First client is very limited – advice/suggestions appreciated!
I am working with a boutique company who partners with high rises here in Chicago and will work with clients in their high-rise fitness center or actual apartment. I have 2 hour long sessions with my first client next week, this client is not new to the company and has worked with two other trainers before (the trainers train others’ clients when one trainer isn’t available). I reached out to the main trainer but haven’t heard from yet and the other girl game me all the info she could but with this being my first client I want to be overly prepared.
The client is 72 and has a foot infection (no details) thus his whole workout is done from bed mainly laying on his back the whole time. He has some dumbbells and a variety of resistance bands. I’m told he moves through exercises quickly so to have a lot prepared but this is a very limited situation so I could use all the ideas I can get! Apparently he has money and wants to stay active but isn’t really concerned about weight loss (he’s somewhat overweight) or even mixing it up a lot. I’m assuming he likes the company since it seems he lives alone and trains 5 days a week. Any help is great, thank you in advance!
Thank you all for your input! This client has been with the company for a while and has a “main trainer” who I actually spoke to last night and she was very helpful. He has been cleared and all of that, I’m basically just taking on two sessions so one trainer isn’t doing 5 days and if I enjoy him as a client I can be more of a permanent trainer. I’m really looking to just get experience, any experience, and will decide later if I want to continue on with him.
Paul – This is my first client ever, but I’m not taking him on fully.
Thanks again for the input!
Samantha – You absolutely have to get to the bottom of his medical issues before working with him, as both Janet & Harris pointed out. Is the foot infection the reason he’s confined to a bed? There’s something missing here & you need to find it out. I would start with the owner of the company first to get the details and then contact his physician. This guy is obviously a “blue chip” client for them, particularly since he trained 5 days/week – I’m sure they know his story. Is this your first client ever, or just with this company? If you’re just starting out, I would take a pass here. But if not, I would definitely pursue this. I hope things work out Samantha.
Paul Thomas
www.homeworkoutguy.com
Hi Samantha,
I know the company you are working for very well. Ask the owner to help you with this client. She is very knowledgeable and she can give you some good pointers. I’m not sure if she has worked with this client before, but she can get you in touch with the trainers who have worked with him in the past.
Beyond that it’s hard to give you any other suggestions since I don’t have any idea about this client and why he is in bed or if he has any medical issues. As Janet mentioned, getting a medical clearance is a very good idea, but if he is training by this company for a while now I’m sure he does have one already. So, the next step for you would be to contact his physician and try to find out more details about his situation.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Harris
Sounds like your first priority is to get medical clearance. Next you need to find out why he is in bed and on his back. If there is no medical reason and he is not interested in changing you certainly have a challenge. If you cannot get through to him about the importance of being out of bed, and the need to do some exercises slowly (is he using momentum? why is going through exercises quickly?) I would reconsider taking him on as a client. If you do take him on after investigating all the above, I would insist on some goal setting (short, medium and long term), and have him sign a contract about ways to meet his goals.