Personal Training Business – How Often Should You Re-Assess Your Clients Progress?

Ongoing assessment of your clients’ progress is just part of being a Personal Trainer and running a professional operation. The question is, ‘How Often Should You Re-Assess Your Clients’ Progress?’

In our experience we have found that an 8 week period is best. The reason for this is it gives the client long enough to see significant results. Re-assessing more frequently than this can lead to a situation where the results are marginal and the feeling of achievement the client experiences is minimal.

We find that unless a client asks to have more regular assessments, the 8 week period works well as it allows us to train hard for that period with the reassessment session still in sight. Any longer than 8 weeks can lead to a situation where the clients may lose sight of their progress and the intensity can drop away. We need to keep the client energized towards their goal.

If the results over an 8 week period have come back as negative and the client is not responding to the training, then this raises questions.

These questions are:

• Is the client doing their ‘homework’ set by their trainer outside of their sessions?
• Is the client concentrating on their nutrition and do they need further education?
• Is the trainer prescribing the correct exercises and training format?
• Is the trainer being ‘motivating’ enough and getting the client focused on their goal?
• Is the client doing enough Personal Training sessions?

As you can see if a client is NOT achieving positive progression in their results both the trainer and the client are put under the microscope.

As a PT business owner, the number one focus for your business success is client results! With results come loyalty, retention, referrals and credibility. So, with regular assessments you can ensure all your clients are achieving their goals.

Schedule it!

It helps if all your clients are scheduled for reassessment at the same time. That way you can promote it, for example: 3 weeks until Assessment Week!

A countdown promotion can create excitement within the business with clients talking to each other about it. It also, reminds everyone (trainers and clients) that the reassessment is coming and to be ready!

Make it worth doing?

Not every client in your business has the same goal. Some have weight loss, some fitness, some strength and other size. So it does not make sense to give every client the same reassessment exercises.

We ask clients to choose 3 challenges that interest them from a list of assessable exercises. The clients then complete these exercises during our Assessment Week, and then 8 weeks later complete them again to hopefully see improvement.

The beauty of this is the strength clients are not asked to perform cardio assessments and visa versa.

For example:

A client with a strength goal = Bench Press Test

A client with a fitness goal = Beep Test

Some tests are standard tests that all clients must complete but it is advisable to customize some components specifically to the clients overall goal.

To add further value it is great if you can provide the client with some ‘take home’ evidence of their achievement. For example, a printed summary of their progress and results.