54. Become Your Own Best Coach

One of my primary jobs as a personal trainer is to be an observer. I need to keep a watchful eye on my client in every moment. I need to notice their facial expressions depending on what they’re doing. Their body language, their muscle contraction, their foot placement, their grip, their heart rate, their breathing rate, the amount they’re sweating, whether they’re talking or not. Everything they do is important for me to notice so that I know how to instruct them. It aids me in exercise selection, tone of voice to use, pace of the session, and I use each bit of information to direct the course of the session and each subsequent session. This being the case, I make sure to make notes prior to the end of every session so I can always refer back to what happened when planning what should happen next.

It’s this observation that can make or break the success of a client as I create a plan for them to reach their goals. The plan is always fluid based on what I observe. I may expect one thing and even prepare for it, only to completely change courses and go another direction based on new observations. It’s about collecting information and applying it in live time. It’s about seeing something and making both mental and physical notes about it. This is the only way to progress towards something better. You have to notice what’s going on, inquire as to why, then set your course appropriately.

But that’s just me. What about you? What do you notice? At work, at home, in the car, at the gym. How do you typically feel at 8am compared to 11am? When you eat chicken wings, how do you usually sleep that night? After a hike with a certain person, do you feel uplifted or drained? When you’re in the shower, do you just sing or do your thoughts tend to wander? If country music is playing, are you smiling? Do you walk faster after you call your spouse? What do you notice about yourself and what’s happening around you?