FAIL in the sense that they don’t get their new client, or possibly existing clients, measurable RESULTS! I’ve seen it for years. You’ve heard the old adage, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. Well these amateur trainers, mainly in the gym setting or fresh off getting their certification and no client training experience, are basically ‘glorified’ instructors, a.k.a., followers.

What they or the training organization over them miss, is they do not spend enough time up front with a new client! Their direct path is to a contract and first workout. This is how most trainers FAIL with their new client. They skip over the most important step with their new client!

The solution is simple, do the right and ethical thing with your new client, conduct an extensive initial consultation and perform thorough fitness testing up front. Then go to the first workout. How can you know where you are going with a client if you don’t know where they have been? Extensive fitness testing shows you, the trainer, where they have been.

My goal with fitness testing is to uncover weaknesses and imbalances so I can create the most optimal strategy for potential success. The client’s commitment is better when you take the time to look beneath fitness and investigate function. By adopting testing methods, I accelerate the relationship with my new client and find and fix weaknesses while the rest simply focus on strengths.

Most client’s main goal is weight loss. I call it scale weight loss. My goal then is to have the new client understand the difference between scale weight loss and body fat % loss. To further this and help establish a baseline, the client’s body fat needs to be checked with a reputable instrument. This will be the topic of my next blog. Until then….Stay Strong!