How many times a week on average does a client see their personal trainer?
Many trainers will tell you it depends on the client, their needs, their schedule, etc..
In my experience i’ve found that on average, a client will train 2-3 times a week, any less will not likely render any exceptional results, at least not any that you can claim credit for. Any more can interfere with recovery and may overwhelm a new client.
Even in the even that a new client is overzealous in approaching the beginning of their training, it should be advised to leave sufficient time for recovery so as not to cause overtraining; muscle stiffness, negative mental association or other symptoms of overtraining.
I will also say, albeit a little obvious, the most common times are between 5-7pm, so even if you have plenty of time during the week to train clients, you may find that they all want to book the same times, which will severely limit the number of clients you can train.
This can be especially true if all your clients are part of the same market; working people (start at 9 leave at 5). You will find that you need a wide array of clients from various different markets to create a solid weekly schedule, advertise diversely.
I know it’s a little lengthy but I hope this helps,
-Steven Purcell
Jessica,
Twice a week is very common. Although we encourage clients to workout at least three x a week. Depending on clients budget, you can recommend twice with you and once on their own. Most prefer to work out with their trainers. Twice is nice but three is best!
Thank you,
Christina Cotsiopoulos
Hi Jessica,
Yes, it does depend on the client’s goals, finances, and self motivational levels. However, 2x per week is a great base to clients to see results (if they are doing the rest of the work on their own) (or even 3, but that may not be feasible for many people). You will find that as you train, you will run into all kinds of clients and their needs are all different.
I respectfully disagree with Steven about training times being limited by 5-7. You will see clients wanting to work out at all different times of the day. I train starting at 5:30 a.m. through mid-day (do not work evenings), and my schedule is booked every day. You may have people that train before work, people who’s schedules are flexible (work from home), stay-at-home moms, retired individuals, and those who work out on their lunch break. Then you also have the evenings for those clients after work. So, be prepared for the hours you are available, and go from there.
Budgeting your time for clients, and actually filling your schedule with them are two different things. It may take you some time to build a client base.
Best wishes to you as you start your fitness career!
Christine
