NYC 2009 Marathon

How to Take Your Personal Training Client’s Game to the Next Level

As you know, setting achievable goals for your fitness clients is a critical part of keeping them motivated, consistently, year round. The clients that workout consistently, and achieve goals, are the ones that make us look great, attain amazing results, and are a pleasure to work with.

One of my client’s, Joe, who has been with me for about 6 years, just ran his first marathon! Not only that, but he finished the NYC 2009 Marathon in 3hours 39 minutes! This is an awesome achievement for someone running a marathon for the first time; he basically ran 26.2 miles with an average pace of 8minutes 21 seconds for each mile.

This is a tremendous achievement for Joe, and I am so happy for him, and honored that I was a part of his success. The NYC Marathon is no joke! You are running all over the city, with thousands of other people, a sea of runners, running through parks, down streets, across bridges, and finally across the finish line.

Client Success!

A critical aspect of being a successful personal trainer is pushing your client’s limits, safely, both inside the gym AND OUTSIDE the gym. It’s that second part that is especially important, and where many trainers fall short. When you get your client to commit to “external goals” that are social (Joe had a running partner and trained hard on his own, in addition to our workouts) and involve some degree of competition, you will see them really kick into high gear.

By taking it outside of the gym, and introducing a competitive/social element, you reacquaint your client with the primal aspect of fitness. On a very real emotional level (and perhaps somewhat unconscious), the client realizes that being fit is a matter of survival! All of a sudden, they take their training more seriously than ever, and are very committed.

And interestingly, taking the focus off losing weight can be an added advantage as well. Joe is leaner than ever, and we hadn’t even been focused on “weight loss”.

Check out http://www.active.com for local events and races that you can challenge your client to participate in, or create you own!

Running the NYC marathon is a major goal, and it is one that Joe and I discussed for years before we both decided he was ready to do it. It is important not to rush into anything, and to set reasonable goals that do not over extend the client, otherwise you risk injury, frustration, and feelings of being a failure. And it is important that the goal or race resonates with the client, and is something that they are committed to.

 

 

Lead by Example

 

And of course, it is important to lead by example! (I ran my first half marathon this summer and it was an awesome and enlightening experience.) I am also currently training for the Empire State Building Stair Race Up, which is a race to the top of the Empire State building observation deck (86 flights).

How have you challenged your clients? What client success stories do you have? Have any of your clients ran a marathon? What external goals or races have your clients accomplished? Share your success or vent your frustration in the comments! SHOW ME YOU ARE ALIVE! :-)

Until next time, keep your business fit.

Johnny Fitness