The Question I Receive the Most from Prospective Clients

This post will be of interest to two different demographics: (1) fitness professionals who deal with a general fitness/fat loss clientele & (2) Individuals interested in potentially hiring a personal trainer/coach to help them reach their fat loss goals.

The question I receive the most from prospective general fitness/fat loss clients is the following (or some variation of the following):

"If I don’t change my eating habits and do nothing else in the way of exercise besides train with you 2-3 days per week, what can I expect in terms of results?”

I always give the same answer:

• Increased strength in all major muscle groups

•  Maintenance or increase of lean muscle tissue and resting metabolic rate

• Improved cardiovascular fitness and work capacity

• Improved mobility, flexibility, and soft tissue quality

• Improved, more efficient movement with less pain

• Improved motor skills and overall athleticism

• Less stress, improved confidence, better sleep and improved psychological well being

• A comprehensive, safe, progressive, balanced and systematized training program based on 21st century training methods and principles

• A source of accountability (you are paying me and I am expecting you to be at the facility for your scheduled appointments) which will ensure better compliance to an exercise training program.

• Prevention of numerous chronic and acute injuries and diseases and possible improvement in numerous health biomarkers

Notice I didn't list a specific number of pounds lost, a certain percentage of body fat lost, etc. (refer back to the original question...the prospective client suggested they don't intend to change their eating habits or perform any additional exercise). In fact, what I tell prospective clients who ask this question, or a variation of this question, is that they likely won't gain as much weight as they will if they don't train with me. Read that again: what I'm basically telling these people is "You are going to continue to gain weight but just not as much."

If you are a trainer/fit pro reading this blog, and you answer the above question any other way, you are not being completely honest with the prospective client (or you lack knowledge). If you are an individual who is contemplating hiring a trainer, and they answer the above question in any other way, keep searching for a trainer until you find one who gives you an honest and ethical answer similar to the answer I gave above.


If you go back to the post I made a couple of weeks back on HOW MANY CALORIES YOU CAN BURN IN A WEEK THROUGH EXERCISE, it becomes clear someone, realistically, can only burn a certain number of calories-even if they are working with a trainer-training 2-3 days/week. Let's crunch some numbers:

3 60 Minute Workouts/Week (mix of strength, conditioning and flexibility/mobility work)

• 30 minutes of weight training @ 7 calories per minute (*keep in mind only about 20 of the 30 minutes is actual work): 140 Calories.
• 20 minutes of conditioning/cardio @ 10 calories per minute: 200 Calories
• I'm not going to factor in the calories burned while doing stretching, foam rolling, mobilizations, etc. 
• I'll give you 10% EPEOC/"after burn"

340 total calories+10%=374 calories expended per workout

1122 total calories expended for the entire week

4488 calories expended for the entire month

If someone was eating at weight maintenance calories (an unrealistic assumption), they could lose 1.28 pounds of fat over the course of a month by working with a trainer 12 times per month for an hour. If we go back to the original question (go back and read it again), I don't think it's a stretch (and that's why I answer the original question the way I do) to say the typical individual won't lose any fat at all. It's likely the typical individual is going to overshoot their calorie needs by more than 4488 (that's only an additional 150 calories above weight maintenance calorie needs each day in a 30 day month). Unfortunately, many people who start an exercise program end up eating EVEN MORE than they had been previously because they think they can get away with it now that they are exercising a little bit under the guidance of a fitness professional.

If someone is not keeping tabs on their caloric intake, I can almost guarantee they'll end up in a surplus and wipe out any calories expended through exercise. If they are lucky, the exercise they perform (even if the program is very sound) might allow them to maintain their current weight. More than likely, they just won't gain as much additional weight going forward, assuming they continue training 3 days/week (again, a huge stretch).

So what's the take message here for both fitness professionals/trainers/coaches and the "end client" who is considering hiring a trainer to help them reach their weight loss and fat loss goals? Stop back later in the week for an audio blog where I'll discuss this.


http://www.personaltrainerscincinnati.com