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Client and trainer relationships
The rapport stage is where there is mutual trust and understanding between the client and the trainer, both nonverbal and verbal as well.
- This rapport builds over time.
- A positive first impression is important.
- Verbal and nonverbal: confidence while speaking (non-hesitant), Friendly eye contact, genuine facial expressions, minimizing hand gestures, good posture/body positioning.
The investigation stage: This is where you review your client’s fitness and health information, their medical clearance to exercise, exercise history, and overall goals.
- Demonstrate active and effective listening skills.
- Encourage your client
- Paraphrase
- Ask your client open-ended questions
- Reflect
- Summarize
- Respond to your client’s difficult disclosures
The planning stage: is when your client is ready to start exercising. The personal trainer organizes an exercise routine with the client.
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Setting client goals (Refer to tables 3-2 and 3-3 in the manual for SMART goals)
SMART goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Process goals: The client does this, such as completing four workouts this week.
Product goals: Achieving quantitative goals such as losing 3 pounds or setting a personal record on the squat.
Talking about exercise forms or alternative exercises
Creating a plan of attack
Evaluating the exercise routine
Motivational interviewing
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- Using probing questions to find out more
- Listen actively and effectively
- Give your client educational information
- Maintain a friendly conversation
- Increasing self-confidence
- Encourage your client
The action stage: This is when the client starts working out.
The personal trainer must be able to teach their clients new motor skills.
Setting up systems that are self-monitoring.
Individualize the teaching methods.
- Tell, show, do
- Remind your client that it takes time to get better at motor skills
- Present new skills clearly and slowly
- Give your clients opportunities to focus on practice
Providing your client with feedback
- Correct their errors, continue to motivate them so that your client practices and improves, and reinforce what your client has done well.
Use of effective modeling
Behavioral contracts
Effective communication
Cultural competence: is the ability to work effectively and communicate with people of different cultures.
Improving adherence
- Continuing to build rapport and showing empathy
- Keeping professional boundaries
Learning strategies
The stage of cognitive learning: Use the strategies of tell, show, and do to provide opportunities to practice. This is when your clients try to learn and understand a new skill.
The associative learning stage is when your clients have already mastered the basics of the skill and are prepared for specific feedback to refine that skill.
As personal trainers, we have to balance giving the right amount of feedback and giving appropriate feedback.
Autonomous learning stage: is when your client can perform a motor skill naturally and effectively.
The trainer is doing more monitoring and less teaching.
If you want additional study materials, check out the team over at Trainer Academy. They have incredible study materials for ACE And I have a special limited-time discount for my readers. I also suggest you check out my review on Trainer Academy here.
Hey Tyler,
I appreciate everything you’ve worked on and how much you’re trying to help us all. I do suggest you change the order of the feedback given to clients in the action stage – chapter 3, as this is a common question asked on practice tests and the final exam and they aren’t put in order here.
Thanks once again!
Hey Farah,
Thanks for the help in pointing out some of the errors on my study materials. I will check this out in get to it as soon as I can. Good luck with all the studying in thanks for the comment.
What Chapters would you focus on? I know 7 it huge but what other chapters are super heavy?
Hey Nick, I suggest you checking out the video in the study hub for the American Council on exercise. There is button at the bottom of this page that will take you straight there. Watch that video to check out the top tips I have for passing the ACE exam.