Are you a Personal Trainer or a Fitness Professional that is struggling to capture and keep track of your clients' information? Most Personal Trainers ignore this key input from clients and either don't track their clients' information or track it in a non-searchable, disorganised way.
If you reading this post, you are here to make changes and that's going to pay you big rewards!
Personal Trainers who track their clients' information effectively get 30% more referrals from their client base
Tracking client information and paying attention to your clients' pain points shows that you are truly concerned about solving their challenges and getting them results. The worst thing a Personal Trainer or Fitness Coach can do is forget what their clients have told them and plan training sessions ignoring those key insights.
In this post, we are going to cover the purpose of collecting effective client information and how you can do so with minimal effort and maximum results.
Why collect client information before starting a training program
There are 5 important reasons why you need to collect client information before starting a program. As a Fitness Professional, it is your ethical duty to keep the client safe and deliver the results they are looking to get from your service. Let's get on with it...
1. Safety: Understanding a client's health status, medical history, and any existing injuries or conditions is essential for creating a safe and effective workout plan. Certain exercises or intensities may not be suitable for individuals with specific health concerns, and having this information allows trainers to tailor workouts accordingly, reducing the risk of injury.
2. Customization: Every client is unique, with different fitness levels, goals, and preferences. By collecting information on a client's fitness goals, exercise history, and preferences, trainers can design personalized workout plans that are more likely to be enjoyable and effective. This customization enhances the overall training experience and increases the likelihood of achieving desired results.
3. Accountability: Client information forms often include sections where clients can articulate their goals and expectations from the training program. This not only helps trainers understand what their clients are aiming to achieve but also holds both parties accountable throughout the training process. Clients are more likely to stay committed to their goals when they've clearly communicated them to their trainer.
4. Progress Tracking: Information collected on client information forms provides a baseline from which progress can be measured over time. By periodically reviewing and updating client information, trainers can track changes in fitness levels, address any emerging issues or challenges, and adjust the training program as needed to ensure continued progress.
5. Legal and Ethical Compliance: Personal trainers have a legal and ethical obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of their clients. Collecting comprehensive client information helps trainers fulfill these obligations by providing a thorough understanding of their clients' health status and needs. It also ensures that trainers adhere to industry standards and guidelines related to client assessment and program design.
What client information to capture
Now that we know why we need to gather client information, let's get on with the what. Here is a comprehensive list of client details you can track when a new client joins you.
You don't have to track everything - it could get a bit cumbersome but depending on the service you provide, pick and choose a good mix which gives you a strong foundation from a safety, ethical, and results-driven perspective.
Personal Information
1. Name
2. Contact information
3. Date of birth
4. Emergency contact details
Health History
1. Pre-existing medical conditions
2. Past injuries
3. Medications
4. Allergies
5. Surgical history
Fitness Goals and Objectives
1. Short-term goals
2. Long-term goals
3. Expectations from the trainer
Lifestyle Factors
1. Occupation
2. Physical activity level
3. Stress levels
4. Sleep patterns
5. Nutrition habits
Exercise History
1. Previous experience with exercise
2. Familiarity with different types of workouts
3. Likes and dislikes
Assessments and Measurements
1. Body measurements
2. Body composition
3. Flexibility assessments
4. Strength assessments
Most Personal Trainers and Fitness Businesses note done client information in their diary, Excel / Google Sheets, or through surveys.
The issue with using your diary, Excel, or surveys in capturing client information is that it is not accessible
If your client information is not easily searchable or accessible when you give the service or when you need to reference it, it becomes a cumbersome activity. This leads to many Personal Trainers avoiding the whole activity altogether.
How to capture and access client information effectively?
Here's what you need to effectively capture and access client information to improve your service and your clients' experience:
Timely access: Being able to access timely records right before a session or when you need to is very important. If it is not easy to do, you will likely skip referencing it.
Searchability: If you can't search through your client database to access key information about your client, you are wasting time that could be spent in nurturing and growing your client base. Manual busywork is never a good use of time. It gives zero leverage and doesn't allow you to scale your business.
Flexibility: You don't want rigid templates - a one size fits all approach for all your clients. Then, you risk compromising the service you give your clients for the sake of fitting it into a tool. Don't compromise your offering and flexibility - that is your edge.
If you think manual busywork is saving you money, think again. Time spent on manual busywork means less time spent growing and nurturing your client base.
Free 2024 Excel Template: Personal Training Client Information Form
We recommend using a separate Excel or Google Sheets spreadsheet for each of your clients.
This template has the following tabular structure for your convenience:
Client information: name, contact information, start date, assessment and goals
Client package history: client orders, payments, and session history
Workouts: Workouts and personal records for each session
Progress: Key metrics and progress against goals
You can find more information about client tracking templates including workout templates in this guide.
Pros and Cons of Using Google Sheets or Excel for Tracking Client Information
Learn whether (and in what conditions are) Google Sheets or Excel are useful mediums for Personal training client information forms.
Pros
High flexibility: Be as detailed or concise as you like. A tabular structure gives you the freedom to structure workouts best suited to your style
Free: Google sheets are free to use and give no additional cost to you.
Cons
Difficult to maintain: If you are on-the-go taking client sessions, you'll need to spend time before and after your sessions to note everything down in detail. This means, you may need to duplicate efforts in noting down your session workouts either on your phone notes or diary and then move them over to a Google sheet.
Poor share-ability: Sharing the spreadsheet with your clients can be a pain. Each time you get a new client, you'll need to add a spreadsheet and over time, this can be a mess to maintain on Google drive. Finding the quick link to the spreadsheet and sharing with your clients can take added effort and time.
Inconvenient for clients: Most people (including clients) find it difficult to digest information in detailed tables especially if they are not mobile friendly. Have you tried access Google sheets on your mobile device? It can be a bit daunting to view all the data at once and may not motivate your clients with the intent of showing results and progress.
Here's a free alternative to using your diary or Excel sheets: EZbook
EZbook is a free app that helps you track all your clients and their sessions in one place. It ticks the boxes in giving you timely access, searchability, and flexibility in maintaining detailed client records whether for as assessment, planning client sessions, or anything else.
Here's how you can use EZbook to track client information:
Step 1: Add client information, progress notes, or workouts for each client's each session. Save these copy-paste template for quick access. Never retype a workout or progress note.
Step 2 (Optional): Plan sessions in advance by scheduling and adding your workout notes. Access them on-the-go on EZbook's daily calendar.
Step 3: Delight your clients by sharing a view-only link of sessions and progress!
Use EZbook on-the-go as a mobile app or on your desktop for planning sessions. Use flexibly and fast.
Start tracking client information, sessions, and more for free!
EZbook is made for Personal Trainers and Fitness Coaches who want to scale their business by automating busywork and generating more leads. EZbook can help you track a training log for your clients on-the-go. Save time and delight your customers!
Get started with EZbook in seconds. Click on the link below to sign up. No Credit Card required.
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