4 Steps to Become a Better Fitness Coach

As a fitness coach with a Ph.D. in psychology, I have to admit that it's incredibly frustrating to hear coaches with no training in behavior change, mindset, or communication talking about how their clients “just won't listen to them.”

The truth is if your clients “aren't listening to you,” then it's up to you to do better as their coach. The fitness industry is too saturated with coaches who simply put together an exercise program and hit send, leaving their clients to fend for themselves.

As a fitness coach, your goal should be to guide your clients to sustained behavior change. My Health Mindset Coaching Certification teaches coaches just that to improve your coaching practice (but I'll teach you just a little right now).

The model I'm about to teach will help you coach more effectively, improve your relationship with your clients, and help your clients get better results, whether your approach is one-on-one personal training or online fitness coaching.

The Most Common Mistake Fitness Coaches Make

Making statements like “my client just won't listen to me” is harmful.⁣

I understand that most fitness coaches don't realize what they're saying is harmful, which is exactly why I'm here to spread the word.

The number of health and fitness professionals providing “advice” and explaining their coaching strategies (more like the lack thereof) that I've been exposed to over the years on social media is higher than I'd like to admit.

Coaches are on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Clubhouse (which is the biggest culprit, in my opinion) and are spreading this negative and often false information. ⁣

I've never been so confident in what I do and the need for it.⁣ I always knew there was a gap in the fitness coaching space regarding education around mindset, psychology, and behavior change.⁣

What I worry about most is that coaches don't even realize they need this education.⁣

Fitness Coaching Mistakes

Here are some examples of what I've heard coaches say on social media:

“This is what I make my clients do...”⁣

(she was explaining the process of reversing dieting)⁣

“There are individual differences, but some people just can't do it...”⁣

(he was referring to the degree of fat loss that can be achieved)⁣

“If you're not motivated, then I can't help you.”⁣

(he was mentioning how he helps clients but can't do it all for them)⁣

When I hear phrases like this, it grabs my attention as if someone said my name. Here's what I heard between the lines of the above statements:⁣

“This is what I make my clients do...”⁣ translates to: “As a client, it's your job to just listen to me. Not make your own decisions.”⁣

(aka suppressing autonomy, which you definitely shouldn't do)⁣

⁣“There are individual differences, but some people just can't do it...”⁣ translates to: “There's a good chance you're not even capable. So maybe don't work towards that goal.”⁣

⁣(this promotes a fixed mindset)⁣

⁣“If you're not motivated, then I can't help you.”⁣ translates to: “Coaching doesn't require helping clients discover motivation. They should already have it.”⁣

⁣(aka believing that, as a coach, your job focus is to provide food and workout plans. The end.)⁣

The first step to becoming a better fitness coach is to ditch this attitude when talking to and about your coaching clients.

Becoming a Great Coach

⁣Okay, of course, those are extreme, and I'm not saying that the people who made the original statements meant any of that on purpose.⁣

The problem is, after people hear messages like this, they will interpret it as “I'm not capable” or “a coach won't help me discover motivation”, and then they might not take action.

This is why mindset matters.⁣

This is why understanding the science of behavior change, communication, and psychology matters.⁣

It's the difference between being a coach who helps their clients achieve sustained behavior change and providing workouts and meal guides but no support. 

Understanding nutrition and exercise science alone isn't enough to help clients achieve their fitness goals and create a healthy lifestyle.

Today, I will break down my evidence-based G.R.O.W. model for effective fitness coaching. This method is something they didn't teach you when you became a certified personal trainer or health coach, but learning this method will help you become a better fitness coach.

Evidence-Based Ways to Become A Better Fitness Coach

I’ve completed nearly five years of mindset and behavior change research and have been in the coaching space since 2016, this four-pillar framework is a result of that education and experience.  This framework is my attempt to simplify the core elements of effective coaching practices from a psychological perspective.⁣

The G.R.O.W. model is how we operate at KJO Coaching, and it is the FIRST thing I share with every coach who goes through the Health Mindset Coaching Certification.⁣

But, of course, this is just a framework.⁣

There's a lot to it, like any other framework, theory, or philosophy.⁣ As nice and tidy as it is to distill things into four main components, just know that there is a LOT more to effective coaching than what I can fit into one blog post.

G is for Guidance

You can be a fitness coach without being a good guide. 

Guidance involves an understanding that your client has all the information you need to guide them toward behavior change. They know their lifestyle, goals, and what works for them better than anyone else does. 

And instead of making assumptions or jumping to conclusions, you should focus on asking the right questions that help your clients share more information and ultimately start to come up with solutions on their own. 

Just telling your client what to do will not work for long-term change because being a good fitness coach is much more than giving advice. You should guide your clients to make behavior changes to help them achieve their goals based on their unique

R is for Relationship

Whether we want to admit it or not, humans are innately social creatures, and we need support from others. 

Building a strong connection with your clients is required for them to feel safe and willing to share all aspects of their journey with you, and it is necessary for you to provide the best possible fitness coaching. 

If your client doesn't have a good relationship with you, they will be more inclined to only share their success with you and hesitate to open up about where they struggle.

You may be left wondering why they can't reach their weight loss goals when they always report things are going well when the reality is they don't have the skill to, for example, navigate social situations without going overboard, so they end up self-sabotaging every time they go to an event. But they don't share this with you because they don't feel a connection or trust.

A trusting relationship gives both of you the necessary knowledge to help your client make changes that will lead to long-term success.

I’m not saying you need to be best friends with your clients, but the number of times we get new clients from previous coaching relationships where they simply didn’t feel like they “connected” with their coach is a lot. 

People frequently end relationships with their coach NOT because it was a bad experience, but because it truly lacked a sense of relationship.

Rather than being a coach who loses clients because the connection isn’t there, focus on creating that relationship with them. If you have genuine relationships with your clients, you’ll not only retain more clients, but they will be more successful, too.

O is for Optimization

As health and fitness coaches, we’re in the business of prevention and optimization. 

Compared to the traditional medical model that aims to repair what’s “broken,” as fitness coaches, we’re in a unique (and powerful) position to help people reach optimal health.

We aren’t just there to fix ailments as they arise. We’re trying to help our clients prevent health issues from arising by helping them improve all aspects of their fitness.

To do this, we should focus on leveraging the clients’ strengths, not just picking out their weaknesses. By focusing on their strengths, your clients can optimize the aspects of their lives they’re already doing well in, and they’ll be more motivated to work on the aspects they’re struggling with. 

And remember — your client isn’t broken. Don’t act like you’re there to fix them!

*Note: There is a difference between focusing on your client's strengths to optimize what they are already doing and focusing only on the positive when your client is struggling. Use your good sense to find a balance between the two.

W is for Wisdom

You’re a health and fitness coach with plenty of knowledge and expertise, and this is why clients hire you.

But from a psychological perspective, we need to be careful about HOW that wisdom is translated. Fitness coaches need to do so without making assumptions or coming off like a “know-it-all” — this can backfire big time. 

You’re the expert on fitness and nutrition, but remember, you’re not an expert on your client’s goals, preferences, knowledge, strengths, lifestyle, etc. They are!

Before you jump to conclusions and start providing solutions, ask more questions (do less telling), and let your clients take the lead. You can read more about the types of questions you should ask your clients here.

Your fitness coaching career will become much more successful (and easier) once you start listening to your client about their life and what works for them and using that knowledge to guide them to healthy behavior changes that will get them to their fitness goals.

How to Become a Better Fitness Coach

I used my expertise in psychology and health behavior change to develop the Health Mindset Coaching Certification to bridge the gap between the extensive focus on nutrition and training science and the lack of focus on applying science to clients' mindsets. 

Throughout this course, I'll teach you what I've learned from years of coaching, researching, implementing, and reading.

If you're interested in mindset and psychology but aren't sure how to actually apply the research and science to your coaching programs, the Health Mindset Coaching Certification is for you!

Sign up for the waitlist to grab some free primer education materials and get first dibs (and bonuses) when the time comes to join the next round of The Health Mindset Coaching Certification.

Connect with us!

Email: [email protected] 

IG: @coachkaseyjo @healthmindsetcert