Through all my work as a trainer over the past 15 years I have come to realize that there are 4 different kinds of clients. This is a fluid continuum and people often shift between the 4 types throughout their fitness journey. 🙌🏼
Where do you see yourself fitting into this continuum? 🤔
1) The Soldier – The all star client. Does everything they are assigned, this client has concrete goals and knows how to reach them. These are the easiest clients for any coach because you know they will take your advice and put it into action.
2) The Coachable Client – This is my favorite kind of client, and it takes a special kind of coach to get them to their goals! This is the client that comes to you and says, I know I have a way to go but I want to learn how to get there.
3) The Participant – Also one of my favorite kinds of clients to work with. Why? Because I appreciate where people are at and know when to push it and when to back off. This is often the busy mom, or someone who hasn’t worked out in a while. They stay accountable and continue to make progress, but they are casual in their approach and strive to simply show up and do what they can.
4) The Solo Flyer– The most challenging of clients. These are your people who are not very coachable, don’t follow the plan, and aren’t open to feedback. As a coach, I’ve learned not to take it personally and identify when people have other mental blocks or struggles they need to tackle before they can address their fitness goals. These are the clients I often refer out to a therapist or dietitian.