Games 4 Clients

[edubzz]

I'm a personal trainer that works with various populations. A lot of times I will do like a boot camp/ metabolic circuit/ boxing circuit b/c this seems to keep many of my clients entertained. I work in a small personal training gym where depending on the day I could have the space all to myself or it could be packed forcing myself to make the most out of a small space. I currently have a group of clients (4 in total) that I train ages 12boy, 14girl,16girl, 45mother. Everyone is obese other than the mother. Here is the problem after training them for about 2 months and using my conventional methods of training along with adjusting their meals I have seen modest changes in their body composition. It is incredibly difficult to train these people b/c its like trying to pull teeth with them. This makes the hr very long (but the pay is great so I don't want to loose them as clients and more importantly I like a good challenge). During the workouts it is very difficult to motivate the younger ones to exert their best effort to expend the most calories (they do everything half ass) I'm not the kind of trainer that yells but I try to hit things from all different angles. I have changed their exercise mode multiple times but I need something different. Are there any type of GAMES primarily for personal training (websites) that you CPT's use with your clients (primarily the youth population) who may be loosing motivation. * I have had not had any complaints from the mother and obviously making this kids healthy is the primary goal, but I can't take having this hr of work being a drag any longer : D Any help would be appreciate! Thanks much

-Eric
Nsca-CPT
CSCS

[5more]

I do dryland training with a peewee hockey team. (11-12 year olds) Most of the kids are pretty motivated anyway, but there's a few who try to give me greif. We do lots of plyometrics, I get them to hop over benches, onto benches, skip rope, we use the bosu balls, mini trampolines, agility ladders. That and I give them some good music to listen to.
They have all learned to love it! As for games. Take them out to a field and play a game of soccer with them. (lots of running) Then after the game do a quick strength/strech session on the field. You don't have to keep it in the studio.

[BelieveExcell]

Hey there bud, I'm in a similar position myself, working in a very small functional training gym doing classes and personal training. The classes are packed with sedentary individuals including middle aged women with back problems and poor flexibility, some who have never done any kind of exercise before in their life and then the unfit and obese. I can completely empathise with your situation as particularly when you have a group you try and tell one of them to do one thing, move on to correct the next and then the first one is back where they started again so it really is tough.

What I try and do is incorporate a game cooldown at the end to help them leave on a positive note so they relate the gym with a feel good factor not just the blood the, sweat and the tears. Give it a go for like 10 minutes at the end of a sessions, few examples would be;

1) This is an idea my strength and conditioning coach showed me a while ago. Using a rope ladder, run them through simple in-out drills, moving them from single leg to double legs, with a weight at their side (like a farmer's walk), with the weight cleaned or with the weight pressed overhead, keeping them on their toes. This gets their calves ready and warmed gradually, after which you place them into pairs, keeping one person on one side of the ladder and the other on the opposite side, facing each other. They will do two 30 second sets of 'chases' whereby one person will stick their foot into a block on the rope ladder, the person on the other side must follow whichever foot the person on the other side has done. They keep doing this for 30 seconds and then swap round, moving up and down the ladder, switching their feet at random, maybe even using both feet to try and catch each other out. This brings an element of competition into it, brings everyone in the group closer so they're not feeling isolated and murders the calves!

2) Get the group in a tight circle with a medium sized medicine ball, have one person facing inwards, one facing outwards and start off by passing the ball round the circle (like a round the back medicine ball pass). Vary it by getting them to pick up the pace, changing the people facing in/out, changing the direction of the ball, making them pass it through their legs, standing on one leg etc. After you've run that through for a while give everyone a number and bring the circle really tight together, the person with the medicine ball will then lightly toss the ball just above their hands into the centre and shout a number, the person who's number it corresponds with must catch the ball and react quick enough so it doesn't hit the floor. When a person drops a ball or goes for the wrong number then they are knocked out, but the numbers stay the same, which is where it gets confusing and keeps the fun up as everyone's trying to remember. Once it gets down to two people stop it after a while if they aren't going anywhere.

Give em a go if you like, just a few things I do which seem to get people laughing a bit.

Peace

[edubzz]

Thanks 5more for your response, I'm going to make a music mix specially for them this week, I would love to take them out side, but unfortunately its too cold out for them and its dark by them time I see them every week :(

[edubzz]

Thanks believe for you response also, I'm going to try your drills also this week with them see how it goes I think they may really like the second idea. So I'll give it a shot and let you know thanks again very much

[PerFit]

Thanks 5more for your response, I'm going to make a music mix specially for them this week, I would love to take them out side, but unfortunately its too cold out for them and its dark by them time I see them every week :(

Be careful with using music. If you want to get all technical about it, you actually have to pay rights to play someone elses music during your sessions as you are actually using it as part of your product.

Free to air radio is ok but specific cds/playlists are not. Any fitness classes you see/attend actually have to pay a license fee to play that music.

Obviously its rare you will be caught out but just one thing to keep in mind.


Whatever you music you put on, make sure it will be appropriate for all clients. Those who are a little older will not appreciate loud pumping techno junk.

[Lasharm]

I was having some problems motivating a group of clients earlier this year... standard training was boring them. I found a solution.

Yoga ball Dodgeball! Got everyone moving and they were able to take out all their frustrations on their main target... me! We wore our Bodybuggs and most people *easily* burn around 350-500 calories in 30 minute sessions. :)

Also, yogaball soccer works too. We are getting ready to do a Powerball type game next week.

So far my gym has sold 10 3-month training packages which revolve around doing challenges (games). We are coming up on the end of the 3 months and are already signing up double the clients.

[shroper]

Set up a mini volleball setup and use a medicine ball as the ball. You have to catch the ball, do a squat and throw it over the net or to your partner, who throws it over(two touches per side, just like volleyball). Probably a horrible explanation, but a good game to keep people interested. It works better with the soft dynamax style medicine balls

[PerFit]

Set up a mini volleball setup and use a medicine ball as the ball. You have to catch the ball, do a squat and throw it over the net or to your partner, who throws it over(two touches per side, just like volleyball). Probably a horrible explanation, but a good game to keep people interested. It works better with the soft dynamax style medicine balls

lol sorry but I just have this image in my head of a 25lb medicine ball raining down on some little lady.