FIRST CLIENT wanted to just lose the BELLY

[BodyQuest1]

Okay this first client that this gym supplied me with(as an INTRO) I couldn't even keep. :sighs: I feel like a failure. Basically, I asked her what her goal was(she's a 1st-timer) and she said "I just want to lose my belly. I'm satisfied with everything else on my body" I told her in order to accelerate fat loss around the stomach, she must work out her ENTIRE body and to not worry as she won't get bulky unless she eats like a bodybuilder. So I put her on a workout like this:

Machine shoulder press 10-12 reps
Elbow Plank(15 secs)
Chest press 10-12 reps
Elbow Plank(25 secs)
Hams Curl 10-12 reps
Jumping Jacks
Lateral rows 10-12 reps
Jumping Jacks
Leg Extension 10-12 reps
Medicine Ball Ab roll
One-legged stiff leg deadlift
Medicine Ball Ab roll

Basically I had her do weights then to working abs interchangeably, no rest if any maybe a couple of secs. I really wanted her to "feel" the burn in those abs. But I guess my tactic didn't work. Because @ the end she told my manager "Well honestly, I don't have money right now" = my service is not worth her money<<< I know that's what she meant =(

I think I messed up having her do weights as towards the end, (when she had given me a hint too LATE!) she asked me "Can I make the muscles of my arms smaller?" I told her she can't shrink them but could make her arms more slender by losing the fat on top of it and doing light weights with higher reps. But I KNEW then that the program I had prescribed to her was incompatible with her own conception of fitness/exercise. Arrrgh =(

Is there anything I did wrong?? Any suggestions on how to do better in this kind of situation again in the future?

[Forbidden16]

Damn that sounds really frustrating... I wouldn't blame it on yourself for obvious reasons but I think that something that plagues the fitness world is the abundance of ignorance about how anything about the body works... Hell, my father hasn't ever worked out or dieted in his life and he argues with me that the advice I sometimes give him can't be true (he recently was found to have Diabetes).

[FameGirl]

Ouch... but try not to take it personally.

In her own ignorance, she probably thought that working out like that would "bulk" her up and not just spot reduce like she wants. That's probably why she declined any more sessions. There's nothing you can do about that... it happens.

It's really frustrating, and who knows, maybe she really COULDN'T afford it, and was hoping that in one session you'd be able to supply her with a simple answer to her "problem".

[BodyQuest1]

Originally Posted by FameGirl

Ouch... but try not to take it personally.

you'd be able to supply her with a simple answer to her "problem".

Maybe I should've lied to her and told her what she wanted to hear lol

[FameGirl]

Originally Posted by BodyQuest1

Maybe I should've lied to her and told her what she wanted to hear lol

The double-edged sword! You know people don't want to hear the truth, yet you don't want to lie.... people are annoying!

[BodyQuest1]

or maybe she was just looking for creative bodyweight exercises...more like the Yoga type?? :sighs: I don't know

but there was this other trainer that stopped her before she left the gym and asked her to work out with him. And she told him she will be there again tomorrow. I'll see next week if this Client-thief had reeled her in with his "game" hook lol

[m3ds]

Originally Posted by BodyQuest1

or maybe she was just looking for creative bodyweight exercises...more like the Yoga type?? :sighs: I don't know

but there was this other trainer that stopped her before she left the gym and asked her to work out with him. And she told him she will be there again tomorrow. I'll see next week if this Client-thief had reeled her in with his "game" hook lol

lol I used to do that too. Sometimes you just have to humor people and hit abs pretty hard because it's so engrained that they can't change their way of thinking. I think you may have been better off giving her a workout centered around lower body with core at the end... lower body is what is going to keep females as clients (along with core)

[2020Wellness]

Or maybe she just didn't have the money. Not many people have the extra cash laying around for training, seriously.

[Keltron]

Don't feel discouraged. Just learn from your mistake. You weren't a bad trainer. Your mistake was that you didnt establish that you were the professional from the beginning.

Tell her that ab exercises won't reduce her belly. Tell her that resistance training in and of itself won't make her grow muscle. Lay down the law. Tell her that based on her goals, YOU know what workouts work best for her. Don't let her dictate what exercises she wants.

Don't worry. It's happened to us all in the beginning. But the best clients will respect you more if you don't appease them.

"If you want to work on your abs, go buy an Ab Lounge or a Bender Ball. If you to LOSE your belly fat, do what I tell you"

[BodyQuest1]

Originally Posted by Keltron

Don't feel discouraged. Just learn from your mistake. You weren't a bad trainer. Your mistake was that you didnt establish that you were the professional from the beginning.

Tell her that ab exercises won't reduce her belly. Tell her that resistance training in and of itself won't make her grow muscle. Lay down the law. Tell her that based on her goals, YOU know what workouts work best for her. Don't let her dictate what exercises she wants.

Don't worry. It's happened to us all in the beginning. But the best clients will respect you more if you don't appease them.

"If you want to work on your abs, go buy an Ab Lounge or a Bender Ball. If you to LOSE your belly fat, do what I tell you"

What if a client says they are not comfortable doing a certain exercise?

[Simmo0508]

I told her she can't shrink them but could make her arms more slender by losing the fat on top of it and doing light weights with higher reps.

Well to be to honest, you did stuff up there. Lifting lighter weights with higher reps isn't gonna make her arms more "slender".

That's a myth. One of the more basic myths you learn is untrue when you start out your studies.

Maybe this client of yours was a plant, as in she was working with the gym itself and testing you as a trainer. Gyms often do this when you first start out (and during the interview process) as a means to gauge where you're at with your knowledge of fitness and your ability at the time. They report your performance to management etc. and how well you faired, what you said in reply to certain questions and how you handle situations and problem solving.


If a client in the future is uncomfortable doing a certain exercise, ask why. If it's physical discomfort, as in pain, then obviously there's a problem. If it's just because he/she doesn't like the exercise they're doin, you have to sit them down and explain to them the benefit of doing it. As well as showing grit and determination etc. From the onset of the working relationship, you must get them to understand that you're the trainer and they're the one who listens to you. Not the other way around. If they can't cope with that or don't agree with it, you don't work with them. It's as simple as that. It's your way, not theirs.

[Keltron]

Originally Posted by Keltron

Don't feel discouraged. Just learn from your mistake. You weren't a bad trainer. Your mistake was that you didnt establish that you were the professional from the beginning.

Tell her that ab exercises won't reduce her belly. Tell her that resistance training in and of itself won't make her grow muscle. Lay down the law. Tell her that based on her goals, YOU know what workouts work best for her. Don't let her dictate what exercises she wants.

Don't worry. It's happened to us all in the beginning. But the best clients will respect you more if you don't appease them.

"If you want to work on your abs, go buy an Ab Lounge or a Bender Ball. If you to LOSE your belly fat, do what I tell you"

Find out why. If she's physically uncomfortable, look into it. She may be doing it wrong. Or it may be too advanced for her. If she's mentally uncomfortable, find out why as well. Explain the benefits of the exercise and why you think it'll help her.

[kfreichen]

OP said "Because @ the end she told my manager "Well honestly, I don't have money right now" = my service is not worth her money<<< I know that's what she meant =("

In this economy it is quite possible that she really does not want to spend any extra money right now. She might be afraid she will lose her job any day now or have recently seen her family savings halved.

In other words, when she said "well honestly", she might have been being honest!

Don't be hard on yourself for what might have been a purely economic decision.

[Dtae787]

I've seen people pull that at my gym. Some of them just don't want to work that hard for a body. On the flip side some are just honest and dont have money. Don't get discouraged though keep at what you know you're born for.

[METALGEAR16]

Originally Posted by BodyQuest1

Okay this first client that this gym supplied me with(as an INTRO) I couldn't even keep. :sighs: I feel like a failure. Basically, I asked her what her goal was(she's a 1st-timer) and she said "I just want to lose my belly. I'm satisfied with everything else on my body" I told her in order to accelerate fat loss around the stomach, she must work out her ENTIRE body and to not worry as she won't get bulky unless she eats like a bodybuilder. So I put her on a workout like this:

Machine shoulder press 10-12 reps
Elbow Plank(15 secs)
Chest press 10-12 reps
Elbow Plank(25 secs)
Hams Curl 10-12 reps
Jumping Jacks
Lateral rows 10-12 reps
Jumping Jacks
Leg Extension 10-12 reps
Medicine Ball Ab roll
One-legged stiff leg deadlift
Medicine Ball Ab roll

Basically I had her do weights then to working abs interchangeably, no rest if any maybe a couple of secs. I really wanted her to "feel" the burn in those abs. But I guess my tactic didn't work. Because @ the end she told my manager "Well honestly, I don't have money right now" = my service is not worth her money<<< I know that's what she meant =(

I think I messed up having her do weights as towards the end, (when she had given me a hint too LATE!) she asked me "Can I make the muscles of my arms smaller?" I told her she can't shrink them but could make her arms more slender by losing the fat on top of it and doing light weights with higher reps. But I KNEW then that the program I had prescribed to her was incompatible with her own conception of fitness/exercise. Arrrgh =(

Is there anything I did wrong?? Any suggestions on how to do better in this kind of situation again in the future?

hey whats up bro first of all let tell you always is that way when you get them as an intro some of them they jhust there to waste their time and yours because they dont realley know what they want i remember that she said int eh begening that she wanted to loose on belly fat thats so stupid you know well we as trainers we dont see that how can that happend that shows a hint of stupiditie from her par than she ask you how could she shrink her arms only????? wtf are you sirius that really show how she dosent have even a clue in how toi lift a dumbellnthats what really sucks about the gym in here you have bounch of people that they expect wonders with in a few day they dont know that the committment is for along period of time you know they dont see us as the guide that they need to get started i have had somany of those people in the gyms they just want to get a free work out and its funny how you see them work out the same ****ing routine they say there is not worth in you thats so ****ed up watch i bet you you will see her doing the same work out you tought her for months she wont go no where keep yoi had up boy am a pro in these do not let this bring you down at the end we all are there to work with people that thay really want to change their life style you know hit up anytime if you have questions bro hustle!!!! hustle!!! hustle!!! thats they key.

[Simmo0508]

Can somebody translate the above please.

[jando]

some people just don't have the money or don't hold fitness to be a priority in their life. It was honestly probably nothing that you have done. It's when you start missing qualified leads on a regular basis that you need to reevaluate your assessment process.

[LatinoMusculito]

Originally Posted by jando

some people just don't have the money or don't hold fitness to be a priority in their life. It was honestly probably nothing that you have done. It's when you start missing qualified leads on a regular basis that you need to reevaluate your assessment process.

I believe he mentioned the client was approached by another trainer, and agreed to come back for another training session with that other trainer.

Interesting scenario.

[Rap_Rocky]

Things happen, she probably didn't have the money or maybe she felt your style wasn't a fit with her. Either way, don't be discouraged, as our fellow members are reiterating.


As for the workout, most of it went well with me, but if she's a first timer, I wouldn't have done deadlifts with her, especially one-legged ones nor would I have done so many advanced core exercises one after the other.

For some one new like her, 2 sets, 8-12 reps, working all the majors...I also would've let her know from jump that she really can't "melt" a specific area of the body, and that when you are working out to burn fat, your body chooses which area to get the fatty acid deposits from to use for fuel. Of course, they'll favor the area that has the most fat. Also school her on why a million crunches won't do anything for her.

[ExtremeEnigma]

dude, listen. your heart and mind are in the right place and you may well be a great trainer, but it sounds like you need to work on your sales/presentation.... no one is gonna close 100% of the time, i sure as hell don't, and when i first started off it took me 2 months at my first club before i got a client... but now i know the emotional buttons to push to get these people to wake up and realize they cant do it on their own. just get more comfortable talking to them afterwards... the free introductory session is a powerful selling tool, take advantage of it. it sounds like you gave her 110% your best workout for the free intro session... mistake. give them a little, whet their appetite for more, constantly talk about how what they're doing can specifically benefit THEM, how much they need you etc... it takes time. good luck

[titdoctor]

yea its funny when someone says they want to keep their butt, but lose their stomach.

[du3ce]

i call bs on the part where she doesnt have money, if she didnt have money then why would she agree to come back and train with the other trainer?

[pumpedup165]

Tip for all trainers - Always do abs with your clients. Tons and Tons of abs exercises. This will not help there stomach, or loss of body fat. However, we can tell clients all day long they need a better diet, more cardio, etc...but all they want to do are abs.

So, except the fact that us trainers don't train abs, but do make sure we know all of the different excerces known to man to "entertain" our clients. Because, in reality yes clients continue training with us because of results, but they also want to do what they want to do.

[Keltron]

I'm not sure if I agree w/the idea that you should give them at least SOME of what they want even though it won't do what they think it will.

They don't pay us to make them happy. They pay us to get them to whatever goal they asked for. If I tell them that I won't do certain exercises because they are not conducive to the goals that THEY asked for, they should believe me. If they don't believe that I am right, then they shouldn't have hired me in the first place.

We are the trainers. We dictate what goes on during the session. They tell us where they want to go and pay us to take them there. We'd be doing them a disservice if we did things that weren't conducive to their goal simply to appease them.

[Simmo0508]

Originally Posted by Keltron

I'm not sure if I agree w/the idea that you should give them at least SOME of what they want even though it won't do what they think it will.

They don't pay us to make them happy. They pay us to get them to whatever goal they asked for. If I tell them that I won't do certain exercises because they are not conducive to the goals that THEY asked for, they should believe me. If they don't believe that I am right, then they shouldn't have hired me in the first place.

We are the trainers. We dictate what goes on during the session. They tell us where they want to go and pay us to take them there. We'd be doing them a disservice if we did things that weren't conducive to their goal simply to appease them.

lol Exactly.

If somethin ain't gonna provide results, why the **** do it. That's counter-productive. And after a while, the client will be wondering why they aren't seeing results if you keep on just doing what they wanna do.

If they knew what they were doing, they wouldn't need a trainer in the first place. Trainer's can't be pushovers or wussy boys. They gotta step up and speak up and do it their way. It's not babysitting lol If the client don't like it, there's the door.

Pumpedup i feel sorry for your clients bro. If they still wanna do their daily ab routines etc. AFTER you've explained the actual scenario behind proper ab training and "achieving a visible 6-pack" and all the info behind it, they in their right mind should follow your advice tenfold. You probably aren't convincing them enough and they don't trust you. If they're just ignoring your advice (again, assuming you actually have sat them down and explained things to them) and you're still training them, then you're only hurting yourself in the long run.

[pumpedup165]

Originally Posted by Simmo0508

lol Exactly.

If somethin ain't gonna provide results, why the **** do it. That's counter-productive. And after a while, the client will be wondering why they aren't seeing results if you keep on just doing what they wanna do.

If they knew what they were doing, they wouldn't need a trainer in the first place. Trainer's can't be pushovers or wussy boys. They gotta step up and speak up and do it their way. It's not babysitting lol If the client don't like it, there's the door.

Pumpedup i feel sorry for your clients bro. If they still wanna do their daily ab routines etc. AFTER you've explained the actual scenario behind proper ab training and "achieving a visible 6-pack" and all the info behind it, they in their right mind should follow your advice tenfold. You probably aren't convincing them enough and they don't trust you. If they're just ignoring your advice (again, assuming you actually have sat them down and explained things to them) and you're still training them, then you're only hurting yourself in the long run.

You are welcome to feel sorry for my clients, however don't feel sorry for my booked schedule. 45+ training hours per week last time I trained full time.

My clients get results, and at the same time keep coming back. I know many trainers that can put a client through a hard workout, a very hard workout...but at the same time many clients aren't looking to be killed. They soon either quit with that trainer, or find another trainer that is going to train to their needs and wants. They are looking to get a workout in with a good person that is going to make sure they don't get hurt.

Your telling me that if a client of your says, "I really want to focus on my calves, I hate how small they are.", you aren't going to make sure to focus a little bit more on satifsfying your clients wants and needs. A little extra calves may not help your client, but it will help there will to succeeed.

This is no different than ever client you ever deal with saying, "I hate my belly fat! I want abs!" All I am saying is that satisfying a clients needs and wishes while giving them a proper workout will grow your client base.

[pumpedup165]

Originally Posted by Keltron

I'm not sure if I agree w/the idea that you should give them at least SOME of what they want even though it won't do what they think it will.

They don't pay us to make them happy. They pay us to get them to whatever goal they asked for. If I tell them that I won't do certain exercises because they are not conducive to the goals that THEY asked for, they should believe me. If they don't believe that I am right, then they shouldn't have hired me in the first place.

We are the trainers. We dictate what goes on during the session. They tell us where they want to go and pay us to take them there. We'd be doing them a disservice if we did things that weren't conducive to their goal simply to appease them.

Are you a trainer? Are you saying that all of your clients are as focused on gains and weight training as you are? Are any of them there for the socialness, or their doctor recommended it, or they want to feel better about themselves not just how they look?

I say many clients do pay us to make them happy. Not happy as in, that was the easiest work out of their lives, but happy with themselves. I am not conducting a workout that is counter productive, but I promise you that if you take a client through a workout and you end each workout with an ab routine that makes them have some tenderness in that area the client will associate you with a better midsection.

Educate your clients about the way to a real six pack, I agree! But while doing so make them feel good for working toward the goal they are wanting.

[Westboarder]

There are some good points here. The bottom line is a person hires a personal trainer to get an edge. They know that they have expertise in field and that with a trainer they would get some where they can't on their own. That's why it is crucial to strut your alpha dominance and let them know you are in control; you are the expert, and you will listen to their goals and find the most reasonable path to them.