The Bare Minimum for Personal Training: 4 Things That Every Trainer Should Avoid.
As trainers, we can oftentimes get consumed by the latest biomechanical assessments, programming strategies, and equipment, as we are passionate about getting people jacked and strong. However, the new and shiny stuff can sometimes distract us from the things that make trainers valuable; our ability to communicate effectively with others, to make the best decisions about how to progress people into fitness, and to be a supportive guide. The bare minimum for personal training should never get lost in what we do - be kind and personable, make good decisions, and teach people how to sustainably exercise.
Let’s review some things that can lead us astray from the bare minimum requirements for a personal trainer...
#1 Don’t make your clients feel like sh*t about themselves.
A close friend, let’s call her Tatianna, recently shared her experience of being duped into a personal training session at a local gym. The trainer, let’s call him Dill, did an assessment on this 53 year old female before beginning the workout. During his assessment, he measured her body weight and referred to her category of weight as “obese”...OUCH.
Trainers can forget that most people probably don’t need a stranger telling them they are overweight…they know. This is also not a good sales tactic to call someone overweight then make promises to “fix” them- it just makes people feel like sh*t about themselves.
Training Tip #1: Record their weight without categorizing or labeling it, as it will just be data to compare to future data.
Training Tip #2: Be selective about your language. We can bring awareness without labeling. Our knowledge about how to connect the dots between exercise, nutrition, and weight is extremely useful, however we need to be aware about our presentation of that information.
Our role as coaches is to guide people towards making connections between sleep, movement, and food. We can then use our knowledge to improve energy, mood, physical capacity, and choices. It is not to tell them everything that they are doing wrong, point out their weaknesses, and what they lack, to make us feel smart and useful.
What happened to Tatianna? She is now in therapy learning how to better say ‘no’ as a notorious people pleaser...and she is not working with Dill.
Improving your communication skills will make you an unstoppable coach. Here are some resources for communication:
- Lucy Hendricks : Listening, Empathy, and Effective Communication in the Gym on the Physical Preparation Podcast
- Erin DeMille, RD : Erin connects food relationships and behavior to provide a holistic approach through effective communication.
- Dr. Lisa Lewis - "psych coach for the fit pro"
#2 Don’t make it difficult for your new client to sit on the toilet the next day.
So, back to Dill again, what do you think happened to Tatianna the day after her first training session?
She grunted like a horse that is giving you a warning not to get too close, every time she moved. She was sore for ddaaayyyysssss…
Do you think that made her want to come back?
Do you think that was an appropriate amount of stimulus?
Training Tip #3: When you are starting a new client with little to no training experience, take the advice of “avoid starting with too much, too soon” and put five exclamation points on it…and scream it.
“AVOID STARTING WITH TOO MUCH, TOO SOON!!!!!”
Avoid feeling like you need to fill sixty minutes, just start with thirty minute sessions. Communicate that frequency matters more than duration, i.e. training for thirty minutes two to three times per week is more effective than training for one hour, one time per week.
Training Tip #4: Instead of multiple sets of an exercise, it is absolutely appropriate to do one set of an exercise with a beginner. Starting very slow will both build confidence to improve retention AND provide proper progressive overload training for consistent progression.
#3 Don’t turn the gym into a circus act.
There is A LOT of crazy stuff on social media, but stick to the EASY STUFF.
I know standing on a bosu ball or throwing a barbell around looks SEXY AF, but watching a new client fall off a bosu ball or hurt their back trying to lift a barbell over their head will make even a grown man cry.
The fundamentals are basic for a reason, everyone should be able to do them.
How many times have you heard this? …apparently Dill has not heard it enough.
Our pal Dill had Tatianna, who has never lifted weights before, deadlift a barbell from the floor then press the barbell forward away from her chest, sit on a box, then press it overhead.
That is some circus sh*t.
Let’s get the following exercises looking good on DAY 1:
Training Tip #5: Is the Goblet Squat not looking good? Elevate the heels or try the Roller Wall Supported Goblet Squat (pictured below).
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If you want to build in some fun or conditioning at the end of the session with exercises that most people will be able to do, try these:
Boom! Nothing fancy, but the client will get a great workout and a starting point that they can build on. AND if you are a good communicator and positively encourage your new client, they will get a good experience and a confidence boost.
#4 Have some skin in the game, while being able to separate your interests from your client’s interests.
There is value in practicing what you preach. Participating in your own fitness routine and journey can help you relate to your clients and can open avenues of communication through shared experiences.
When you coach clients through an exercise, you can actually coach it better if you have had experience doing it yourself. You know how the exercise feels, how to progress it, how to regress it, and what cues may change how it feels. Doing something and being able to translate information to your client provides you a greater skill level for communication.
However, you also need to be able to separate what you do for exercise from what your client’s want to do or what they are currently capable of doing. Your experiences and knowledge are useful but are not equivalent or relevant to your client’s needs or interests. Be able to recognize your biases when planning your training and your client’s training.
Training Tip #6: Practice what you preach - have some physical fitness routine or sport training as a professional fitness coach. Lift weights, try a yoga class, or sign up for a 5k - this will allow you to relate to your clients better and open avenues of communication through shared experiences with clients who are doing the same activities or help you to encourage your clients to try new things.
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If you have any comments or questions please feel free to email me at [email protected]
If you enjoyed the exercise videos in this article, check out the MBT Exercise Database for 1,200 more videos to use, embed within your programming, and level up your exercise selection game. If you want to learn more about programming, coaching, and moving beyond the fundamentals, check out the Positions Principles Course.
Author: Michelle Boland, PhD, CSCS*D
- Owner of Michelle Boland Training and Reframe Performance, Inc.
- PhD in Exercise Physiology
- Instagram @dr.michelleboland and @reframe_performance
- Check out Michelle’s Free Training Program Considerations Handbook!