As a personal trainer you should know how important it is to meet with your clients prior to any training in order to: do a full physical assessment, get an idea of their eating habits and lifestyle, and begin to build positive rapport with that client.

Through conversation in the initial assessment, many questions about work life, family life, and social life seem to be answered without you even having to ask (depending on how comfortable the client is with you initially). That information gives you even better insight into how you can help your client transform and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

With online training this rapport building becomes a little more difficult (unless you provide Skype assessments for your online training clients) because most contact is through email.  This is why it’s important to get as much information about your client and their lifestyle right off the bat. What is the best way to get the information you need?? Ask for it!

Trainerize has provided you a great tool in their fully customizable client consultation form. It is very easy to alter the form to your specific needs in order to get all the information you require from your online training clients. The more you can find out about your clients right away the better.  It saves you having to ask later and will also help you be more effective for them in the long run. As I have stated in past blog posts, doing the little things to make your service stand out from the rest of the online trainers of the world can be key to creating a thriving business.

Most initial consultation forms are very standard and ask for past/current medical history, age, height, weight etc.; however, there are so many aspects to one’s life that affects their health and ability to exercise or eat healthy on a regular basis.  We need to get to the bottom of it, so here are some examples of other questions you can include in your intake form:

Note: these are only a FEW examples of the many questions you can ask to get the information you need from your clients.

1. Work Life:
What type of job do they have? how many days per week/hours per day do they work? how long is their commute? Stress level ?

2. Social & Family Life:
How many meals per week do they eat out? How many alcoholic beverages do they consume on an average week? Do they feel they have a solid support system? Current family/living situation or anything they feel might affect their training?

3. Nutrition:
How would they rank their energy levels on a regular basis? Do they smoke? How much water do they drink per day? Are you currently taking any supplements?

4. Physical Activity:
Current overall activity level? Current fitness regimen (if any?) Where will they be working out? How much time can they realistically commit to exercise? What type of equipment do they have experience using or have access too?

Give this a try in order to get to know your clients better right from the get go!