Introduction
One of the most valuable tools that personal trainers can utilise is questions. In order to help clients out the most, it is absolutely necessary that personal trainers know as much relevant information as possible. This enables PTs to personalise their approach to the client in both programming and communication.
This article will break down some of the best fact-find style questions that personal trainers can ask their clients.
Benefits of Asking Client Questions
Building Rapport and Trust with Clients
Asking questions which are thoughtful shows your clients that you care and are invested in their goals and success. A client to personal trainer relationship which is based on trust is the best kind for a long lasting professional partnership.
Best Custom Programming
Questions will enable you as a personal trainer to get the right information from your clients to tailor the programme to meet their needs and goals.
Identifying Specific Preferences
Getting an understanding of what clients enjoy and what motivates them can help you design a workout which is enjoyable for them whilst being effective. Enjoyment is often a factor which isn’t discussed enough in the personal training industry, but it is on par with progress when thinking about what increases the likelihood of a long term relationship.
Types of Questions Personal Trainers Should Ask Clients
Lifestyle
Questions about your clients daily routines, what causes them stress and what their sleep patterns are like will provide you as a personal trainer with insights into factors which can have a huge impact on their fitness. As a personal trainer, you can therefore give them advice in these other areas of their life to help them achieve the progress they are looking for.
Motivations and Goals
Asking your clients about their long term and short term goals is key for laying out the foundational structure of their programme. If you can’t understand what they want, then you cannot create a well structured programme for them.
Medical History
It is imperative as a personal trainer that you know your clients’ medical history with respect to conditions, injuries or medications, to ensure that the programme you prescribe them is safe and appropriate for them.
Best Questions for PTs to ask Clients
What are your fitness goals?
Understanding a client’s goals (such as weight loss, muscle gain, improving flexibility, improving general habits etc.) helps tailor the training program to meet those specific objectives.
Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions or injuries?
Knowing about and being mindful of any medical issues or past injuries is crucial for designing a program that avoids aggravating these conditions. Although Personal Trainers cannot prescribe a remedy, cure, physiotherapy or similar, they do need to know about medical conditions and injuries in order to work around them.
What is your exercise history?
A client’s previous exercise experience can help in setting the appropriate intensity and complexity of the workout routines. It also allows Personal Trainers to understand not just what their clients would be capable of, but also what they would enjoy and stick with!
How would you describe your current activity level?
Understanding a client’s current activity level helps in assessing their baseline fitness level and daily activity, which is important for setting realistic fitness goals. This is particularly useful if you are providing any type of general advice on nutrition.
What does your diet typically look like?
Nutrition plays a key role in achieving fitness goals. Having some knowledge of your clients’ eating habits can help in providing them with comprehensive advice that includes nutrition.
How much time can you dedicate to exercise each week?
Getting a realistic estimate from clients is instrumental for their own success, as it allows the personal trainer to properly structure the training program to fit into the client’s lifestyle and availability.
What types of physical activities do you enjoy?
Incorporating activities that your client actually enjoys can increase their motivation and likelihood of sticking with the program. This is an element often overlooked by personal trainers, the efficacy of a programme is only as strong as the consistency of delivery and execution; the more a client enjoys a programme, the longer they will stick with it!
Are you taking any medications that might affect your fitness routine?
Some medications can impact heart rate, blood pressure, and energy levels, affecting exercise performance and safety. Although personal trainers should not advise on anything medical related, they should be mindful and aware of any medication that their clients are on, which may affect them in the time they are training together.
What challenges have prevented you from reaching your fitness goals in the past?
Identifying past challenges or barriers of clients’ progress can help to avoid them or overcome them this time around, leading to better success in delivering clients with their desired results.
Do you have any concerns or fears about starting a training programme?
Addressing any anxieties or misconceptions early on can help to ensure that clients feel safe and supported from the onset. This avoids any awkwardness further down the line, and sets the tone of transparent communication from the start of the relationship.
What are your sleep patterns like?
Quality sleep is essential for recovery and performance. Discussing sleep can identify areas for improvement that could be a missing/not considered element of a client’s routine. Ensuring that your client has good sleep hygiene and gets enough sleep may be a quick fix for their lifestyle, affecting mood, motivation and overall energy.
How to Effectively Communicate with your Clients
Actively Listen
Active listening involves you being fully engaged in the conversation. You must concentrate, understand and thoughtfully respond to what they say so that they know that they are being understood and you are taking on board what they are saying.
Provide them with Constructive Feedback
Giving constructive feedback helps clients improve by focusing on specific behaviours. Often by giving constructive feedback the client will appreciate that you have engaged properly with what they are saying/doing enough to give them the feedback.
Establishing Clear Comms Channels
At the start of the working relationship, you should establish clear channels from which you can be accessed by your client. Clarify with them when you are accessible for continued support.
Common Mistakes
Whilst asking your client questions is a net positive action, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid.
Being Invasive with your Questions
You should always remember to respect your clients’ privacy and boundaries; knowing what is appropriate to ask in order to prevent discomfort and instead build trust.
Overuse of Technical Language
Your job as a personal trainer is to make things easier for your clients, and so you should avoid overly complex fitness terminology.
Not Following Up Based on Information Given
Based on the information you’ve gathered from the initial questions you’ve asked, following up with further questioning can show your clients that you value their response, and that their response is actually affecting the way that you are structuring their programme.
Conclusion
Ensuring that you ask your client relevant questions is an important part of making sure that your input as a personal trainer is valuable. It allows you to tailor every service you provide following that to the client based on your answers.
If you’re not yet a personal trainer, and you’re looking to become one, then be sure to check out our Level 3 Personal Trainer Course.