By Don Niam Las Vegas personal fitness trainer client relationship Personal Trainer Tells Clients Like it Is Uncategorized December 6, 2014

Personal Trainer Tells Clients Like It is No Pulling Punches

“Personal Trainer and Client Have A Good Connection And Meeting Of The Minds” Personal Fitness Trainer and client relationship should have a good connection and meeting of the minds. This article is based solely on my own experience and interaction with clients and Martial Art students. I would say it could be helpful to trainers and clients both. It would be a good read for trainers to pass on to their clients and without directly telling clients what you would like to say, you could blame it on me.

Anyone that has been in the Personal Training business for a few years has probably had these types of clients.

There is the client that states they will eat properly because they are ready to make it happen, but will not give up their bottle of wine nightly, which means it’s probably one and a half to two bottles a night. Then of course you explain the useless calories they are taking in at night and the added sugar. Don’t sugar coat it, even if you have not been paid for the first package yet. People seeking a trainer and are at the point of ready to sign with a personal trainer are seeking guidance, but have not caved yet to the realities of what it takes. They will respect you more for the professional stand on your knowledge and conviction.
There are the totally misguided ones that thought if they trained with you for six months and then attained what they wanted and changed their physique, that they could quit and it would last forever. Truthfully, I have only had on person like that. The worst part is that, the client kept repeating this question. For awhile it can be tolerated with kindness, but after the 6 times in 3 weeks it becomes annoying enough, that the answer has to be stated as Trainer: “Didn’t I already explain this 6 times to you? Do you NOT understand or do you just hope that if you keep asking the question, you will get the impossible answer you are looking for?” I am not changing my answer and quit looking for the easy way out!
Client: If I stop eating right will I gain the body fat back? Now it’s time to clown them. Trainer: Yes and if you quit your job, your employer will keep paying you right! The head nods as if, I can usually talk all of this BS to my friends and no one would ever call me on it.
It get’s really bad here on the next session. Client: So if you workout, you can eat anything you want right? Trainer: Did I tell you that in the last month that we have discussed diet every session and I have asked you to bring in everything you ate everyday for a week, but you still haven’t brought it in? Where did you read or hear that? Client: Well I talked to some guys that work out. Trainer: Did you hire them or did you hire me? What is their background, just some knuckleheads in the gym that learned how to workout by watching others do things wrong? Some people think if they worked out for a year, they are hardcore. Talk to me in 5 or 10 years!!! That statement may scare some off, but my personality doesn’t allow me to hold back to well. If you’re thinking about using these techniques, you must have a certain personality to pull that off. Lol
Client: I remember when I took protein before; I got pretty big and ripped. Trainer: Wow how did you do that, because protein powder is a powdered form of quality food, I never had those results before, you probably don’t need me if you just get big and ripped off of protein powder. Then of course you have to pat them on the back, and tell them your just kidding, but only about the part that they don’t need you, because they usually don’t get it. Trainer: Once again I love to call people on the statement that they use to be ripped. “I would like to see the photo’s of when you were ripped, it will help me see what you were able to attain in the future. Client: I don’t have any…. Trainer: Really! I would think if you worked hard to get ripped you would have taken a few pics. They get the picture that trying to waste time stroking you is a losing battle.

No Nonsense Pull No Punches Personal Training Method by The Iron Trainer

This could go on for a while, but I like to keep the articles short enough to not bore a reader. My opinion is that enabling a client’s weakness and lack of enthusiasm or reality of what it takes to make changes will only result in you the trainer being blamed for their lack of results. I always tell a client that I can guarantee results if they do what I say. Doing what you want or leaving parts out will leave you with wasted efforts and an unsuccessful end result. I train people for results and to make them feel better about themselves and their self-confidence. If you don’t do what I tell you, then you will not obtain results and when you quit training with me, will not be a product of my training program. Which in turn you tell people, “I trained with he or she and did not get results. That is another lack of accountability problem that you had when you started with me and if that did not change, I did not do my job well enough to change your thinking. Or you just did not have the internal drive to make it happen and this was just a weak attempt to say I tried a trainer and it didn’t work, so I can go back to doing nothing…

My Methods Work For Me

Well that’s just a few of experiences and the results are clients resigning with me, so for myself the direct no-nonsense method works. If you start the process of agreeing and enabling, you will not be able to easily convert to a stern approach, because they then will think after you receive their money, you changed or your just Bi-Polar, Just kidding, but not!

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Thanks for reading and hit like if you did like it,

Respectfully,

Article by Don Niam