The PT Roadmap

The weekly newsletter for Personal Trainers who want to build a client base they love and business they are proud of.

Hey!

I’m sitting in a coffee shop finishing up this issue. It is roasting. This coffee shop always is. But I am in my favourite seat, which overlooks the till area, and the owners are lovely people. Even though the coffee isn’t great, and they don’t turn their air conditioning up enough, I still find myself here at least once a week. I think it’s because of the owners — if they weren’t as chatty or friendly, I would not return. A nice remember that people buy people.

Let's get into today’s newsletter!

A Story From My PT Days I Remembered About Recently

Back when I was a full-time PT, I worked with a client who was obsessed with losing weight.

As I had done with many current & previous clients, I decided we’d do weigh-ins before our sessions started.

And for the first month, this was great.

But that was all about to change.

One day, she came to our session looking more stressed than usual.

She told me she’d not been sleeping well.

And I could tell by the lack of jokes and the bags under her eyes that something was going on.

I stupidly ignored all of that.

Instead, I led her to our consult room and asked her to step on the scales.

129lbs.

I checked my notes.

“Okay, so that’s 2lbs more than what you weighed last week.”

I looked up to see her eyes fill up with tears.

It was then I realised my mistake. But it was already too late.

She’d already begun crying.

These weren’t just tears, either; this was full-on sobbing.

I tried my best to backtrack:

“Awk, don’t worry, that’s probably just water weight from the stress — it’ll come off in no time!”

This didn’t help.

By this point, her face was buried in her hands.

The only thing I could do was grab her some tissues and wait for her to compose herself.

We did not start that session.

And soon after, she texted me to say she’d no longer be coming to our sessions.

I don’t know if I’d have kept her as a client had it not been for this moment, but it was a turning point in my career.

Because it was the moment I decided to NEVER again to use the scales with my clients.

I haven’t weighed a client in session since that day and never will.

Shortly after this, I started questioning whether focusing on weight loss at all was necessary to my business.

I started noticing how much I disliked talking about it and how many clients I attracted who defined the success of our work by their weight loss.

I loved getting people strong and helping them make exercise a consistent part of their.

Not just to serve a weight loss goal.

So, I drastically reduced how much of my messaging surrounded it.

I started talking about the power of exercise and strength training, how it had improved my life and my clients' lives, how society wrongly leads you to believe a smaller body is a better one, and how great it can be for your mental and physical well-being to focus on building strength.

And guess what?

My business was better for it.

I got better (and less emotional) clients.

They trained harder – usually because they weren’t afraid of eating.

So, they hit more PRs during our workouts, which naturally boosted my retention rates.

Any fat loss came as a by-product of that.

Does this mean you shouldn’t focus on helping your clients lose weight?

Not at all. I know plenty of PTs who make a killing being the ‘fat loss’ trainer.

That said…

If you’re part of the group of PTs who feel a bit icky promoting weight loss...

But you’re afraid you’ll lose out on business if you move away from it…

Let me assure you:

You won’t.

And if anything…

You might actually be better off by not focusing on weight loss.

But either way…

Do not – I repeat, do NOT – weigh clients before their sessions 😅

That is not an experience you want.

P.S. 

I contacted the client from in this story to ensure she was okay with me sharing it. 

She told me she’s now got two kids and lifts weights three times a week because she wants to be a strong mum for them. Weight has become a far less prominent part of her reasons for exercise. 

So cool!

One Instagram Post Worth Your Time

Big fan of this post from Matty Fusaro.

I’m sure you’ve heard people say, “The gym is my therapy.” Maybe you’ve said it yourself. I get it, but I do think the two are very different.

I’ve gained a LOT from the gym.

But I’ve also gained a LOT from therapy. I don’t see my therapist as often anymore, but I still find it incredibly helpful to talk through what’s going on in my life.

The two complement each other. One doesn’t negate the (potential) need for the other.

Podcast Episode I Enjoyed

As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, I’m heading to Belfast next week for one of my best mates’ wedding.

My wife is American and knows little about The Troubles (the conflict that happened in Northern Ireland during the 1960 through then 90s.) She listened to this podcast episode and wouldn’t stop talking about it, so I tuned in.

It was excellent.

My knowledge of The Troubles was basic at best. Formed mainly through what I’d heard from friends who are Rangers and Celtic fans (so, not at all biased 🤣.) This two-hour podcast was a riveting listen about where it all began and some key events that shaped it.

Book I’m Enjoying

Stories Sell by Matthew Dicks.

I’m 2/3s of the way through this, and it’s been a book that keeps making me stop to write down ideas I’ve had or ponder perspectives the author shares. I’ve started the Homework for Life daily exercise it recommends, and it’s been so cool to see how much I pick up in my days when I’m looking for it.

If you’re interested in developing your storytelling skills — a skill that is worth its weight in gold when you’re a PT — this is well worth a read.

Do you have a question or a topic you’d like to see covered in a future issue? Hit reply!

Thanks so much for reading.

— Stuart.