“Why should I care if the person has already given up on themselves?”
“That’s harsh!”
“No, lying to oneself and wasting your trainer’s time, that’s harsh.”
I became a Personal Trainer to help people, but I only work with individuals who truly want to help themselves. I recalled seeing the exasperating expression on Personal Trainer’s faces when they were stood up by their clients. They had set out all the equipment they were going to use for that session, only to have to put it all back when the realization hit, the client was a not going to show.
What separates the doers from the talkers? Why would a person pay for training, and then hide as if you had the plague, refuse to return your call or text? Surely, the person had good intentions when they signed up? They went on and on how they needed to change their physique.
What happened . . .?
The person lacked commitment, but it goes much deeper than that. Without a Big (Why) to propel him or her towards a worthwhile goal, there is no adherence: to the process, their trainer, and ultimately themselves.
How do you engender adherence?
You don’t. It must be an intrinsic value, which has to come from within the individual. If you as the Personal Trainer want it more for your client, than either him or her do for themselves, you will be disappointed every time.
I don’t chase clients!
Which is why the Three E’s are an essential component in whether or not I will work with an individual.
The Big Commitment does not come at first. An individual has to know what he or she is in. Why are they doing it? In fact, he or she mut be willing to put in the work for the first 6 to 8 weeks, before they see a modicum of change.
“In order to build the body, one must first begin with the mind.”
The Three E’s are built on that foundation . . .
- Excitement: Is the individual truly excited to undertake the change
- Enthusiasm: Does the individual radiate with enthusiasm
- Energy: Can the individual’s energy be seen and felt or are they listless
If all three are present, and the trainer can harness them, the individual can be galvanized, to endure the arduous journey ahead.
The longest road in transforming one’s body is consistency over time. It is not a linear journey.
The road is often fraught with self-imposed setbacks, which is why the mind must be prepared before work on the body can begin.
“You can’t have many clients with that kind of philosophy . . .”
B.M.Booth (NASM-CPT)
Strength & Vigour 