Mid-training Questionaire

[TheManofSteel]

I'm looking for questionaire-type documents (or just the questions themselves) that you would ask a client after training with them for awhile.

I am trying to compose a questionaire where two things happen. 1- The client updates the personal trainer on their fitness goals (how they've changed since training has started), how they feel (on overall wellness) since starting and 2) how they feel they're personal trainer is doing & how we can more accomdate them & their fitness.

I'm looking to have them fill out when they purchase a new package (come in 10 & 20 packs).

Any input is greatly appracited-

[nickmanzoni]

If you were to have a starting drive for success that rates between 1-10, has the training increased that drive, created no change, or decreased your desire to train?


If there were one part of the our training/my technique you wish to be incorporated more, what would it be?

If there were one part of the our training/my technique you wish was not used as much, what would it be?

Is there any part of your activities of daily living that has improved since training?

Is there any part of your activities of daily living that you wish to be improved if and/or when we continue another set of sessions?



Those are key ones I ask, not in question form, but in person after a long session pack. It's the key to getting renewals.

[EMISGOD]

As an aside, "Asgardian power" is an interesting idea to attach to "the man of Steel"... :)

Anyway, why do you want this stuff? Here's why I ask:

Why would the client update the personal trainer on the fitness goals, when that is part of the job of the personal trainer, not only to advise them on what is a realistic goal, but also how to get there and how far they have left to go to accomplish it? Are you not keeping numbers on your clients? Part of the function of a personal trainer is also consultation, which should cover everything else.

Also, I think people might resent an essay-type questioning. If you want to directly ask them the questions, such as how they feel they've changed (the majority will find this a stupid line of questioning and think you're goofy for asking, but if you want to anyway, go for it) or how they're feeling, along the lines of conversationally showing concern, I suspect that will be better received.

The next part I think is you getting into dangerous territory. Asking people who are not qualified to judge you as a personal trainer for a judgment on you as a personal trainer is foolish. Most of them honestly will not have any conception of what makes a good trainer and asking them for advice to apply to yourself will basically get you a boatload of bad advice as well as resentment when they see you ignoring it. If they knew how to better accommodate themselves, why would they need you? Put it another way, do you ever see Jiffy Lube asking you how well they changed your oil and how they can change it better in the future? No, they ask about speed and overall experience, etc., but people are not qualified to judge them on the actual quality of the oil change itself and so they don't ask. 90% of the people toss the comment cards as it is.

What I'm saying is I think you need to re-think this. Where are you trying to go with all of this? If they're seeing results and are successful, you're doing a good job and there are more effective ways of having them realize this than more paperwork. They are coming to you for guidance, in effect, to be led. You don't see drill instructors asking their recruits for advice. I keep coming back to this example because it's probably the oldest example of what would constitute personal training and there is much there to take from their example...


I'm looking for questionaire-type documents (or just the questions themselves) that you would ask a client after training with them for awhile.

I am trying to compose a questionaire where two things happen. 1- The client updates the personal trainer on their fitness goals (how they've changed since training has started), how they feel (on overall wellness) since starting and 2) how they feel they're personal trainer is doing & how we can more accomdate them & their fitness.

I'm looking to have them fill out when they purchase a new package (come in 10 & 20 packs).

Any input is greatly appracited-

[TheManofSteel]

As an aside, "Asgardian power" is an interesting idea to attach to "the man of Steel"... :)

Anyway, why do you want this stuff? Here's why I ask:

Why would the client update the personal trainer on the fitness goals, when that is part of the job of the personal trainer, not only to advise them on what is a realistic goal, but also how to get there and how far they have left to go to accomplish it? Are you not keeping numbers on your clients? Part of the function of a personal trainer is also consultation, which should cover everything else.

Also, I think people might resent an essay-type questioning. If you want to directly ask them the questions, such as how they feel they've changed (the majority will find this a stupid line of questioning and think you're goofy for asking, but if you want to anyway, go for it) or how they're feeling, along the lines of conversationally showing concern, I suspect that will be better received.

The next part I think is you getting into dangerous territory. Asking people who are not qualified to judge you as a personal trainer for a judgment on you as a personal trainer is foolish. Most of them honestly will not have any conception of what makes a good trainer and asking them for advice to apply to yourself will basically get you a boatload of bad advice as well as resentment when they see you ignoring it. If they knew how to better accommodate themselves, why would they need you? Put it another way, do you ever see Jiffy Lube asking you how well they changed your oil and how they can change it better in the future? No, they ask about speed and overall experience, etc., but people are not qualified to judge them on the actual quality of the oil change itself and so they don't ask. 90% of the people toss the comment cards as it is.

What I'm saying is I think you need to re-think this. Where are you trying to go with all of this? If they're seeing results and are successful, you're doing a good job and there are more effective ways of having them realize this than more paperwork. They are coming to you for guidance, in effect, to be led. You don't see drill instructors asking their recruits for advice. I keep coming back to this example because it's probably the oldest example of what would constitute personal training and there is much there to take from their example...

1 - Yes, I chose the username ManofSteel alongtime ago (I joined the boards in 2001)... since I have greatly embraced the story-telling of my motherland. My grandparents hail from Drammen, and Tromso -

2- This is something that has been bestowed upon me from my boss. He wants something that we can use to try to keep our retention rates high.
A) True, that we should be helping them set goals however this is more to see if they originally came into lose 5lbs, we accomplish that. Are they interested in more endurance training, are the more focused on wellness etc. Not help with setting them, but seeing if they're mindset has changed. If they want a major overhaul. Some people are more prone to writing down then speaking out.
B) It's not to rate us as personal trainers for our sake. Partly to get them to reflect on how well we are doing so that they will have an appreciation for what we are doing which they may not have had previously. It is just to see if they are satisfied, and what we may be missing out, that they need or are looking for. I know I am a good trainer because my retention is high and I get many reccomendations.

I think my boss may be looking for something he can stick in the client's file. While, I am still not sure 100% what he is looking for.

[EMISGOD]

Gotcha. In that case, I'd keep it simplistic, so they can answer it by ranking from 1 - 5 or multiple guess (A-D) with percentage ranges...

I'll kick this around a little and see where this is tomorrow (or Wednesday)...