Anatomy of a 1st Workout- Getting Them Moving & Talking

Hi there, hope you are doing awesome :-)

On of our Personal Training Business members asked me about how to conduct a first workout recently.  I normally don't blog too much about program design, but it's an important question because how you conduct your first workout will alter how many clients you get, big time! Please keep in mind, I am am taking a psychological/business perspective hear, and answering a general question.  The actual program you create needs to make use of your entire knowledge base, experiences, and critical thinking skills applied to the specific parameters (goals, motivations, insjuries, preferences) of the individual client at hand.

The Question

"Johnny, When a client walks through your door for the first time. Do you guys have a first day workout planned for everyone? If so, what is it comprised of? If not what do you do and whats your approach?? Keep up the good work, Casey S."

The Answer

Thanks for the email and question, it is a great one.  (Also, thanks for your kind words, it means the world to me!) It really depends.  I usually try and get as much info about them before the first workout, so I have a sense of their needs & expectations.  I do not, normally, have the entire workout planned, although I may have a few ideas (i.e. if they mentioned they want to work on posture, I plan on doing some postural exercises.) Also, be sure to check out the various information about movement screening, which can be very effective at helping you identify problematic motions & avoiding injuries.

Knowledge is Power

Some gym's have an "intake form", I use a small, quick personal trainer first workout online survey to get as much information about the new potential client as possible.  You can also create a free survey like this for your own fitness business, feel free to copy mine, but makes sure your questions reflect the info you need to know, and keep it as short as possible otherwise people will not fill it out! The more you know about the person going into the first workout, the better chance you have at making a sale at the end of the 1st workout, and besides, people that don't have 5minutes to fill something out are probably not ready to commit to personal training, so you can weed out the people who will waste your time with the survey!

Walkin It Out & Wants VS Needs

One thing I DO do almost every time is a "walk & talk".  Because, usually, I don't know a tremendous amount about the person I am training for the first time, I want to get to know them better WHILE warming them up progressively/gradually. So I will put them on the treadmill, with an incline (5 - 10 degrees depending on their fitness level) and gradually add speed, progressing them until they are at a 6 or 7 out of 10 rating of perceived exertion (RPE).  I add .5 mph every 90 seconds about, but never get to the point where they are running out of breath. But the whole time they are walking, I am asking them questions, getting to know them, picking them apart psychologically, trying to figure out what they REALLY want (it's sometimes different than what they say, sometimes they don't even know!) and getting down to the bottom of what really motivates them!  The first workout is a balance of giving them what they want, so that they come back, with giving them what they need, so you can deliver results & show them value.

Takin Care of Business

So the "walk & talk" allows me to accomplish 2 things at the same time, get their workout started safely, & get to know them better, so I know what the rest of the first workout should look like.  Based on that info, I plan their program on the fly. Unless they are pretty fit, I don't let them run on the treadmill for the walk and talk, I don't want to introduce too much impact to a body I just met, but most people NEVER do incline walking and will work up a real sweat walking 10 degree incline for 20 min at a speed of 3mph.  High benefit, low risk. I usually spend 15-20 minutes doing this, at the end, they are warmed up, & I have a much better understanding of what they need, what motivates them, and what the rest of the workout looks like. Plus, as a bonus, I find that people who are a little distracted from a little bit of stress (walking on a incline) will more easily reveal themselves intimately, which is key for understanding their motivations, especially when the trainer is asking great questions & showing them that the potential client that really care.  

Risk VS Reward

It's important to always analyze every exercise, load, program in light of how much risk it creates versus how much reward is gained.   Always.  But especially during the first workout. You can never eliminate all risk, but you can keep it minimal!  I see lots of trainer's doing depth jumps & advance plyometrics with new clients, sometimes s at the beginning of the workout! Why?  Well, they probably mean well, but many well meaning people do more harm than good. So instead, find an exercise that is lower risk, but offers the same reward/benefit.  And keep in mind, that when you speed up an exercise, or if it requires more skill/coordination, that makes something more intense, adding load is not the only way to add intensity!  So, in general, for first workouts, don't use too high of an intensity, this is a common mistake.

Pulling the Trigger & Selling Some Training

Then, at the end of the workout, or course it's time to sell some personal training, bootcamps, or whatever it is you think will benefit them the most. Never be afraid to ask for the sale, even if they say no it is important to give it your best shot, we're in the business of changing people's lives, we're not selling crack to kids!  Be proud & ask them for moeny :-)

How Do You Handle the 1st Workout?

Let us know in the comments, & if you have any questions! Until next time, keep your business fit. Johnny Fitness