Some would say that getting and staying in shape is 90% motivation – with the reminder being hard work and nutrition! With this in mind, it’s your job as a personal trainer to keep your clients motivated and on a positive path toward betterment. Check out these 6 ways to motivate your personal training clients.
Use a Fitness Management Software
There are a number of tools currently available, which are designed to help you motivate more people, in less time. Working with a personal coaching software allows personal trainers to build training and nutrition plans, and make them available to the client on his/her Smartphone. It also allows them to set goals and quick wins for their client in an appealing way. But even more importantly, this fitness trainer software is the perfect tool to collect client feedback, and then react in a timely manner so that the program is always customized, optimal, and of course, motivating!
The fitness trainer software is also available as an app so training programs can be sent directly to your clients smartphones or tablets.
Set Short and Long Term Goals
Being physically active, or eating well, are not goals in themselves. This means that no one wants to simply “be active”. Being active is actually a means to an end; “living longer”, “looking better”, “weighing less”, are the real concrete goals here. But these goals are often overwhelming. For that reason, it’s crucial to set both short and long term goals for your clients. It’s easy enough to set a long term goal to lose 50 pounds of fat, or gain 20 pounds of muscle, but these goals often take a long time to realize. Set short term goals – such as to lose 5 pounds by the end of the month. This way your clients will see that they are making progress and keep their head in the game. In the same respect, challenge your clients with mini-challenges.
As Andrew Heming says in this article, start with what they want, and finish with what they need : 10 Coaching Tips To Helps Beginner Clients Reach Their Fitness Goals.
Talk to Your Clients
One thing that many personal trainers fail to do is really develop a personal bond by actually talking with their clients.
If it looks like your client is down, call them out on it and find out why they are feeling the way they do. Remind them of the reason they started training in the first place as well as the progress they have made to date.
You should be the positive chip on their shoulder through the good and the bad times. If you need to, schedule an appointment to sit down and review progress and goals. Also remember to always provide feedback which is both positive and constructive.
Stay Positive
It should go without saying that personal trainers should always be positive. However, we all have our bad days and our own worries to contend with (learn to compartmentalize). This can be one of the hardest aspects of being a good trainer, but it’s vital that you remain positive – so much so that your clients feed off of your energy.
Also try to surround your clients with a positive environment and this means ensuring good people are around them so that they feel comfortable training.
Make Workouts Fun
Workouts are meant to be tough, but still good fun. It’ll be hard to keep your clients positive if they have a miserable experience every time they train with you. In addition to remaining upbeat which is contagious in itself, try to design workout plans that are varied and interesting. Try to also ensure each workout has a good peak and a good ending – this could be as simple as using varied timing or rearranging sets, and saving a favored exercise until last.
Constantly find new ways to make working out a blast.
Build an Online Community
As a successful personal trainer, you should have an online presence – even if that just comes in the form of an Instagram account or a Facebook page. Encourage your clients to be social with you and make an effort to share motivational images, posts and quotes, as well as start discussions to keep people in the loop.
Life often throws a lot of curveballs at us and as a personal trainer, it’s your job to teach your clients how to pick up a bat and turn that curveball into a home run.
Over to you! How do you keep your clients motivated? Share your tips below!
