How do you keep your clients motivated? - Personal Trainer Community - Forum

[Christina]

How do you keep your clients motivated when they're in a slump? Do you ever call them or email them to see how their workouts are going?

Christina

[Joe Cannon MS CSCS]

One of the things I do is show them how they are improving in the little things in life. Sometimes they don’t notice how they don’t get out of breath as fast or that they can now do things that they couldn’t before. if they tell me how they have improved on a blood test or how happy their doctor was about their physical results, I highlight that as well. I keep telling them that wellness is a marathon and not a sprint. its the little things we do every day that add up. its like interest in a savings account (well maybe not a savings account but a money market account or one of those "Orange" Accounts) that slowly accrues over many years

I also have them write a paragraph on every goal they have. I have them tell me exactly why they want to achieve those goals. if I can get them to do a little thing like that, then they are more likely to achieve those goals in the long run.

[fullcouch]

Fake enthusiasm. No matter what, make sure they see me as genuinely involved in what they are doing. It builds repore and credibility. Then I praise them for their work.

[klnelli]

The best advice i can give on this topic is to make sure your clients enjoy their sessions. Sometimes we get so carried away with exercise only, but usually when my clients are in a slump, grumpy or bad mood is because there is something else going on in their life. It is not their exercise. I spend some sessions with more talking than working out. of course you have to feel out your clients and keep their fitness goals in mind. if you can make sure every clients leaves their session happy they will look forward to returning and their motivation will come back.