3 HABITS OF A SUCCESSFUL FITNESS COACH
Here is some exclusive coaching advice from James FitzGerald himself pulled directly from our weekly Ask Me Anything (AMA) Sessions. In these sessions, OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP) Coaches ask FitzGerald their coaching questions. This week one of the questions was “What are the three best coaching habits I should cultivate?” here is FitzGerald’s answer.
3 Habits of A Successful Fitness Coach
1) Allocate time just for programming.
To effectively program FitzGerald recommends choosing a time on the calendar whether that be weekly or daily and allocating it just for programming. This time should be free of distractions and in whatever type of environment is needed to focus solely on the act of programming. Creating a time to program will give coaches the space to think about all aspects of the program and the long-term plan while making coaches more efficient.
2) Gather as much information as possible about the client before programming.
Before sitting down to write a program a coach should gather as much information as possible about that client. If a coach conducts a proper consultation and assessment they will already have a substantial amount of information. But, they should not stop there. If a coach has any questions during programming FitzGerald says “reach out . . . it is a lot easier to shoot them a quick email about their schedule, goals, or preferences, then it is to redesign a whole program”. Coaches should not hesitate and listen to their gut if they think they should contact the client.
3) Only prescribe what you know.
A mantra all coaches should have is “only prescribe what you know”. While coaches need to constantly seek out knowledge and perfect their craft they also need to only program what they are comfortable with and what works. Don’t get caught up in making the program fancy, stick to what works and what you know. Through only programming what they are confident with clients will see a coach’s authenticity.
It is easy for coaches to get caught up in new trends and fancy programs. But, without a solid base of fundamentals, a coach is only as good as the template they are following. In order to give coaches the fundamentals they need, we have created a free mini-course to introduce coaches to the OPEX System of Coaching. Sign up today and take the first step towards becoming a professional coach.
