Are you working with clients in the gym and they are struggling with confidence. This is a super common thing trainers encounter with new gym goers. They are often concerned that everyone is watching them and although it’s typically not true it doesn’t mean that we as trainers shouldn’t honour their feelings and help them feel safe and comfortable in the gym. Today I’m sharing 5 tips to help your clients build confidence in the gym so that they can eventually be in those busy areas or using the bigger equipment that they are intimidated by right now.
First, try starting with smaller weights for clients. Smaller weights doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to be lighter weights. A lot of people are afraid of barbells, especially when they are just starting out. Starting clients off with dumbbells (which are smaller) can help build some confidence in clients and have them moving on to barbells before you even know it.
Second, find a quiet space. For females who are just starting out in the gym they often feel as though everyone is watching them. If they are new to strength training this effect can feel even more overwhelming. Try starting your clients off in a quiet place. Most facilities don’t have too much of an issue with you moving equipment around as long as you return it to where it belongs so find those quieter corners or spaces until your clients start to feel more comfortable with the movements they are performing and then you can move them into the busier areas of the gym.
Third, start with equipment the client is comfortable with. If kettlebells are something they have used before maybe don’t throw several kettlebell exercises at them to get started. Find out what your clients are comfortable with and start with those for the first couple workouts. The more trust you build in clients the easier it will be to push them outside of their comfort zone in the coming workouts.
Fourth, keep exercises simple. I feel like I can’t stress this one enough. The crazy exercises you often see on social media are often that, crazy (and frankly sometimes just plain unsafe). Most average clients don’t need to squat while standing on a BOSU ball, or jump onto boxes that are extremely high (yes, there may be a time and place for these things, but it’s typically not with a general population client in the gym). Stick to the basic movement patterns and teach your clients how to squat, hinge, push, pull and lunge properly with simple exercises. The basics are the basics for a reason…they work.
Finally, keep equipment set up simple to start. The barbell hip thrust for example is a simple exercise, but it can be daunting to set up, especially for beginner clients (let’s be real, even advanced lifters don’t enjoy setting up a hip thrust). Start, with simpler moves like a dumbbell hip thrust until your client builds confidence with the weights and is more comfortable setting up the equipment. Then you can push them to try moves with heavier set up components.
How do you encourage confidence in your clients in the gym? Try these tips the next time you have beginner who is struggling with confidence.
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