Achieving Success for Personal Trainers

Successfully achieving the goals set at the beginning of training requires persistence. When it comes to achieving fitness goals, it is important that a client be able to weather minor setbacks and still continue to perform the steps necessary to achieve the ultimate goal. In order to bolster this persistence, we recommend several different approaches:

Plan for challenges—When developing a strategy for accomplishing goals, be sure to account for occasional setbacks. If a client knows in advance that they may happen and there is a strategy in place for handling them, they may be easier to cope with.

Give rewards—We recommend the deposit-and-refund technique, where the client gives money to a friend and gets a partial refund for each increment of success (for example, losing a pound). This works very well in group training, too.

Build a support group—Help the client build a network of friends, family, and workout buddies who can act as a support system. Not only will this inspire high performance but these people can also help the client get through challenging times with love and encouragement.