Setting Goals Your Clients Can Stick to

Personal trainers know that progress made in the gym is slow or non-existent without a clear set goal. Goals are a great way to give clients the direction they need and meaning to what they do in and outside of the gym. Keep your clients motivated and focused with personal goals.

You've probably experienced the client who comes in wanting to get skinnier, stronger, healthier, and so on without a clear and set goal of how to get there. As your client's personal trainer you play an instrumental role in helping your clients successfully reach their goal.
Developing Fitness Goals

#`1 Goals need to be meaningful. It's much easier to reach a goal when it's something is internally motivating and not external motivation. Your client's goals should be self-motivating so if your client really wants to do cardio 3 times a week for 3 months, then that should be the goal you help them work towards. Your clients need to work towards goals for them, not for anybody peer-pressuring them into losing weight or gaining muscle.

#2 Goals need to be as clear as possible. "be healthier" can mean a lot of things from cutting out fast food, quitting smoking, exercising more often, or losing weight. Your clients should instead make a specific goal like, 1-2 junk meal per week, and 3 workouts per week for the next month . This is much better tangable goal because it's measurable and it's attainable.

#3 Goals need deadlines. Deadlines need to be enforced, and that is whereas the personal trainer comes in. Without a deadline, it's easy for your client to say, "I'll skip today and workout tomorrow" and procrastination can derail their goal. Encourage your clients to stick to a timeline. It will also be helpful to break down a goal into small goals so the client is not overwhelmed. For example, a goal to lose 15 pounds in 3 months could be broken down to 1 pound per week.

#4 Attainability. Having ambitions fitness and body goals are great but by setting unrealistic goals you might be setting up your clients for failure. You need to teach your clients how to establish reasonable goals that will push them but without being so lofty that your client will end up disappointed.

Someone who has never worked out before, should not have a goal to workout 5 days a week because making a big life change like that is unrealistic. This person would start slowly and set goals that are within reach that will promote a positive feedback loop.

Take the time to set up goals for your clients and hold them accountable as much as you can, this is why they hired you.

T-Notebook Founder - Coach Hector