Introducing a new fitness regimen can be overwhelming and difficult to kick-start. My approach when helping individuals is focusing on two things. First, identifying areas of success. What are they currently doing (as well as celebrating that with them). Secondly, we begin to build on their current fitness state by making small changes that push us towards their fitness goals we are trying to achieve. For example: A client is frustrated with their progress from a fitness perspective. They are only able to commit two days per week to exercise. After encouraging them on their commitment to two days per week we look for areas of opportunity to increase the demand of those two workouts. It could be adding one additional set to a multi-joint movement or decreasing their rest period between sets or finishing the workout with some form of higher intensity short duration sprint work. All three of these examples only add a few minutes to their routine and based on their individual goals is what we would collectively choose to implement. Once we have made these adjustments, I monitor how well my clients can adhere to those changes on a weekly basis. During our check-in calls I’ll see how well (or not so well) my client is adjusting to the changes. Each week we reevaluate correcting our course of progression if needed. More often than not, these minor tweaks to their current routine can start a snowball effect of the client being open to more changes. Two days per week becomes three, they start to want to hit targets on weight lifted, or timed cardio improvements.
Setting realistic fitness goals with new clients involves understanding their current fitness level, health status, preferences, and lifestyle while considering their long-term aspirations and potential limitations. My most recent success story with a client was a Soldier who was about to be discharged from the military because he was over the height and weight standards. He had been on a diet for months. His diet consisted of only eating one time a day, and he had lost 11 pounds in two months but was not meeting his goal, and he had plateaued. I put him on a diet where he ate five times a day and lost 8 pounds his first five days. He continued to lose weight and dropped almost 30lbs in 30 days. Long story short, he was able to achieve his desired weight and continue his career in the military.