Abstract

Like any other discipline, maintaining a regular exercise program requires commitment and perseverance. As a personal trainer and businessman or businesswoman, one of your responsibilities is to keep your clients motivated. Goal Setting: Setting realistic goals is an important way to keep your clients motivated. You and your client should mutually set goals. They should not be too dose together (e.g., every week) or too far apart (e.g., every 6 months). Monthly or bimonthly goals seem to work well. For example, a goal may be to increase bench press weight by 15 lb within 4 weeks or to reduce body fat by 2% within 2 months. Make sure you have accurate and reliable tools to measure these goals. For example, if you are using body fat calipers, you should be well experienced in using them in order to produce repeatable and reliable results. Discussing progress toward the goals you set and giving praise will help keep your clients motivated. For example, “That’s great, John, you’re bench pressing 101b more this week than last week. That means you just have 10 more pounds left to meet your goal.” If your client falls short of his or her goal, maintain a positive attitude and readjust the goal so that the chances of success are greater. For example, “Well John, we didn’t make the 20 lb goal we set for the bench press, but you did increase your lifting weight by 151b. That’s quite an accomplishment! Let’s set the next goal at an additional 15 lb.” Structure your clients’ workouts so that they achieve a feeling of success with each and every workout. It may be as simple as improving their form an a squat. Just make sure to praise your clients for this achievement. Textauszug