Despite being a well established Ascot personal trainer I cannot influence the fitness industry. No individual can control technology and social media, regardless of it’s severely distorted representation of health and fitness. Social media and blog accounts fuelled by ego and littered with ‘look at me’ are here to stay. Whilst it’s a huge bug bear of mine, I can’t control that space. What is within the control of any Ascot fitness coach or personal trainer is how they choose to help their clients. On a superficial level this involves helping them get fit. However, true investment in your clients can make a real difference to both them and you.
Personal Trainers must put the client first
Ok, so you train people for money. Totally ok to sell your time and skill set to improve the fitness of others. However, in my experience, this quite often happens on a superficial level. At the superficial level this involves designing and prescribing sessions that address the health and fitness needs of your clients. Consistent coaching of clients through these sessions will see them move towards their health and fitness goals. However, there are several questions that personal trainers can ask themselves to take this level of investment to a deeper level:
- Are the exercises selected the very best option? This is very different from ‘will they get my client fitter’. It’s also different from ‘will they simply do?’ For example, do you throw Leg Press into a routine simply because you need a lower body exercise? A better choice for the client may be to practice single leg eccentric box squats to improve their left and right imbalances.
- Take time to understand how the client is arriving at your session. What has been happening in their life since you last saw them? How might that impact on their ability to complete your planned session? All of this information can be gathered during the warm up. Good personal trainers will then make necessary adjustments to the programme.
- Take time to tune into how your client responds to feedback and what genuinely motivates them. Not everyone needs a cheerleader. Does everyone respond to being told to work harder? Not everyone wants to approach their training as hardcore as you do!! All of these are ok. Avoid applying a cookie cutter approach to all clients simply slows progress.
It’s not about you, it’s about what you know
Many personal trainers and fitness coaches will take an interest in their own fitness. That is to be expected. This is an important part of providing motivation to clients, of being a role model. However, it’s important that you do not allow training sessions to become an ‘ego trip’. I have heard too many real life examples of personal trainers who demotivate clients and athletes by talking solely about themselves and their own training.