The one question every Certified Personal Trainer should know the answer to in regards to a client is, “Can I help you?”
I know for my company, Greek Physique™, LLC, the answer, quite frankly is, “It depends.”
If you want to be a steroid-juiced, vein-popping bodybuilder, the answer is “No; we can’t help you.”
If you want to be able to lift a car off the ground without a jack, the answer is “No.”
If you want to reduce your bodyfat to a mere handful of percentage points, the answer is “No.”
If you want to train for an ultra-marathon race, the answer is “No.”
If you want to attain the flexibility of a contortionist, the answer is “No.”
Now if you want someone to train you for the above goals, you can certainly find many who can and will provide that service. It’s just not what we do. It’s important for every person, and for every business, to know what they do—and what they DON’T do.
So… “Can I help you?”
If you want to gain lean muscle mass or attain a more toned and proportional physique, the answer is “Yes.”
If you want to increase strength, the answer is “Yes.”
If you want to lose weight and excess body fat, the answer is “Yes.”
If you want to increase your endurance, the answer is “Yes.”
If you want more flexibility and mobility, the answer is “Yes.”
I sometimes think of Greek Physique™, LLC as “fitness for the rest of us.” We’re not training chemical-enhanced bodybuilders, or elite endurance athletes, or hard-core yogis. We’re training regular people who have dreams of great health and fitness, yet who also have careers, families, and other responsibilities.
They just want to feel better, look better, move better, and enjoy their lives and their families more. They don’t have all day or night to train. They don’t want do endless cardio. They don’t want to go on a crash diet. And they don’t look forward to another hip or knee replacement.
I do a great deal of work with older clients, and I can tell you that this is what is important to them. And like my own story, many have—through ignorance or stubbornness—injured themselves over the years. So learning how to overcome physical limitations and work out old injuries is a major part of their training. Helping them move a little easier, or breathe new life into areas of the body that have been dormant, is a huge and exciting step for them.
So the answer is, “Yes, we can help you”… If you are the type of person who refuses to sit idle and let life pass you by.
“Yes, we can help you”… If you are ready to take 100 percent responsibility for your own health and fitness, and are willing to do some basic tracking of your progress.
“Yes, we can help you”… If you’re willing to make some simple changes to your diet.
The bottom line is, we can help you if you’re willing to help yourself.
So to paraphrase the immortal Jerry McGuire, “Help us help you!”
And then we don’t have to say, “It depends,” in response to the question of “Can I help you?” We’re then free to say, “Absolutely!”
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Patrick Rooney is the Founder and President of GREEK PHYSIQUE™, LLC, which specializes in functional body sculpting for men and women in Middle Tennessee and worldwide via phone and Skype. Patrick is Certified through the National Association of Fitness Certification (NAFC). Email questions to [email protected].
[…] My latest column at The Tennessee Star is now up. It defines very well what GREEK PHYSIQUE™, LLC can do for you, and can’t do for you. After reading it you’ll have a very clear picture. If you’re the kind of person we can help, I look forward to hearing from you soon. Don’t delay, Spring is here! […]