"The Roundtable Discussion"

Roundtable Discussion #16

"Under What Circumstances Would You Stop or Discontinue Training a Client?"

 

Panel:

Vince Burke:

There are so many reasons why one should NOT and/or STOP training a client! All clients MUST have these five principles simple to tra

 

PUSHERS:  It is EXTREMELY important to find out who is behind all of it. Often a parent may want their child to be trained yet, the child wants no part of it. Interest is something that needs to be screened for. Interest is pretty easy to detect however, it may take some time for the rookie trainer to get the idea. The best signs of interest are given at during the interview process when meeting the trainee.

 

TAKE NOTICE OF....

 

Over Bearing Parent Comments: "this is something I know that would be best for him whether he likes it or not, he really needs training...."; "he is not playing any sports so he has to at least train..."; "she is gaining too much weight so she has to train..." "all her friends have trainers".  

 

A Very Quiet, Shy: child, that never gets a word in during the interview process. The parent not only answers the questions but undermines the child, never allowing a him or her to speak.

 

Unhappy Actions: a mask/stone face look that does not want to be there. No eye contact nor manners toward you or the parents.

 

Poor Posture/Body Language: ones overall posture and a hand shake can tell a trainer quite a bit. It gives you information about Attitude and Respect that can be used as an indicator whether or not to train someone. Do you want to train someone who does not look you in the eye? How can you teach them? How will they communicate with you during the sessions?  Do you want to train a person who CAN not grip a hand never mind a bar?

 

Everyone Else Syndrome: Often one may come to you because all of the athletes on the team have a trainer. It is important to make sure that all parties are committed NOT because everyone else is doing it. The trainer can detect the intension of the trainee(s) with good screening questions such as, how did you here about me? why are you seeking me out?

 

Over Booked and Busy Schedules: a client being committed to too many things can not only add stress to the body and mind but open the door to illness and injury. We as trainers need to understand that as much as we can assist a  person achieve fitness and wellness goals; we can also assist them into illness and injury. Usually if the client is struggling to make the first appointment it is a good indicator that he/she is too booked. This type of client will NOT only work with respect to achieving fitness goals but will add stress to your day.

 

NO Grades, NO Training:  if you don't hit the books you don't hit the weights. Encouraging and reinforcing good grades needs to part of the training. Your training policy should be like any other academic sports policy in school.  

 

Medical Issues/Injuries: unfortunately their will be times when a client would want you to train them but you need to defer. Whether it be from an injury, disease or the accommodations in your facility such as handicap bathrooms or being on the second floor. You must practice with the utmost professionalism and refer it out or make other arrangements to train this person.

YOU ONLY KNOW, WHAT YOU KNOW, DOES NOT STAND UP IN COURT!!!! (when in doubt sub it!)

 

Trainer Comfort Zone: if you Don't feel right about training someone refer it to someone else. You can usually tell when a certain personality will not hit it off with yours. You should  inform them that you are booked and can refer them to someone else. It is best to be upfront in the beginning so no one gets hurt.

 

Age Appropriate: often one wants you to train their child at the age of 5, 6, 7. It is such a sad thing but these children don't need you, they need their parents to play with them. We need to encourage parents to interact and play with their children. We as trainers can make a huge difference in the overall epidemics among our youth such as with diabetes, hypertension and obesity if we encourage parents to play and NOT pay people like us.

 

Gender Appropriate: for whatever the reason, you as the trainer do not feel comfortable training the same and/or opposite sex than they should be up front and sub it out.

 

Parent Observing Sessions for a Minor: training is NOT a drop off baby sitting session. The trainer should have stated within his/her manual that at least one guardian must attend each and every session. 

 

Burn Out: it can happen to the trainer or trainee. This is important to take notice of your client and see if fatigue or injury has  taking place. These are two of the cardinal signs of OVER doing it. As for the trainer the same must apply. It you as a trainer are going through the motions to collect a pay than you must also take time to reflect on what is best not only for you but your clients.

 

Non- compliance with the policy and procedures: All clients should comply with the rules and regulations of your office. If one does not follow the policy for respect of other clients and/or private property, they should be cancelled as a client. Our standards of practice should be high at all times.

 

No Payment, No Training: it is a great thing to give but we to have to pay bills. Many times trainees feel that trainers can wait several sessions without payment. I never went to a restaurant and ate than told the owner,I will pay you next week. Have them pay up front, it shows better commitment. 

 

Narina Prokosch:

"Excellent question and one I am sure every trainer has had to deal with during their career.  When I first started my studio, I was happy to see any client who came through my front door.   For the most part I was very fortunate in that I seemed to attract a very dedicated group of individuals who loved to learn about their bodies, work hard to get results and worked willingly with me to achieve their goals.  I had a couple of instances where my decision to accept a client was tested.  I worked with one young man (24 yo) for close to a year.  This fellow was severly overweight and deconditioned.  I tried every way to knew to motivate, support and encourage him to take responsibility, but to no avail.  He consistently showed up 15-20 minutes late for training sessions.  His theory was then he didn't need to work out for the whole hour; though he did work hard for the time he was here.  After close to a year of mediocre workouts and a consistent diet of computer games, pizza and beer I chose not to renew his membership.  I realized at that point that I can't do it all - the client needs to be accountable and accept that he will need to make significant lifestyle changes if he wants to see results.

 

I have had my training style challenged over the course of the 6 years that my studio has been open.  I did have quite an animated discussion with a young client at one point because I refused to allow his training to continue until he had a shoulder injury evaluated by a physiotherapist.  I politely told him that either he complied with my request to seek a physio, halt training until such time his injury was investiaged or he could seek another place to train.   No futher questions after that and he remained a client for 2 years until he moved out of the country.

 

With respect to injuries, regardless of now minor I may feel them to be, I certainly have had to "lay down the law" to some clients who insist on training through the pain.  Now, I just changed their training programs and do not allow them to train an area that has pain until they seek help from physio, massage, etc.   Once I tell a dedicated and commited client that they can no longer train certain exercises they will find the time to seek out physio or alternate treatments right away.

 

I also feel that over the course of 6 years, I have become more selective in who I accept as clients.  I no longer need to take anyone that walks in the door just to pay the bills.  With a waiting list of clients, I now take on only clients that will fit with my style of training, are dedicated and committed to making lifestyle chantges if needed and above all love to train and work hard."

 

Anthony Renna:

"I have discontinued training a client twice in the last couple of years.  The first time, although my he had been coming 5x a week and had lost over 40 lbs. in 3 months, I felt like it was time we parted ways.  He started coming in late every session and blowing off the foam roll, activation and dynamic warm up exercises that he was supposed to do on his own time so we could get more in during the hour.  I felt like he was developing a really bad attitude, basically showing blatant disrespect for me and my job, and I didn't want to be around him. That was a messy divorce- he was pretty pissed because he never thought I would let him go since he was coming in 5x a week.  I think that's where some of the bad attitude and disrespect came from. It was an easy decision for me, althouh my wallet was a little lighter for a week or two.

The other time was not so messy.  I was training a woman for a year-and-a-half and she wasn't really getting the results she wanted.  She was working hard but she wasn't coming in consistently on the other days and her nutrition was pretty bad.  I felt like it was my responsibility to motivate her a little more and a felt like I just wasn't getting the job done.  I thought she needed a change so I got her to start training with someone else.  It worked; she felt renewed and started to come in a little more and started seeing the results she wanted.  It hurt my ego a little but the bottom line was that I just wasn't getting the job done and it was time for her to move on."

 

Matt Shuebrook:

"The only time where I have had to stop training a client was when they stopped working out. Basically if my clients are responsive to the programs i put them on, we are "friends". If they try to deviate from what I know will work for them, they will not see results, and this in turn will reflect on their attitude for training.

 

I had a guy one time who would do nothing I asked him to do. He was only working out once a week (with me) and he refused to find time to workout more. This went on for 2 months, I had to fire him as a client. It just did not work out."

 

Steve Payne:

"Interesting query. I have some personal experience with this subject. I'll explain:

    About 6 years ago a woman came to me for fat loss training. We discussed what her current approach and dietary habits entailed. As I suspected she didn't really have a clue as to the proper methodology for effective fat loss or weight management. She also told me that she didn't "like to sweat." I'm the kind who is always up for a challenge, so I figured I work her hard and just splash water on her every workout until she preferred sweat to being splashed. I worked with her for about 6 months, evaluating her progress (there was no appreciable weight loss) and questioning whether she was following the guidelines we had agreed upon. She wasn't...big surprise. The day I "fired" her was the day she informed me that she was on "the hot dog diet." I had to wear a really tight cap to keep my head from exploding. I think my eyes bled for about a week.

    I believe that if a client is going to hire you to help them achieve a goal, whatever that "goal" may be, they become a reflection of your proficiency in that particular arena. If that reflection is poor, it is potentially a hindrance to future business and reputation building. Let's face it, one of the biggest draws for people to spend the kind of money we ask is our reputation for producing results. I personally don't want someone who isn't going to be a solid reflection of my skills representing me in the world.

    I have since learned to ask the right questions and inform my prospects of my level of expectation in order to weed out those who aren't going to "fill the bill" so to speak, or do the work necessary to achieve success. By "weeding out" those who are potentially underachievers from the start, I raise my success rate and therefore get us both what we desire and deserve: Success, better health, good feelings and sound reputations."

 

Robert Belley:

"I would discontinue training a client under the following circumstances if they:

• Begin to treat our training as a hang out session
• Completely give up or present a horrible attitude
• Begin to grow too attached, almost constantly inviting myself to their parties, then feeling discouraged when I do not arrive
• Cross the professional trainer/client line and begin asking me to go on dates
• Grow too co-dependent upon our sessions as they’re only time to train and lead a healthy lifestyle
• Are completely sabotaging their progress outside of our training session by eating horribly and leading a self-defeating lifestyle; the 23/1 rule
• Perform some form of malicious or horrible act outside of our time together that I feel is inappropriate or detrimental to the well being of others
• Ever use my services in an attempt to name drop or promote themselves in a manner I do not feel is helpful to my firm
• Ever stopped paying for the services to be performed
• Ever placed my firm in position that would hurt the firm’s image
• Could not make payment but wanted to barter services in attempt to make payments
• Happened to have an issue concerning their health, typically when I must refer them out to an Ortho, Chiro, PT or likewise depending upon situation.

I must admit I have only cancelled a client’s who was in full swing once in my firm’s history. They developed a few of the above traits and I ended sessions immediately.

 

I am so picky about whom I train.  If I operated a club then I would mostly likely drop the selective order but where I have the option, I only choose to work with people who I know will provide the effort necessary to accomplish and move beyond their goals and who possess a personality I enjoy being around; after all if I’m going to be spending time with someone I better make sure we have some common ground or it will be very boring and not worth either of our times.

 

Also I would like to add that if the opportunity arose, and sometimes it does, when a client will begin to lose motivation I supply the needed attention to remind them why they chose to train with me, what they will accomplish with consistency and why it is so important for them to attain their goals. I usually don’t have to with many of my clients but once and awhile someone will get fall. It’s my job to pick them back up.

 

Again though, I’m lucky in that I choose who I want to work with and I am excellent at weeding out the fakers form the doers, and the dreamers from the realists."

 

Roger White:

"Due to time limits with both myself and my clients, I only meet with my private training athletes once a week.  I give them workouts for the rest of the week.  If they do not take responsibility and perform their workouts, I wasted time meeting with them and putting together their workouts, when I could have been with another athlete who is more serious.  At first, I warn the athlete of the situation, then a second time and we are done until he/she decides to fulfill the requirements.  With that said, I also state before we first meet the expectations, such as weekly workouts on their own."

 

Rick Karboviak:

"The circumstances I would stop training anyone are:

1. Dissatisfaction from the client is expressed.  Sometimes you will find people who are never, ever satisfied, and why keep all that negativity around?

2. The parent or parents of an athlete are too demanding on the athlete at any age.  These are the ones who think they know more than you do as the professional.

3. There is an 'attitude clash' between the client & myself.  Sometimes it's just not worth having someone as a client if you don't agree with their attitudes and behaviors."

 

 

 

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