Client Experiences

Hello to all readers of the internet,

If you’ve stumbled across this then welcome to my first ever blog post! Here I hope to debunk some current fitness myths and keep you all entertained and updated by my skeptical take on current affairs in the online fitness community, share with you my own experiences working in the fitness industry as a young student and scrutinize some quality academic literature so that you can hopefully improve your own workouts.

This first blog post however, shall be about my own experiences as a PT and how I have implemented my own training and fitness philosophies to suit multiple different clients, as well as some of the challenges I have faced. First things first, let’s talk:

Progression. Using a linear progressive overload system (adding reps or weight to your exercises each week) can bring absolute joy to your clients, people love seeing quantifiable improvements and unless they have elite bodybuilder genetics they’re probably not going to add an inch every week to their biceps (if aesthetics is their goal) – therefore the next best way of quantifying progress is seeing their own strength and performance increase! The exact same method can be applied for virtually any of your client’s goals, whether it be to improve their 5k run time or hold a plank for longer – find a way to challenge them each week and show them how much fitter they’re getting!

Adaptability. For one client in particular, many exercises were off the list due to lower body and lower back pain. Being able to find a good yet safe alternative exercise is key with a client like this to help keep them motivated. A great choice for this client was the rower – the light resistance on a full body movement combined with a cardiovascular stimulus aided with strengthening the upper back and core thus allowing for better posture which would help eliminate lower back pain. The cardiovascular training meant daily menial tasks were easier to perform, such as playing outdoors with their child. Additionally, a great way to progress the rower is improve on their 100m, 200m or 500m sprint times to keep the exercise fun, simple and lung burning-ly effective!

Spontaneity. Being able to challenge your own fitness philosophies (mine being longer rest times, best effort sets) to keep your workouts fresh and interesting for your client’s is vital for client enjoyment. I could tell my client didn’t like longer rest times due to having a running background, therefore by throwing in challenging supersets (which I am not usually an advocate for) and reducing rest times, it allowed them to remain interested and kept them gasping for air throughout the workout.

These are just some of the client tales I have had the pleasure of encountering during my short time in the fitness industry, I hope to tell you of many more and keep you posted with many different elements to this blog.

Thanks for the read,

Sam