You just landed your first client!
Maybe you play it cool and then do a happy dance or fist-punch the air to celebrate as soon as someone isn’t looking.
But now what? How do you design a customized workout plan?
This is the first step to building a clientele of satisfied customers and making your dream a viable career. Satisfied customers don’t just happen. Clients come to you for results. Creating a workout plan that delivers results is the most foundational aspect of being a personal trainer.
Let’s walk through how to create a workout plan that will keep your clients coming back for more (and recommending their friends)! And if you think workout planning starts with a warm-up and ends with a cool-down, think again. It starts way before that – by getting to know your client.
Get To Know Your Client
It seems obvious that you should get to know your client before designing a custom program for them, but what exactly do you need to know?
People are often more inclined to tell you about their cat than their health history, but one will definitely give you better information for planning a workout. But before we dive into the what, let’s get into the why.
Why do you need to know your client? Because workouts shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all. If everyone could get ideal results from the same workout plan, personal trainers would all be out of a job.
Each client you meet has unique wants and needs when it comes to a program. One client may want to run a marathon, while another may want to bulk up. Someone may be terrified of free weights or not have access to a gym at all. These little nuances can either make or break your results and reputation as a trainer.
If you pay attention to the little things, your clients will notice how much you tailored the program to them. The little things are what help you stand out from other trainers, programs, or AI-based plans. If you send them on their way with a generic program, they won’t see the same results or enjoy their program on the same level they would if it were truly built for them.
Now that you have the why, let’s talk about exactly what you need to know to start planning a world-class workout.
What Is the Client’s Fitness Goal?
What is your client’s fitness goal? The answer is not to lose weight, gain muscle, or tone up. These are the answers people often give and what trainers base programs on, but 99% of the time, there’s a reason behind that answer. That reason is what you really want to look at.
Your client who wants to lose weight may be wanting to shed those extra pounds so their knees don’t hurt, so they feel more confident, so they can combat health conditions related to their weight. So as you create a program to help them lose that weight, think about how to strengthen their knees. Teach them a lift that makes them feel like a rockstar. Give them resources to manage their health outside the gym.
Your client who wants to get strong might want to have more independence, be able to care for someone else, or feel more secure in their body. Teach your client exercises that make daily activities easier. Help them learn functional lifts that can be used to lift others. Lean into their own strengths as you create their program.
Sure, most people cite physical change as a reason for going to the gym, and that is a completely valid reason for hiring a trainer. But there’s often a functional or emotional reason that accompanies it.
You may be wondering why this matters.
That emotional backing is where your client’s dedication to their program will come from. When they plateau or fall backward, it’s most often those intrinsic motivators that keep them going. If you can help your clients tap into the deeper reasons for training, consistency and results both improve.
What Is Their Current Fitness Level?
Once you know where your client wants to go and why they want the results they do, it’s time to address where they’re at. Think about it like a spectrum. On one end, they’re as far from their goal as they can be; on the other, they’re at their end goal.
To create an effective program, think about what will get them from where they are now to where they want to be.
First, you need some objective, measurable information. Things like weight, body composition, fitness assessments, or other physical tests all provide tangible measurements of someone’s fitness.
Start by getting basic information during your client intake, then have them perform fitness assessments as needed (and pertinent to their goal).
In addition to their physical condition, find out about what exercise they’ve done in the past. What experience do they have in the gym? Have they done group classes or at-home workouts? Knowing this will help you tailor the program to their fitness level and exercise knowledge.
Exercise history is often overlooked in a client’s intake, but can be a powerful indicator of your client’s relationship with their body and fitness.
Do They Have Health Concerns?
Few people escape life unscathed by health concerns, and you’re almost guaranteed to see many conditions and injuries during your career as a trainer.
A good place to start is health history questionnaires and the PAR-Q+. Most CPT programs have a client-facing health history questionnaire you can use, and the PAR-Q+ is available for free online. These forms help answer some of the most important things about a client and their health.
Some clients are happy to tell you about every condition or injury, but many aren’t as forthcoming. Many more just don’t think about it unless asked. But their history matters. A heart condition, an old sports injury, or even a medication can affect someone’s ability or response to exercise.
If a client needs medical clearance, be sure to obtain it before they start an exercise program.
For each client you work with, keep a record of their health history, PAR-Q+, and any other pertinent notes. These can help protect you if there is an injury or health incident while the client is under your care.
Coupled with a comprehensive insurance policy, accurate documentation keeps your business safe should a client press charges or file an insurance claim.
What Types of Exercise Do They Enjoy?
A workout plan only works if the client follows it. Few people are likely to stick to a routine or do a program they don’t enjoy at least a little.
Ask your clients about activities – past, current, and ones they’d like to do. Find out what they enjoy, what they dislike, and what has worked for them in the past. By starting with exercises or activities your client is comfortable with, it builds confidence and enjoyment. You can slowly start introducing new exercises and activities as your client is willing.
You don’t have to build the entire program around their personal preferences, but a little effort to make the program enjoyable goes a long way.
How Much Time Can They Commit to Working Out?
Time commitment is a tightrope balance.
A trainer knows how many days a week a client needs to work out to see results. The client may want to go all in, 7 days a week, or they may only have time once a week. The sweet spot usually lies somewhere in the middle, with a workload that is achievable, provides results, and is sustainable.
Your client’s schedule often dictates how much time they can dedicate to their fitness goals. While we would all like to say “Prioritize your health. Put yourself first.” that isn’t always very realistic. Remember that your clients have commitments and responsibilities to work, family, and community, and that gym sessions may not be #1 on their list.
Help your clients find a schedule that works for them. This is one of the best ways to improve adherence. Encourage all effort to exercise, whether it’s an hour-long session or a 15-minute one.
Start your clients off with a schedule that feels totally achievable to them.
I can’t emphasize that enough. People come in excited, wanting to work out for an hour 5 days a week. Then they fall off the wagon because they realize how much time that takes away from their current schedule. This often leads to a spiral – they feel overwhelmed, miss a session here or there, and slowly they drop off.
Instead, start them off strong. Let them feel that confidence, that success that comes from doing something a bit challenging, but still attainable.
If that means they’re not starting with the recommended 150 minutes per week of aerobic activity and 2-3 days of strength training, that’s okay. They can work up to it as their body and their schedule adjust. At that point, they usually have the desire to do more, rather than an obligation to keep grinding at it.
Where Will They Be Exercising?
There are so many places to move now. Exercise used to feel so much more exclusive and divided – small gyms, niche group fitness classes, and cardio outdoors. With the increased interest in health and fitness, there is no shortage of gyms, studios, or other fitness offerings.
This is good news for our clients and us, because it means we all have options.
So when you sit down (virtually or in-person) with a client for the first time, find out where they’ll be exercising. Will they be working out in a commercial gym, at home, in a community center, or outside? Working out in a gym full of specialized equipment is much different than working out at home.
Find out what equipment they’ll have access to and how comfortable they are using it on their own, if they’ll be exercising without you. This information is also important for liability reasons. If you provide them a program, even an unsupervised one, you can still be held liable for injuries that may occur as a result of your program or instruction.
Once you have taken the time to get to know your client, their history, and goals, it’s time to design their workout plan.
What To Include In a Workout Plan
Now that you know your client, let’s shift gears to what your client will be doing: the actual workout. A good program starts with the basics:
Warm Up
A warm-up serves several purposes, and it’s not just about getting the muscles moving. During the warm-up, we want to start with light exercise to increase heart rate, blood flow, and get the body primed for more exercise. A proper warm-up can reduce the risk of injury and prepare your client for movement patterns they’ll be doing later in the workout.
A warm-up is also a great time to have a check-in with your client. Chat with them about how they felt after the prior session. Ask what they’ve done to move or exercise in between sessions. This time is usually a bit more casual than the main part of the workout, so it‘s a good time to check in on injuries, conditions, and just get to know your client.
Full-Body Focus
Focus on the whole body. This doesn’t mean that every session needs to be a full-body workout. Rather, over the course of your client’s training week, make sure that the program you’ve designed addresses the body as a whole.
Your client may have specific areas they want to focus on, but the program should still include balanced movement patterns rather than repeatedly training one area. Not every client understands the importance of a well-rounded program. We live in a society that loves to “spot-fix,” but fitness is no place for that. Help your clients improve in the areas they want, while still creating an overall healthy body.
Cardio and Strength Training
“But I don’t like cardio!” If you haven’t heard it yet, you will. Clients often come to the gym with only their goal in mind. But part of a full-body focus is to address all parts of the body, including both strength and cardio. Not everyone needs to be trained to run a marathon and lift 3x their body weight, but most people do benefit from a combination of strength and aerobic training.
There are instances where a client may be training for a specific goal, and they want to focus their efforts on one activity. But if you’re training clients for longevity and overall health, both matter.
Cool Down
The cool-down: everyone’s favorite part of the workout to skip. But please don’t.
Like the warm-up, the cool-down has multi-pronged benefits. It allows the body to return to a resting state. Be present during your clients cool down because it allows you as the trainer to see how their body responded to the exercise. If they have difficulty recovering, it shows you that the routine may have been too difficult or that they may have underlying health conditions or medications keeping them from recovering effectively.
Aside from monitoring the client’s physical condition, the cool-down is a great time to assess the client’s feelings about the session. Was it too easy? Too hard? Did they like the new variation of an exercise you gave them? This is a great time to see how the program is going, so you can make changes or update their program as needed.
Recovery
What do your clients do on days you don’t have a session together? Do they know what to do? Talk with your clients about what to do on their off days to stay active, but still get a full recovery in.
If you want to go a step above, give them a paper or resource they can put on their fridge or phone for recovery activities. This gives them freedom to choose an activity that supports their physical health.
Suggest activities like stretching, meditation, or a social activity like walking or hiking with a friend. These activities can be done independently or with guidance. If you live in an area where movement-friendly third places are available, try recommending a few to your clients. A park with a track, a local walking club, or a hiking group can be a great way to connect your clients with others in their local fitness community and help them stay consistent in their physical activity.
Progression
A good workout plan evolves as your client does. Plan options for progressions and regressions into your initial exercise program. That way you’ll have options on-hand if your client needs a variation. Sometimes, a client may be extra tired and need that regression, and as they learn an exercise well, they may need a progression.
Remember that progress is not linear. Your clients may progress quickly through some exercises while they struggle with others. They may also go back and forth a bit between versions of an exercise. I use the words progression and regression here, because that’s the terminology most CPT programs use. But with clients, the term variations has a more neutral connotation and can be used without a client feeling self-conscious about their exercise level.
Your success as a trainer certainly means helping clients achieve results, but it also means helping them move beyond self-limiting beliefs about their bodies and teaching them to independently make healthy choices.
Putting It All Together: Train Them. Protect Yourself.
As a new personal trainer, creating safe, individualized workout plans is part of doing your job well. But even a well-designed program can’t eliminate every risk. Clients can get injured, accidents can happen during a session, and you may be asked to provide proof of liability insurance by gyms, studios, or other training facilities.
Add an insurance policy to the top of your trainer checklist, so you can design and coach workout plans with confidence.
Insure Fitness Group offers professional and general liability coverage in one annual membership, specifically designed for personal trainers. Learn more about personal trainer liability insurance and how you can keep your growing career protected!
