Keeping Your Clients Motivated with their Training Goals Post-Resolution

‘Tis the season for new gym memberships, new resolutions, and people of all ages thinking about their health in the new year. 

As a coach, keeping the excitement and motivation that comes on January 1st alive until February 1st, and March 1st can feel intimidating. But fear not, CoachMePlus can help keep your clients and athletes engaged throughout their performance transformation.

The famous TedTalk by Simon Simek “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” stresses that motivation comes from why somebody wants something. The why informs how you should reach goals and what steps you need to take to get there. 

This mindset will help you serve your client’s motivations as well. Understand their motivations, create plans focused on them, and help them reach their goals. Make sure to ask “Why?” more than once to really get to know the motivation behind their decision to work with you. 

Your First Consultation

It’s tempting to jump right in and start working out on day 1, having a time where you and your client can talk is critical to making sure you are giving them what they need. The typical questions typically include “What are your goals?” “How often do you want to meet?” or “What is your history with fitness?” We encourage you to go deeper with these questions and personalize them based on what you learn about your clients. 

The conversation could go something like this: 

You: Hello – I’m so excited to start coaching you and working together on your goals. What made you decide to start a training program? Them: Well, I want to lose weight.  You: That can be a great start. Why do you want to lose weight?  Them: I weigh more than I ever have, and I don’t feel healthy.  You: We’re going to need to get personal so that we can build a program that fits your exact motivation. Is your goal to look a certain way, feel a certain way, or do you have other reasons for wanting to lose weight?  Them: I guess I want to be proud of how I look, but I also don’t want to get so winded when I am playing with my kids. I’m a bit embarrassed by it.   You: That’s an awesome goal. How old are your kids? Are they still the age where you’re picking them up and running around all the time? Or are you helping them practice for sports? Them: My oldest is 9, youngest is 3. So both!  You: That is great, I also know as a busy parent it can be hard to find the time to work out. We will make sure to find a hybrid solution so you can work out at home and feel right when it comes to playtime.

We would recommend you put all this information in the Athlete Notes on this client, so you can keep track of all the information you gather with these conversations. Having more information on your clients will help you keep a personal relationship with them. It can also save paper if you’re coming over from a manual tracking system!

With each athlete/client you can add progress photos, notes on different goals, or even notes on specific workouts.

The Why’s and Why Nots

It’s easier to set goals for your clients when you know why they are motivated to get healthier.  However, knowing the why nots is important too. There are always reasons why somebody didn’t get to a workout. People are more likely to make it to an in-person session because there’s an added layer of availability.. However, when programs are assigned for people to do on their own, excuses are more likely to spring up. This is why it’s so important to have a strong client relationship when you’re leveraging a hybrid platform like CoachMePlus. 

Using the Questionnaire section of CoachMePlus can allow your clients to share how they are feeling and what is motivating them. Having a daily questionnaire can help you encourage your clients to stay motivated. Asking where they are sore everyday and prompting them to share a “small success” to reach their goal will help keep them motivated and their mindset focused on their overall goals. It also allows you to adjust training regimens based on the information they give you. 

A question like “What was one action you took today to help reach your fitness goal?” will help encourage them to feel proud of their progress. “Where do you feel pain?” can help you adjust exercises for the day. This questionnaire can also cover what held them back from completing assignments or working toward goals. 

If time is an issue, scheduling 10 minute workouts instead of 30 can be a first step that you modify to work around their life needs. Once they can consistently hit 10 minutes, you can increase to 15, etc. 

Any objection/reason shared can be overcome IF you know the “why not”. 

What it’s all about

Here at CoachMePlus, we are all about helping coaches and athletes work together to achieve their performance and fitness goals. We do this by helping you communicate interactively to achieve whatever goals you set! Hybrid fitness programs rely on communication between the trainer and the client, and our platform is designed to maximize that relationship. 

To learn more about CoachMePlus, or to book a personalized demonstration, click here.