Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008 - (Page 31)

Rut #4: Too Much about You So there you are, looking ripped, having dropped ﬁve pounds of fat and gained ﬁve pounds of muscle and having recently passed another certiﬁcation test. You are feeling good. However, clients are there for themselves, and they don’t necessarily want to talk about you. They want to talk about their goals, their struggles and their achievements. Common bonds are one of the strongest ways to build a relationship with a client. But don’t fall into the rut of always pulling the conversation to you. It’s easy when you get excited and want to share your story too, but put your own feelings away. If you are frequently starting sentences with “Well, I,” you are in the rut. When someone pays you for a session, it’s their session, and they want it to be about them. Acknowledge that you share something similar, but keep the focus on your client and particularly the workout at hand. Rut #7: Forgetting about Your Client until the Next Session This is one of the most common and easiest ruts to get into, mostly because when your client is out of sight, they are out of mind — but so are you! It’s too easy to train someone today, check the box, collect the session fee and forget about them until a few days later when you see them again. Don’t forget they have choices of how and where to train, too. Be proactive and send them emails, cards or a quick phone call as a reminder to stretch in between sessions or to remember to keep the water intake up. Basically, let them know you are thinking about them and appreciate their business — in between sessions. Often, when someone is in a rut, they don’t even know it. Start thinking about it daily, and ask yourself if any of these ruts apply to you. Avoiding them will keep you on the road to success. Coach Greg LeFever, NASM-CPT, NASMPES, conducts Wellness Boot Camps in Newport and Irvine, California, and combines total wellness and results ﬁtness with inspirational life-changing mental disciplines to help his students transform their thoughts, attitudes and bodies. Visit www. lefeverwellness.com for more information. ● thing about their day, their week, their kids, etc. Don’t fall into the role of the therapist by fully engaging Rut #5: Too Much Chatter We all have that special client that comes in and wants to tell us every- and continuing the conversation. Be polite and courteous by acknowledging what your client is sharing, and then subtly redirect their attention to their workout. Ask how they felt after the last session; point out some progress you see they are making with the sessions. If you engage, you will become the sounding board, not the results maker, which is why they supposedly hired you in the ﬁrst place. Don’t be afraid to stop them from talking too much. Be creative and use cardio drills or core work to refocus their energy. Often that’s all it takes to get the session back on track. Rut #6: Same Old Routine We all have systems and workouts that get results. Don’t get so locked in to your program that you lose the interest of your client. Develop alternative exercises that will produce similar results but have a diﬀerent feel to the client. If you show them the same squat over and over, they will get bored and quit. Show them variety (not every time), but be sure you are maintaining the eﬀectiveness and integrity of your program. Don’t get so clever that you are doing the circus moves for entertainment value and jeopardize the safety and results of your client. OCTOBER2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 31 http://www.lefeverwellness.com http://www.lefeverwellness.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Current Controversies Combating with Obesity Pilates and Yoga for Athletes New! The Balancing Act The Top Prize Building a Base of Special Populations Datebook The Success Image The Anatomy of a Fitness Assessment Branding Training Ruts Product Profile New on the Market

Personal Fitness Professional - October 2008

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