One of the most important (and sometimes difficult) roles a personal trainer has is to manage a client’s expectations of what is achievable and how they are progressing along the route to their objective. My approach with new clients is to start with a frank discussion about what the client thinks they need from their commitment to a programme of fitness training. That’s when we agree realistic objectives within sensible timescales.

As you would expect, popular aims include “get fit”; lose weight”; “tone up”; “improve balance”; “get more flexible”; “strengthen arms/legs”; “to sleep better” –  or all of these!

All very laudable and achievable with the right kind of exercise in the appropriate timeframe and assuming the client is as determined as their personal trainer to reach their target!

However, we have to recognise that people tend towards wanting quick results (blame social media culture?) and any personal trainer worth their salt will counsel their client that the most effective and safest way to approach their fitness programme is to follow a planned and deliberate path which allows them to attain their goal/s while avoiding overstretching themselves and causing injuries or physical or mental burnout, or developing unhealthy habits.

Following their initial consultation and assessment, my clients know that, as long as they attend their training sessions with me and apply themselves 100%; complete any exercises which I recommend for them to follow outside of our sessions and make any agreed lifestyle adjustments together with adhering to applicable nutritional advice, they stand the best chance of realising their fitness ambitions. 

Getting fit is not a “one-off” accomplishment. It takes time to get where you want to be and even more time to stay there. So, it’s basically a “trip for life”. If I was not honest with prospective clients and let them believe they can develop muscles like a professional weightlifter or the aerobic capabilities of an Olympic athlete after a few training sessions, then I wouldn’t be doing my job.

Managing their expectations is as much a process of candid analysis of their potential and appraisal of their progress as it is establishing their confidence in their abilities.

And it’s not just their expectations that have to be managed. I often need to revise my opinions of what a client may be able to achieve within a certain time frame. It’s not unusual for me to make adjustments to a programme as I monitor progress and the pace of change of a client’s abilities and limitations.

What helps me enormously is if the client is able to provide feedback on how they feel about the exercises while they are engaged in the programme; whether they are what they expected; if they feel they are too easy (or too difficult).

One thing both the PT and the client MUST have is patience. Not everything will go without a hitch. Some activities will yield results more slowly than intended or expected – or maybe not work at all.  On these (usually rare) occasions it is imperative for neither party to lose faith. This is one of those instances when “adjustments” can be made.

Above all it is helpful if a client, when managing expectations, recognises that everyone’s path to  fitness is different and they shouldn’t compare their experience and progress with others.