3 Simple Techniques To Help Your Clients Get Better Results
Want to make your competition irrelevant?
Want to build your business quickly for free?
Want to become the go-to expert in your community and online?
Start helping your clients get better results! It’s really that simple.
So how do you help your clients get better results when most clients continuously throw excuse after excuse at you as to why they just can’t fit in one more workout each week? When they try and justify why they just had to have that extra serving of mashed potatoes, the cupcake, the third glass of wine or whatever else they felt they had to consume.
Believe me, I know how frustrating it is when you so badly want to help your clients, sometimes more than they want to help themselves. How do you help them to stay on track?
After all, your clients’ results dramatically affect your reputation.
WARNING: You might find these 3 techniques obvious and too simple.
It doesn’t really matter what YOU think, it’s what your clients comply with and follow through with consistently. If they aren’t following your program now it’s time to modify how you do things.
We all only have so much energy in the day to make decisions, plan, prepare and give to others and ourselves. When too much energy is dedicated to having to follow too many rules and routines our clients become exhausted and they give up.
These techniques, however simple, will help your clients to stay on track and get better results over time.
Technique # 1: Identify the challenges and obstacles & then script the outcome
Ask the client where they believe they will fail. Ask what they believe their major roadblocks and challenges are. Work through each one, one by one, to learn the mindset behind each block.
Then create a step-by-step script that will combat each roadblock or challenge.
The script could be a verbal or written script or a detailed outline of the exact steps they are going to take the next time that roadblock is put in front of them. This goes beyond the simple recommendation of “have a small snack before you go to the restaurant.”
If you aren’t specific questions arise… what snack, how much, when should I eat it, is this okay to eat?
A specific script looks more like…
30 minutes before you leave for the restaurant have 1 hard-boiled egg and 10 grapes. Drink 1 cup of water. Bring a sugar free candy with you to suck on while you order your dinner and wait for your salad appetizer.
Identify each roadblock so scripting the desired outcome doesn’t leave anything up to chance and removes the idea that willpower is involved. Little energy is expended on the client’s behalf as they try to navigate the roadblock on their own.
They have a plan and are prepared.
Technique # 2: Stick to two choices
In the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath they discuss the topic of decision paralysis. The idea is that when too many choices are provided we are likely to become overwhelmed and do nothing.
When you give your clients too many exercise options or too many meal options they feel overwhelmed and usually do nothing.
Only give your clients two options – A or B.
For example, when you give them their meal plan, provide one alternative choice for them in case they don’t like the meal you’ve provided. This way they can choose between A or B protein for their dinner.
Keeping the options targeted and narrow removes the necessity for the client to make any decisions or spend time thinking about what they want. They chose one or the other.
Technique # 3: Measure confidence
Each week I co-create one goal with my clients that they will commit to achieving and believe they can accomplish.
After many client failures I learned to keep the weekly focus to one goal and to measure their confidence level and belief around whether or not they could actually achieve that goal.
After we decide on the goal I ask the client a simple question…
“On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the most confident), how confident are you that you can achieve this goal?”
If I get anything less than a 9, I chunk the goal down into a smaller, more manageable, believable goal. Then I ask the question again.
For example, the client currently doesn’t drink any water and I set the goal to drink 8 cups of water per day. It’s unlikely that the client will truly believe they can adhere to that goal daily.
It doesn’t matter what you think of the goal or believe the client can handle. Results only come when the client commits and follows through. They will only do that when they believe they can be successful.
So if the client gives me a 7 out of 10 on the goal, then I reduce the goal to drinking 4 cups of water per day for 7 days.
Measuring confidence has been one of the most effective techniques I’ve used in my nutrition business. We live and breathe health daily, so our level of confidence is higher and our beliefs around what we can achieve are different from our clients.
When you create a specific and detailed plan to overcome roadblocks, narrow the available choices and then check in to see how confident the client is about their ability to achieve their goals you will see commitment and compliance dramatically increase.
Lori Kennedy
3 Easy Techniques To Be More Productive So You Can Make More Money
I have a guest post today from my friend and colleague Lori Kennedy. You may
remember Lori Kennedy – she is the Registered Holistic Nutritionist from Toronto.
We co-hosted the Wellness Business Summit this past March.
She has a few techniques on how you can be more productive so you can make more
money. As a mom of 2 young kids and the CEO of WOW! Weight Loss she has had to
work hard to be more productive and wanted to share some techniques with you.
By the way… even though she is a mom and a holistic health practitioner she still
enjoys making money and knows a thing or two about how to achieve BIG goals so
make sure you read what she has to say.
Take it away Lori…
Hi all,
Thanks for having me back on Profitable Personal Trainer Cabel!
Let me ask you a question: How frustrating is it that you have all of these ideas on
how to grow your business but can’t ever seem to find time implement them?
Even when you do you find time to work on your business you feel like you are
never being productive enough and are always being distracted by one thing or
another.
Let’s face it, no matter who you are or how much money you may have, we all suffer
from the shiny object syndrome.
Maybe your shiny object is continuously taking courses so you can learn more about
a subject you probably already know a lot about or watching videos on how to
improve your social media funnel to get you more leads in 7 days or less or focusing
on getting more LIKES, more followers and more pins which typically does not equal
to more leads or money in your bank account.
My shiny object syndrome is rooted in reading too many tech marketing blogs
without really understanding the technology or even implementing it. I just like
reading about new tech platforms.
It’s like AA… Hi, my name is Lori Kennedy and I have shiny object syndrome that
prevents me from being productive.
I’ve implemented these 3 simple productivity techniques out of necessity. They have
become core principles around which I structure my day. Take my advice… choose 1
technique that resonates with you and implement it.
Work at it and stick by it come hell or high water. Then choose another and do the
same until you’ve cured yourself of the syndrome or at least have it lay dormant
most of the time.
Productivity Technique # 1 – Stop FINDING Time and Start Scheduling Time.
You will never find time… time will always escape you. Pick a platform that you
know you will use as a daily schedule.
I use Google calendar because I can share my calendar with my team. Use your
phone or even a paper calendar if that floats your boat.
Pick 2 – 60 minute time slots per week to work on customer service. Customer
service is the #1 thing that will drive your business forward.
What do you do during those 2 – 90 minute periods? CARE about your customers.
Write personal emails, Facebook notes, phone calls, hand written love letters or plan
customer service events.
Productivity Technique # 2 – Chunk Your Time.
Multi tasking robs you of time and creative flow. Stop doing three things at once.
Chunk or group like tasks together and schedule them for the same day.
For example, Fridays between 9am – 2pm are my filming days. I schedule my Skype
interviews, YouTube videos or webinars for Fridays.
I rarely make exceptions to this schedule except for webinars, which I also do
Wednesday evenings at 9pm EDT.
Think of the tasks you do on a daily basis and group them together. Answering
emails, posting on Facebook, doing research, writing fitness programs or filming
videos.
Set specific times to do each one of those activities. Take this one step further and
make sure that the chunks of activities are similar to each other so that you can flow
from one to the other.
An example of this is filming videos and having meetings in the same day instead
of having 1 meeting on Tuesday and another on Thursday and then filming Friday.
Both tasks require you to be on, up beat and more extroverted then you would be
when answering emails and posting on Facebook. So schedule them in the same day.
Chunk like tasks together and schedule them back-to-back to create a good flow.
Productivity Technique # 3 – Schedule CEO Time
Whether you own your own business or you are working for someone else you
MUST schedule CEO time and guard that time like a mama lion guards her cubs.
CEO time is when you focus on business development, networking with others
and reaching out to make new affiliate connections, nurture current business
relationships and work on product/program development.
This high level work that can and should only be done by you.
Go back to technique #1 and schedule CEO time. I have 2 – 90 minute blocks each
week where I work on business development and business outreach. Everyone on
my team knows when these two blocks are and they do not bother me.
You are the only one who can grow your business and if you don’t consistently focus
on business development you will always feel like you are running on a treadmill.
It’s time to pull out your schedule of choice and map out the next 30 days using
the techniques I just gave you. Let your team know when you are off limits to them.
Stick to your schedule no matter what… I meant it, no matter what. A schedule only
works if you follow it.
Leave a comment below and let Cabel and I know how we can better help you be
more productive. We’d love to help you out!
The Ultimate Workout Solution
Here’s some more kick ass content from my good industry friend Mike Whitfield. Serious read and deploy!
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Author, Workout Finishers
Once you read this, you will change the way you approach training with your clients and campers forever. That’s actually a good thing.
If you’re anything like me, you’re willing to learn and invest in yourself to simply get better. That’s what I’ve done for years in order to give my clients and campers even better results.
After all, that’s what they pay us to do, right?
Back in the fall of 2011, I released a program called “Workout Finishers” which was based exactly on what I did with my own clients and campers to get faster results, but more importantly, made them more consistent.
Had I not invested in programs from great coaches like Alwyn Cosgrove, Craig Ballantyne, John Romaniello and more, I would have never even tried using finishers with my clients.
But… What is a Workout Finisher?
In a nutshell, a finisher is a VERY metabolically demanding superset or circuit (and yes, sometimes even just one exercise) with very short rest periods and they include some of the craziest, yet effective set and rep schemes you have ever seen.
It’s the perfect solution to replace long, boring cardio and even intervals for your campers and clients.
The goods news gets even better – they last just a fraction of the time that long cardio and intervals take. Some are as short as three minutes!
Workout Finishers Can Be Used
- At the END of ANY workout for an ultimate workout grand finale for improved conditioning and faster fat loss
- As off day conditioning and the perfect solution for people who are stuck on a plateau
- Some of the fastest workouts you can do when you are tight on time or have a very busy schedule (us as trainers face this a lot)
How Do Workout Finishers Work?
They just do. Next question.
Seriously – the real “secret” to workout finishers is based on one simple, yet brutally effective factor. That is the volume of work done in a short amount of time.
This is also known as “density”… and there is a lot of it.
In fact, that’s why Workout Finishers 2.0 came about. I stumbled upon this study revealed in 2012:
Canadian researchers at Queen’s University tested a Workout Finisher style workout against long cardio.
(Reference: Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2012 Sep 20.)
22 college-aged women did 4 workouts per week for 4 weeks in one of three groups.
Group A did 30 minutes of treadmill running at 85% max heart rate
Group B did 8 rounds of 20 seconds of a single bodyweight exercise (burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or squat thrusts) with 10 seconds of rest between rounds.
Group C did nothing (they were the non-training control group).
Results:
Both training groups increased their aerobic fitness levels by the SAME amount (about 7-8%). That’s right, the short finisher style workouts (of 4 minutes) worked just as well as 30 minutes of cardio.
BUT…only Group B, the Workout Finishers style training, also increased muscular endurance in common exercises like chest presses, leg extensions, sit-ups, and push-ups.
And finally, the Finishers style of training used by Group B also resulted in greater overall workout enjoyment.
The Canadian Scientists concluded that this style of training will boost cardiovascular fitness just as well as cardio while giving you BETTER improvements in muscle endurance…
… All in just 4 minutes.
This ONE Study Impacted ALL Future Workout Finishers I Wrote
And sure enough, my readers and clients enjoyed this new change. The finishers became a little shorter, yet more intense.
Yet they were short, my clients and readers were getting even BETTER results.
So, What Does a Sample Workout Finisher Look Like?
That’s a good question, so let’s do one. At the end of your next workout yourself or with a client, perform this fun one. This is a great one to use with your camp or even group training because it uses timed sets so your clients can go at their own pace.
The Jump, Push, Swing and Climb
Do the following circuit three times, resting only as shown. If your campers or clients need more rest, that’s fine. They can simply jump back in.
Lunge Jumps (20 secs), rest 10 secs
Close-Grip Pushups (20 secs), rest 10 secs
KB or DB Swings (20 secs), rest 10 secs
Mountain Climbers (20 secs), rest 10 secs
Six minutes – Boom Done.
That’s why I HAD to come up with a new version of Workout Finishers. After all, if I could get even better and faster results in less time with my readers and clients, it was time to improve the original classic.
That’s exactly what I did with Workout Finishers 2.0. You’ll find 51 more fun and addicting finishers for yourself and to use with your campers and clients.
These fun workout grand finales are what kept my clients and campers coming back for more week after week.
But between you and I – I was more excited about their consistency to working out and them enjoying their workouts. That’s what it’s all about.
Plus, this gives them a permanent solution to never having to do boring cardio ever again.
To your success,
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Get 51 brand NEW Workout Finishers here
Weird Density Workout (Clients Love This)
I’d like to introduce you to a good friend of mine who has brought something totally unique to the workout world, today he’s got something really cool to share with you, take it away Mikey…
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Author, Workout Finishers
I had a problem and I had to do something about it. You see, I trained at a small family gym in Dallas, GA. In January, it was really crowded as I’m sure you’ve seen this yourself.
Typically with my clients, I would take them through a simple bodyweight exercise warm-up of easier exercises. We would do bodyweight squats, pushups, planks and more.
Then it was time to do some metabolic resistance training. There was this small space in our gym where people would typically do their stretching and even get out the mats for some core work.
I liked to keep my clients moving and I didn’t want them having to walk all over the gym to work the supersets and circuits that Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) includes.
So, I would bring the dumbbells, bench and anything else needed to this small area. I call it the “open area” because it was indeed the only open area in the gym. Most of the time, this space wasn’t utilized. Unfortunately, the “ab machines” were more popular than this space. But being a trainer, I’m sure you already know how that goes… they just don’t work.
Anyway, after our MRT, it was time to assign them intervals. I would prescribe my clients a specific interval program to follow immediately after their workout or they can perform the intervals on their “off day” as long as it didn’t interfere with their recovery between their main workouts.
But like I said above, in January, the gym was pure chaos. My clients couldn’t even perform their interval training because all the machines were taken up. We had a variety of treadmills, ellipticals, bikes and even stair-climbers, but every single one of them were being used.
My clients were frustrated, and I certainly understood that. So, I started to use Workout Finishers instead. This would be a circuit or superset of intense exercise with short rest periods (if any rest).
Here’s the thing – my clients enjoyed the finishers more than the interval training, PLUS they were getting BETTER results. But what I found that intrigued me even more was that they stayed more consistent with their workouts because they found the finishers more challenging and fun.
They admitted they liked the change and the fact that they can do their “intervals” in just a fraction of the time that it used to take.
Doing this for one-on-one clients was great because I could use specific reps and rest periods based on their individual fitness level. But using finishers with my clients and campers became a challenge.
That’s when I started to use “density” circuits and supersets. This is when you complete as many reps or as many rounds in a certain timeframe. There are a variety of ways to use density finishers, but one of my favorites is using a short rep scheme with 2-3 exercises.
It’s certainly different, but that’s what our clients come to us for, right? We have to be different than our competition and really bring it.
Plus, the density approach allows your campers, small groups and semi-private training clients to work at their unique fitness level. Density finishers allow you to rest when needed. You simply jump in and out as needed as the timer continues to tick.
Here is the most popular finisher using this density approach that I did at the Turbulence Training Summit in 2012. It’s called the “3’s Company” Finisher. I know… my names are hilarious. Check it out:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_sxcl9W7Qc[/youtube]
Here is the actual finisher broken down:
Do as many rounds of this circuit as possible in 3 minutes, resting only when needed.
Burpee/Spiderman Pushup (3)
Lunge Jump (3/side)
X-Body Mountain Climber (3/side)
The density approach lets you put in a lot of volume in a little bit of time. That means your clients will be challenged and get better results in less time. That’s a win/win for you and them.
Just be sure to tell your clients to rest when their form is getting sloppy. The idea is to put in quality work in the amount of time given.
That’s what separates you from the trainers and coaches down the street. Even though it’s 2013, I’m sure you still see other trainers prescribing boring cardio for their clients, but you definitely know better.
Let your clients have fun AND get results,
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Creator, Workout Finishers
Get 51 brand NEW Workout Finishers here
The Simple But Critical Key to Managing Varying Fitness Levels in Boot Camp
How do you manage multiple fitness levels in your small groups and boot camps?
This is one of the biggest challenges fitness trainers have: trying to keep the beginner ‘Mrs. Jones’ motivated and not overwhelmed while challenging the ‘Mrs. Smith’s’ in the group that are seasoned athletes.
Do you offer beginner and advanced sessions? The downside of this solution is trying to balance times so that all your clients are happy. It can be a scheduling nightmare.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could have beginner Mrs. Jones training along side the advanced clients like Mrs. Smith? How would that look?
I’m Shawna Kaminski and I run very successful fitness boot camps in Calgary, Alberta. I’ve found some cool ways to solve this issue that I’d like to share with you.
Before going on, I want to make it clear that ALL your clients WANT and expect a challenge in their training. Whether they are just returning to fitness or fitness veterans, they ALL want a challenge. And this is YOUR challenge to deliver this. You don’t want to deflate beginners while having veterans step up their fitness game.
How can you do this?
Your answer? ‘Timed sets’.
Timed sets allows both the grandma’s and the fitness buffs to train together while each person will be challenged at their own level. Clients get tired of counting reps. New-to-fitness people get discouraged when they barely get started when the fitness veteran is already done the reps you prescribe. The veteran says ‘now what?’ and then you have to come up with something else for them to do. Timed sets solve this problem. The veteran will do more work, the beginner will do less, and no one is the wiser as you easily control the session.
Here’s a great challenge workout for your group. You’ll pair strength and cardio sets back to back. Ask your clients to count their reps in the first set and then try to match their reps for each subsequent set. This helps clients create their own challenge and helps them maintain their intensity through the course of the set.
Do 30 seconds of each exercise (strength and then cardio) with a five second transition. So for this set, you can set a timer with a 30/05 repeat for 9 sets:
Weighted squat/Burpee
Push up/mountain climber
Renegade row/squat jump
Bicycle crunch/skater jump
Plank recovery (30 seconds)
Repeat twice more (total of three times through for 15 minutes of sweaty fun)
The beauty of this is that you can modify and intensify exercises easily so everyone is training side by side. Training volume is controlled and everyone gets a great workout. Everyone is set up for success. Reps everyone gets in their first set will be a ‘doable’ challenge for them to try to reach for in subsequent sets.
You can’t compare this to a workout that has a rep scheme where Mrs. Jones when faced with 10 push ups may feel like quitting and Mrs. Smith is done and bored already. If given a 30 second set, Mrs. Jones may do 5 push ups while Mrs. Smith does 15. Also, we all have clients that ‘count by 5’s’ so if your workout is based on counting reps, some get done before some people even start.
Your workout flow is managed so no one is done and waiting and everyone feels successful by getting at least a few reps of each exercise. Everyone gets a balanced workout, since the workout structure and time is controlled. By using timed sets, rep counting is only done for personal accountability and it’s less likely that people will ‘cheat’ since they have to beat or match their own scores.
I’ve been running my own fitness boot camps since 2007 and when surveyed, my clients prefer timed set workouts best. It frees them up to concentrate on exercise form and not on the number of reps they need to do.
I highly recommend using timed sets with your boot camp clients and small groups.
Here’s a short video explaining how timed sets can benefit YOUR boot camp:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/2gMAI4fsuoc[/youtube]
If you’re looking for challenges for YOUR boot camp, take a look at Challenge Workouts: Boot Camp Edition and see if it’s right for you. You’ll find all kinds of fitness challenges to add to your boot camp to up the excitement and results in your camp.
About Shawna
Shawna Kaminski is a retired schoolteacher of 20 years who’s found her passion in the fitness industry. She’s parlayed her ability to teach and her love of training into programs like her fitness boot camp. Shawna consistently has over 100 clients attend her boot camps monthly. She’s retained many of her clients for nearly a decade. Shawna is in her late forties, is a mother of two teenagers and understands how busy life can be. In addition to running her fitness boot camp, she does online coaching and training as well.
A True Expert on Hip Mobility
Did you catch the video I posted last week about hip and spine mobilization from Jeff Cubos? I really thought it was a great refresher and reminder of treatment and training ideas for a key body area. There’s no doubt that the hips are one of those areas we could likely make a career out of. Here’s the post if you missed it.
Today here’s another great video from Dean Somerset. Dean likely doesn’t know this because we don’t know each other well but I am actually a tremendous fan. Dean has amazing knowledge and ability to assess and evaluate biomechanics, he’s a true master in our field. Here’s a really awesome video on hip mobility that I also shared with my training team.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/2fzDw-vgQZ4[/youtube]
If you like the content in this video there’s no doubt you’ll want to check out the product they offer for core and spinal health, it’s a phenomenal resource that will undoubtedly benefit your clients.
Increasing Client Hip Mobility
I’ve always told both my training clients and upcoming trainers in the certification courses that I’ve taught that as trainers we could easily focus our whole careers on three key areas, hip function and mobility, the stabilization of the shoulder girth, and of course core function.
Here’s a great short little video that was forwarded to me from a friend and colleague Rick Kaselj on assessment and mobilization of the core and spine. I felt it was informative, I immediately shared it with my whole training team and I thought I’d post it here for you as I figured some of you would benefit from it as well.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/Z1SUb-xCqCE[/youtube]
If you like the video you might want to check out Rick and Jeff’s product, it’s very well done, highly informative and there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll gain tools that will immediately benefit your clients and ultimately the growth of your business.
YES! Contact me today to schedule a FREE no obligation consultation and trial workout.