Tracking progress is absolutely essential…

Tracking client progress is absolutely essential as otherwise, the individual may fail to realize how much improvement they’ve actually made during their time working in the gym. For a coach, this can be detrimental because a client’s view of your talents and value are directly tied to their progress.Physical changes occur gradually, which makes it easy for an individual to fail to fully appreciate the advances and strides that they’ve made while working with a fitness coach. Measuring and tracking a client’s progress allows fitness coaches to provide the client with tangible proof of their improvements, thereby highlighting the value of the service they’re offering as a coach.Tracking a client’s progress is extremely important because most people’s views of themselves or their capabilities are skewed. Every time you meet someone and they talk about working out at the gym, conversation often turns to how much they’re benching. You often hear that they’ve benched 400, even 500 pounds, which is much higher than the actual figure…..I don’t think they really intend to lie; they don’t have a true understanding of what they’re really capable of doing.When a client starts with you, they have an idea of where they’re at and they see themselves at that point for a long time. I’ve had many clients who progressed to a point where they could lift twice as much weight, their endurance has literally doubled and they’ve gone down two or three dress sizes, but their body weight has remained the same because they’ve lost fat and put on a lot more muscle — and that was their goal. But they may say, ‘I think we need to do something different because my body just isn’t changing and I’m not getting any stronger.’ That’s precisely when you pull out those records to show the client how they’ve improved.’Coaches should track client progress or encourage their clients to track their own progress to ensure they maintain an accurate view of where they’ve been, where they are now and it can provide insight on where to focus your efforts moving forwards.Tracking also serves to improve morale, as a client may feel discouraged if they feel as though they’ve failed to progress.

Nutrition is another area where tracking can be very important as a client works to transform their body.

‘In body building, they tell you that if you don’t write it down, then you don’t really know what you’re eating. And that’s true. The client’s view is often very skewed. For instance, they may eat 1 gram per every pound of weight, and they really do think they’re achieving that goal. But in reality, their intake is substantially less — usually about half of what they really think they’re consuming.
In cases where the client tracks their nutritional intake, this allows them to follow their nutritional plan in an optimally effective manner. This typically brings about a fairly rapid progression, which can necessitate revisions to the client’s workout plan and nutritional plan, thereby promoting additional progress.

Methods for making the tracking process fun using a power lifting event or endurance competitions in your gym. This provides the client with an accurate sense of where they are as individuals and as a group, especially if you hold competitions on a regular basis. The competitive element also drives engagement, especially if there are prizes or awards involved. Working to prepare for a competition gives the client something to work toward too.

Before and after photos are also effective in documenting client weight and condition. As the old adage says, photos never lie!

Workout of the Day

A.
ME Lower Body

B.
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 12 minutes of:
135/95 lb. Hang Squat Clean x 6 reps Push-Ups x 12 reps