in to my experiences with this problem, I will just say that the best thing I have learned from owning my own studio is that professionalism is, by far, the most important element in winning over a client.

I used to ask myself how trainers that employ bodypart splits and bicep curls on stability balls still have clients. Well now I know: they give a shit!

Sure, they may think the Psoas is an amusement park ride, but the very fact that they know the name of their client’s kids and take time to discuss their problems is the greatest selling point of all.

In explaining this situation to new trainers, I always refer back to a great quote I have heard uttered by plenty of coaches and motivators: “Noone cares how much you know, until they know how much you care”

I will spare you to sappy commentary, but I hope you will read the four guiding principals we live by in our gym when training clients:

1. Come passionate or don’t come at all

As someone that hires/fires trainers for a living, I have found the mark of a great professional is someone who can hang up their drama at the door and make each session all about the client.

Regardless of whether you are tired, what bills you have to pay and/or your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend just released incriminating photos of you and a farm animal, you must assume the role of motivator and coach as soon as the session begins. I want my client to feed off of my passion for what I do and this means I coach the hell out of each rep and push them to their limit until their time has expired.

From my perspective, coaching clients reminds me how much I love what I do and takes my mind off of the problems waiting for me at the door.

2. Never be afraid to speak up

One mistake I made early on with clients was not corrective form and cueing even when I observed a clear problem. For me, this came down to uncertainty about the correct cue and fear that my client would become annoyed or put off.

This all changed one day when I finally got up the courage corrected a long standing client’s deadlift and she thanked me and remarked “this is what I pay you to do”. The reality is that our clients hire us as the authority and while we must put things a certain way, they want you to give feedback and correction.

Regardless of who the client is or their station in life, everyone that steps in to our facility is the same. We want them to work as safely and correctly as possible. This means your primary role is coach and motivator. Even if you do not know the exact technical cue, don’t be afraid to adjust on the fly and make a note of what to review.

3. Be on time and organized

A good rule of thumb for a personal trainer is that the session starts seven minutes before the hour or half hour. This amount of time allows you just enough time to set up and cue your client to begin their stretching or pre-workout routine.

The other issue we sometimes must contend with are other trainers or clients working out. Taking the time to coordinate with other trainers and collect your equipment will help to shave several minutes off your session and keep things flowing.

4. Take an interest in each client

While knowing the names of your clients‘ children and where they last vacationed may not seem a requirement for results, the “little things” are what build the bond of trust that keep clients coming back.

Out of the 45 people I currently train, I can tell you something unique about each one of them and you better believe I reference these things as often as exercises to keep them coming back. If we want our clients’ buying in to things such as homework and showing up early to stretch, they need to know how important these things are-- and how much we care that they do them.

With this in mind, take a few minutes after the first session to identify your client’s basic interests and needs and make a note of these things in their workout chart. These will later serve as points of discussion and potential motivation. Some things to consider include:

 Favorite sports
 Occupation
 Kids names and ages
 Favorite (and least favorite foods)
 Vacation destinations

5. Vary your workouts-

A common practice amongst manner trainers I have encountered is to write on workout for the day. While this may work for relatively fit clients, this will only lead to general results.

If you want to make a believer out of your client, it is important to make sure their unique needs are addressed. Following a basic posture and fitness screening, this means certain exercises, stretches and corrective exercises to suit their individual needs.

The trick with not spending hours on this process is figuring out which parts of the program can apply to most clients generally and which must be specific to the individual. In my experience, we can look at the following:

• Pre-workout- Specific stretches based upon issues identified in basic testing.
• Warm up- Specific movement prep for issues identified in screening followed by generalized total body warm up which addresses total body mobility/flexibility.
• Strength Training- Generalized full body workout which excludes lifts identified as a risk in screening process. For example, if the client cannot reach their arms overhead, stay away from overhead pressing.
• Conditioning- Generalized routine excluding exercises contradicted by screening.
• Corrective Exercise- Exercises specific to needs identified in screening.