5 min
When your clients are tired, their bodies are hurting, and they want nothing more to do with the gym - that’s where you have to step up and keep them going. But, helping clients outside of the gym can be really challenging.
After all, words only go so far. Your clients have their own struggles, injuries, and worries in life. So how do we keep them going through the grilling routines we set up? Challenges are a good route to go, but again - how can you tell if they are really doing the challenges you set out for them? It’s a really tricky business.
The good news is that through this article, we can help you with 5 tips to help you keep your clients going, and those results growing even while they are not training at the gym.
Ready to get into it?
Offer Incentives For Hard Work
Training is hard. Even the people that are iron addicts, and live with the weights still find themselves barely able to walk after a particularly nasty leg day with supersets. Which is something you need to remember when training someone who may not be as physically inclined as you.
Which is why it is important to find the balance between pushing them and rewarding them for what they have done. One of the biggest motivational tactics trainers use is small rewards based on performance.
After all, we all like getting free gifts, right?
It could be anything really. From a nice massage after completing their first 12-week program. To buying them a smoothie after a challenge that you know must have been hell. These small gifts are both healthy, benefit their bodies, and keep their minds away from the gym for a little bit. Motivating them to keep going.
For example, I had a client who was working on losing a lot of weight and not only was training really hard, but was also working on her diet. We took steps in fixing her diet along with her training program and she lost a significant amount she was working on to lose. One day after training, while staying in the strict diet measures, I bought her a smoothie and a protein bar to reward her for putting such great effort into her health. It helps add value to your relationship with your client if you show them how you’re noticing their hard work.
Make Use Of Personal Training Apps
Back in the day, being able to keep your client motivated and on the ball was almost impossible, unless you were there training with them. Thankfully, we live in the age of social media, where digital communication has never been easier.
Now thanks to Whatsapp, Facebook, Slack, and even some personal training tools like Virtuagym, educational organizations like Acefitness and more there are so many ways to keep in touch with your clients, track progress, and set up reward systems.
If you want to help your client achieve their dream body, keep them motivated by constantly staying in touch, checking up on how they are feeling, and what you can tweak to make the experience just that much better.
Motivate Clients With Fitness Challenges
Not all workouts have to be made in the gym. Why not spice things up for your clients? After all, their bodies getting used to the workout will stagnate growth, which will also demotivate them, as they may wonder, “what am I doing wrong?”
Here’s a tip: try fitness challenges .
Let them do a home workout once in a while. From ironman challenges to simple steps walked each day, there are tons of home workouts you can use to keep them fit but give them a bit of a break from the crazy training schedule you have them lined upon.
Have A Fitness Community To Help Your Clients Stay Committed
Committing to something that is hard, or painful is always a challenge. That’s why so many people have new year aspirations of “This is the year I get a 6-pack”, or “I will get my Summer body this year”, but it never happens.
Have you ever heard that saying, “you are who you surround yourself with”? Well, that could not be any truer than it is when it comes to keeping your clients dedicated to the grind. Why not set up a Facebook group where clients can share their progress, share helpful tips and keep each other motivated?
Who knows through doing this, maybe you can start some friendships along the way. This will also help with word of mouth, as you will be showing you genuinely care about how each and every one of your clients is progressing, which will help you land a few more clients.
At The End Of The Day - It’s Simple
I know what you might be thinking. Well, these tips are pretty simple, it’s nothing new or overwhelmingly powerful to keep my clients going. But, remember you don’t want to overcomplicate it.
Keep it simple, all you really need is communication, attainable goals, and a good reward system to keep your clients ready to go for that one more set, that one more rep - and you will be aces.
