As a personal trainer, helping clients achieve their goals and improve their lifestyles is at the heart of what you do.
However, working long hours and trying to meet demanding schedules can lead to burnout if you're not careful.
Last week, we discussed the importance of efficient workout planning to stay effective and avoid confusion or fatigue.
Developing a comprehensive personal trainer's workout plan is crucial to build on that foundation. This plan will help you and your clients stay on track by tailoring exercises to individual needs and adjusting fitness strategies as necessary.
Here's how to create a complete workout plan that ensures success for both you and your clients.
The first step in creating an effective workout plan is understanding your clients' fitness goals. In this section, we'll discuss how you can help your clients identify their goals, the type of goals they might have, and a few examples you might encounter as a personal trainer.
Setting clear, well-defined goals creates a roadmap that guides your clients toward their ultimate fitness success. Here's how to set goals for clients:
When setting fitness goals with clients, categorize them into two main types: short-term and long-term goals.
Each plays a vital role in a client's fitness journey by providing specific targets and motivations.
Short-Term Goals
Short-term goals are immediate, specific, and achievable within a brief timeframe, typically a few weeks to a few months. They keep clients motivated and engaged with quick wins and measurable progress.
For example, a short-term goal could be to lose five pounds in one month or to improve a 5km run time by 30 seconds in six weeks.
The key here is to set realistic goals, given the client's current fitness level and lifestyle. Also, ensure they align with the broader long-term aspirations.
Long-Term Goals
Long-term goals are broader and aim at sustained progress over a longer period, with timelines of several months to a year or more.
They are generally more ambitious and may involve significant body composition, strength, endurance, or overall health changes.
Examples include losing 20 pounds in six months, running a half or full marathon, or achieving a specific body weight or muscle mass.
When setting long-term goals, consider the client's overall aspirations, potential lifestyle changes, and the cumulative effect of short-term achievements.
Examples of client goals in personal training vary depending on their preferences and fitness levels. However, they generally fall into a few categories focused on specific outcomes:
Here's how to evaluate a client's current fitness level and identify potential limitations to tailor the best workout plan:
Initiating your client's journey starts with conducting a thorough initial assessment.
To create an effective workout plan, start by evaluating your client's current fitness level with these common initial assessments:
They help you understand your client's baseline so you can tailor a training program that aligns with their fitness goals and current health.
Benchmark tests are essential for measuring initial capabilities across various fitness domains. Standard tests include:
These benchmarks help track progress and adjust training programs as needed.
For your personal trainer workout plan to work, you must record and analyze assessment data accurately. This will allow you to track your clients' progress and adjust their workout plans when necessary.
You can utilize personal trainer software to maintain detailed records of each session, including their performance on benchmark tests.
This data is invaluable; it allows you to make informed decisions when continually adapting the training program to meet evolving fitness needs.
Ready to finally build your first personal trainer workout plan? It involves integrating various exercises to cover all aspects of fitness. Let's take a look at what you want to include.
Strength training builds muscle, increases bone density, and improves metabolic rate.
So, assess your client's current fitness level and training history to inform the selection of appropriate exercises, weights, repetitions, and sets.
When training complete beginners, you can start with basic compound movements like squats and push-ups, focusing on form and gradual progression.
For more advanced clients, incorporate higher-intensity routines and concentrate on specific muscle groups to encourage hypertrophy or strength gains.
For example, your weekly personal trainer workout plan could look like this:
The key is to increase the weight or resistance progressively. Doing so will continuously challenge the muscles and promote growth.
In your workout plan, include cardiovascular training to help your clients improve heart health, lose weight, and enhance endurance. You want to tailor the exercises to their fitness and needs.
For example, you can come up with something like this:
Adding flexibility and mobility exercises to the personal trainer's workout plan can enhance overall movement efficiency and reduce injury risk.
Design thorough warm-ups to prepare your client's body for the day's workout and a long enough cool-down so their heart rate can return to baseline.
Here's a plan you can consider:
You could also add yoga or Pilates once or twice a week to enhance flexibility and core strength.
Sufficient rest and recovery are essential to prevent overtraining and allow muscles to repair and grow.
So, ensure your personal trainer workout routine includes at least one or multiple rest days for clients, depending on their experience level.
Looking at the example workout plan above, you'll notice that no workout is scheduled for Wednesdays. The client can do one or both of the following:
Remember to monitor how each client's body reacts to the training plan. This way, you can adjust the exercises or add extra time for rest to prevent overtraining.
When customizing workout schedules for your personal training clients, consider their unique needs, preferences, and time constraints.
Here's a comprehensive approach you can take:
One way to help your clients improve their lifestyles is by creating a holistic personal trainer workout plan that targets not only their fitness but also what they consume and when. Here's what you can do:
While personal trainers are not licensed to prescribe diets or treat medical conditions with diet, you can educate clients about healthy eating habits and general wellness.
You can pursue a fitness nutrition certification to enhance your credibility and knowledge base.
This way, you can also attract different types of clients, including ones who only need nutrition and weight loss advice.
You can provide general advice on healthy eating habits that support your clients' fitness goals. For example, discussing the importance of protein in muscle repair or the role of hydration in physical performance is beneficial.
It's crucial to base this guidance on established nutritional principles, so avoid giving specific dietary recommendations unless you're qualified to do so.
Utilize resources like the Dietary Guidelines for Americans or MyPlate to inform your discussions. Such resources provide a solid foundation for understanding balanced diets and can be a great starting point for client education.
Tailor your nutritional advice to fit each client's lifestyle, preferences, and goals. This might involve suggesting meal timing around workouts or discussing how to make healthier food choices. Always keep the advice general unless you have the specific credentials to offer detailed meal plans.
Collaborate with registered dietitians if your client needs more detailed dietary advice or has specific health issues. Doing so will ensure your client receives safe, accurate, and personalized nutrition counselling while you stay within your scope of practice as a trainer.
Your second biggest job as a personal trainer is keeping your clients motivated. So, as you create a solid personal trainer workout plan, use these tips to encourage your clients to keep putting in time - especially when they face setbacks and unavoidable delays:
Help clients understand the 'why' behind each exercise and the benefits of their workouts. Educating them about the importance of nutrition and overall wellness can motivate them to make healthier choices supporting their fitness goals.
There you have it! You can now create a personal trainer workout plan that works for you and your clients.
We've covered the basics above, from setting achievable goals, designing personalized routines, and integrating essential nutrition advice to motivating your clients.
Remember to use the best personal trainer software, especially as your client base grows. We recommend starting a free trial with PT Distinction to see how the software can centralize all your client plans and sessions.
Try PT Distinction today and take your coaching to the next level!
We'll get you up and running in no time. Start with our zero-risk free trial and build your personal training empire today.
