I have made mistakes in my career as a Personal Trainer and CrossFit Coach. Lots of them. And I still make plenty of mistakes now!
If you know me, though, you know I am a “just dive in” kind of guy. That’s how I’ve learned most of what I’ve learned and still do today. I do tend to be surrounded by the “A-type” personalities in the world, though. It’s weird for me…
If your goal is to look better and feel better, you need to read these 5 things below. If you’re a new Personal Trainer, it might be good for you to do the same!
1 – BEHAVIOR CHANGE IS KEY
Early On In My Career — As a Personal Trainer and CrossFit coach, I was focused on programming cool workouts. These workouts had all kinds of pieces, moving parts, and fancy timings.
I realized, however, that I was trying to show off to the rest of the gym members who were watching me train my clients. It was kind of a marketing thing. I also realized that it wasn’t really getting anybody as good of results as I was hoping.
You want to know what’s better marketing as a Personal Trainer? Getting your clients results and showing those results off!
Now — I still love the programming part but I love to see behavior change more. Behavior change is where long-term results come from!
Who cares if you can workout hard and do some weird thing that you’ll use for your Instagram highlights. You need to focus on the things that make the biggest impact and will stick around for ages.
2 – TAILORING PROGRAMS TO MY CLIENTS’ LIVES
Early On In My Career — As a Personal Trainer, I wrote things for my clients that I thought was cool, that I thought would be effective, and that I realized later wouldn’t work for their lives outside the gym.
I didn’t ask questions to help me understand HOW I should be helping them the best way for them.
Now — I ask questions. Moreover, I ask questions to help me understand how to better help you:
- I want to know what days per week work for you
- I want to know how long you can allot for each of your workouts
- I want to know if you’re traveling and what equipment you have access to [if any]
- I want to know if you have a support system at home or if you’re “flying solo”
- I want to know if you are being challenged with what we’re doing or not
- And so much more…
3 – COMMUNICATION IS CRUCIAL
Early On In My Career — As a Personal Trainer, my communication consisted of filling in the quiet times by asking questions. I was trying to learn facts about my clients’ lives that allowed me to build a better relationship with them as we went along.
Now — I still ask these questions because they’re a vital tenant in building trust and engagement. What have I added to this, though?
I now ask questions in a way to understand what they feel like they’re doing well, what they feel like their biggest struggle might be, and how I might better help them both in and out of the gym.
The main part of any healthy relationship? Communication. This also goes the other way: if you have a personal trainer and your trainer didn’t ask you, this doesn’t mean they don’t want to know.
4 – NUTRITION MATTERS [PROBABLY] MORE THAN WORKOUTS
“You can’t outwork a bad diet.”
You’ve probably heard this. I certainly have. In fact, I’ve heard it so much that I cringe when I hear it. This doesn’t mean there’s not truth there, though.
Early On In My Career — I was a huge fan of the Paleo diet, Keto, Primal, etc. I felt like they were good means of getting people on a simple track to success. I found out, though, that for certain people, it did just the opposite.
When I say certain people, it’s a larger population than you would think.
Now — Habits, habits, and more habits.
- What does your plate look like, generally? Carbs, proteins, fruits, veggies, etc.
- Is this something you can do most of the time?
- Are you getting the results you want combined with feeling like you can actually live?
- Are you someone who tracks each and every detail or do you operate better knowing a rule of thumb?
5 – VARIETY CAN HELP KEEP ENGAGEMENT HIGH
Early On In My Career — I cannot help but role my eyes at myself when I think about the things I used to have my clients do. Suffice it to say, if you find yourself standing on an inverted Bosu ball, or balancing on a Swiss ball doing some kind of weird push/pull thing, you might be the wrong track.
I’ve programmed that. I am him.
Now — I understand that variety does, in fact, matter and does improve engagement and consistency in training (ENTER CROSSFIT).
I also understand how big simplicity is. Simplicity + variety = better results, better engagement, better understanding, and better safety.
In other words, what is the definition of functional movement, to me? Does the thing you’re doing relate to what you do on a daily basis? That’s functional movement!
So, unless your daily life requires you to stand on one leg on an unstable surface holding a couple of different objects pushing and pulling and squatting, you’re probably doing the wrong thing…
MORAL OF THE STORY?
If you’re a Personal Trainer, especially if you’re a new Personal Trainer:
- Focus on building good habits for your clients rather than being fancy and “cool” with your programming
- Ask your clients about their lives with the goal being, “how can I best help you?”
- Communication is key. Ask more questions and listen in on what they’re saying
- Focus on nutrition and please do not pigeon hole your clients into the same way of eating regardless of who they are
- Program variety but keep things simple!
If you’re someone who is working out to look better and feel better without making the mistakes I’ve made, well:
- Don’t worry about whether you’re on point 100% of the time. Instead, focus on building good habits for yourself
- Think about, and act on, what is realistic for you for your training and in your life
- Don’t know what I mean? Click HERE and I’d be happy to help you come up with a plan in your free consult
- Have a trainer? Ask them lots of questions. Don’t have a trainer? Find someone who knows this stuff, and whom you trust, and ask them the same questions
- While eating based on a single means (ex: Paleo, Keto, etc) may not work for everyone, there are common rules to follow regardless:
- Eat whole foods
- More proteins
- Fruits and veggies
- Less sugars for the sake of sugars but carbs tend to be ok in moderation [depending on your goals]
- Drink lots of water
- Again, build habits
- Don’t get sucked into all that fancy crap. The simple things are better and more effective
Have other questions or concerns? Reach out to me at [email protected] and ask away. I’m here to help!
