Horsham-based Becky is a female personal trainer who specialises in supporting those who are less confident about being in a gym environment. Here, she shares how she prepares to work with a client for the first time.
One of my clients recently asked me whether I get nervous prior to a client’s first personal training session with me. I thought it was a really interesting question, and wanted to share my answer fully here…
When a client starts personal training sessions
Before I ask someone to pay for a session, I meet with them. I prefer to do this face to face, as it’s how their training will take place, and it allows them to see the gym I work in. I’d like to digress in order to impress the importance of that part – it matters for a few reasons.
Understanding the environment you’ll work in and having the opportunity to see it without obligation is a matter of inclusion – gyms are weird spaces, with noise and lighting and all sorts of sensory factors, and for a lot of people, this matters. The gym I work in isn’t my space – it’s my workplace, but I get no say in how it looks, feels, or what happens in it, it’s a public area. The design choices aren’t mine, I choose to get along with them.
During the last year, I’ve had at least two people object to the environment to the extent that they refused to train there. There isn’t a lot that I can do about that choice, other than respect it. I can’t force anyone to train with me, but given the opportunity, I will encourage people to move past their discomfort. Sometimes, it’s a simple case of gaining increased familiarity in order to soothe yourself, and that takes time.
It’s not always possible to arrange a face to face consultation in a timely manner, in which case I’ll arrange a phone call with a prospective client. However it happens, the goal of the consultation remains the same for me: get to know each other, answer any questions the person has, and establish whether we could have a positive working relationship.
If we come to the end of the consultation and the person wishes to book a session, I ask them to commit just to one, so that they can make a final decision at the end of that session, and that’s where the potential for nerves could come in on my part…
The Consultation Queen
When I undertook my PT training, that’s how I was known! Completing the course face to face, I had four other students to work alongside, and we got to develop our skills together. Role playing consultations was a key part of it, and I quickly proved myself to be a natural. I enjoy learning about other people, which is a good start. I also know how to ask open questions, and follow up questions in order to get the information I need and help people to feel comfortable.
So, when a client walks in for their first session, I already know a bit about them and am ready to keep learning. My goal for a client’s first session is always the same: that they enjoy it, and that I learn more about how they currently move (consultations don’t involve any exercise – if we do the consult face to face, I typically get to see the person walk a little, and can pay attention to how they breathe, talk, and hold themselves, as well as learning their medical history, but there’s still plenty to discover beyond that).
I tend to think that a little nervous energy is a good thing on my part in this situation – it’s like a first date in that you’re trying to impress someone, but you also don’t want to go overboard (and I’m also not trying to date my clients! I keep things strictly professional). Bearing in mind that I would like a person to continue booking sessions, I keep it simple.
A client’s first personal training session
I tend to warn people that they may find the session fairly easy, but I frame that as a positive. I’m not the kind of personal trainer who treats sessions like boot camp anyway, and I believe in easing people in. Plus, if you remember that my goal is to see what someone’s grasp of the basics is, simplicity is all I need.
Added to that, if I’m coaching simple movements, my focus is less on the nitty gritty of technique, and more on helping the person to feel comfortable in my workplace as well as getting to know them better. The service I provide hinges on my relationship with my clients, so it’s important to build that foundation from the beginning.
To answer the original question: I used to get more nervous about first sessions – when you’re brand new at anything, it’s less familiar and more worrying. Once you’ve had a bit of practice and figured out what does and doesn’t work, things become easier. Almost five years into business, I’ve conducted many first sessions, and am happy doing them. I tend to see a first session as a huge opportunity now: to help someone feel good about themselves; to allow them to feel accomplished; to give them a sense of what’s possible on their fitness journey… all of those things are incredible gifts, and I get to present them to that person and be their guide.
Would you be nervous? Or excited?