A vast majority of your clients are going to be beginners, and fortunately with beginners almost any type of exercise regime is going to work for them. With a beginner client you have the opportunity to establish positive training habits that they will carry with them for life, so it’s important you not only establish these habits but keep them engaged and create a positive experience. This helps you retain clients and also offers them the chance to really see the benefits of healthy living.
Here are 5 quick tips to keep your beginner clients engaged.
Make them feel comfortable in the gym
Joining a gym is easy, but stepping foot in one and trying to use the machines and weights can be a daunting experience for beginners. You know that no one is looking at them when they’re trying to train, but your client may feel like all eyes are on the “newbie”.
Make your client feel comfortable in the gym by giving them a quick tour and showing them how certain things operate. Make sure you’re not throwing them in the deep end by getting them to use the more complicated machinery, and start them off on the easier things like free weights or treadmills. Don’t place a beginner next to an advanced lifter busting out 30kg preacher curls – they’re going to feel self-conscious and probably not come back.
Communicate at a beginner level
You know the difference between goblet squats and bodyweight squats, but your client may not. It’s easy to revert back to gym lingo as you are completely immersed in the subject, but this may go over people’s heads. Your client doesn’t need to know the ins and outs of how a certain exercise was invented, nor can they be expected to understand what a preacher curl is and what a hammer curl is on their first day. Explain the names of the exercises like you would a total novice and you’ll find you won’t confuse your clients as much and they won’t feel talked down to.
Don’t go too hard too soon
An effective training regime doesn’t have to consist of your client lying face down in a pool of their own sweat, hating the world – and you. An effective training regime, as you’ll already know, has to present the body with enough stress that the body has to adapt to and then recover from. Presenting too much stress will result in overload and potentially hurt your client. Ease them in to a workout that is easier to recover from but also allows them to feel like they’ve actually done a workout. If you annihilate them on the first day, they’re not only going to be in pain, but be scared of working out.
Address their goals first
A client has come to you because they want to improve their health in some way. Listen to what they want to achieve with their workout and provide them with the steps to achieve those goals. If they want to improve mobility, take that in to account with your first session. Allow your client to feel like it’s a first step to a better, healthier lifestyle and they’ll be more engaged, and more likely to keep coming back. Help them become confident and competent within the gym atmosphere whilst addressing what they want to get out of a training session.
Get them excited about how training will improve their lifestyle
A new client may be feeling a little sceptical as to the effectiveness of training and eating healthier, so describe how each exercise will help them improve. If you highlight how each part of their dedicated workout is helping them reach their goals, they’re more likely to engage with what you’re saying and realise that what you’re doing for them really matters.
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