Punishment Workouts...

[Keltron]

What are your thoughts on this? So holding my clients accountable to nutrition is key. I was a bit of a pushover when I started.

"Do you have your food journal?"
"No sorry, I forgot it."
"OK, bring it next time."
and the process would just keep repeating. By the end of their training, they are still fat.

Now they know who's boss and most of my clients are pretty good about it but I have one guy who always has crappy restaurant food during lunch at work. He said it was really hard for him because people at work always offer to take him out. So I offered a compromise. I said we'd start w/every other day. So every other day, he's got to make his own healthy lunch and the next day he can go about his usual. We shook on it and I told him that I'd hold him accountable by giving him a hellacious workout if he didn't comply.

Well he didn't comply and I saw him yesterday. Here's what I had him do

Squat Thrusts
Bodyweight Squats
Push Ups

in a circuit. We started w/10 reps of each. One minute rest at the bottom and then started the circuit again but @ 11 reps. My plan was to keep going until we hit 20 and then go back down again to 10 but he walked off on me @ 18. LOL.

Either he'll follow his nutrition from now on or he'll no longer be my client. Either way I won't be working w/any slackers...

[I_Shaw_I]

lol tuff sh!t.

looks like a beneficial situation for both of you.

[zurninator]

it always amazes me that people get personal trainers and STILL can't stay motivated, when there are so many of us without a trainer who treat bodybuilding like a way of life

[jdmalm123]

that's fine...in fact, he may prefer to do more work in the gym than in the kitchen. You're just making sure he follows through on the part you can control.

[cazzjr]

Thats punishment? Not to be condensending, but is he a new client?

[LukeN.Good]

I just can't believe they'll pay good money just to waste it by NOT listening to their trainer in the first place. As long as they kept paying me, I'd stop caring after a while...probably just let them stay fat and explain WHY they are. When I was reading the original post...I already knew the ending. It must suck to work with people like that, I wouldn't be able to.

If you're to the point where you have to do punishment workouts, which they're most likely not going to accept, perhaps they should be considering if personal training is even right for them? It's not your job to babysit and motivate their ass. They need to grow up, start assuming some responsibility, and show a little concern or have the decency to just stay home and stop wasting everyones time.

/rant

^Which is why I wouldn't do very good as a trainer...haha, I wouldn't have any clients since I'd probably be repeating that last sentence quite a bit.

[cazzjr]

As a personal trainer it is our job to motivate them, but you are right we are not here to babysit them.

[Superman187]

I joke with my clients about making them pay with tougher exercises when they miss a session or mess up with food. Sometimes I really do but, they understand.;

[foodandfitness]

I think you guys are missing the point. The reason people get personal trainers is for your knowledge and motivation.

So your client isn't filling out his food log. Did you bother to instruct him how to fill out his food journal or did you just hand it to him? Have you done exercises where you guide your client through a day filling out the food log?

Did you even ask you client if they believe filling out the food log will help them. They are paying you because you know there are many more ways than one path for them to achieve their goals. They are paying you because if they hit an obstacle like that you can have them record in:

1. food journals
2. food group frequency forms
3. emotional eating logs
4. 24 hour recalls
5. a diet history interview

You have to realize what how lucky you have it that someone is seeing you on their own free will and paying you with their money, not insurance. These types of clients have waaaaay more potential for success than someone who is receiving counseling via Dr.'s orders.

Identify your client's strengths and roadblocks. Ask your client to explain to you why he feels this way about his food journal. Use his strengths to tailor a way that he will be compliant. Such as a food group frequency form. Just have your client circle how many servings of a food group they have eaten that day. Its easy and fast and its a better tool for you to analyze than nothing.

Sorry if all that sounded harsh, but trust me, if a client is failing it is because the method they are using is failing. What behavior change model do you adhere to and what stage of change are they at in regards to a personal trainer. (ex. the behavior of food form compliance)

Punishment has its place in behavior change. But you will be much more successful if you get to the root of the problem and empower your client.