FROM SELF-DOUBT TO SELF-TRUST

EMPOWERING THROUGH THE COACH-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

By Patrick Wormel, CSCS

MOTIVATING INDIVIDUALS TO REACH THEIR FITNESS GOALS IS A COACHING PROCESS THAT REQUIRES A MULTIFACETED APPROACH.

Despite what many of us are told and taught about various leadership styles, there will always be multiple solutions due to context and human nature. Hence, at Eleiko, we believe coaching is all about empowering people and building a robust coach-client relationship. We have years of experience coaching and educating people across various demographics, and we know a leader can create a motivated training environment by consistently pursuing a higher level of performance, continuing to learn, and acting with kindness.

Coaches and leaders have the power to change lives. To make lasting changes in our behaviour, it is essential to tap into our intrinsic motivation. While external factors like rewards or avoiding shame and punishment can provide a starting point, true success comes from aligning our values, interests, and aspirations with our performance goals. This is where having a coachclient relationship can be invaluable. By creating an environment fostering resilience, commitment, and determination, the coach can lead the client to find their purpose to stay motivated. The guidance of a skilled coach can turn that spark of external motivation into a burning desire to succeed.

A critical step in the coaching process is self-awareness. As a coach, it is necessary to understand your values, communication style, and unique strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge allows you to create a coaching philosophy. These behaviours can be tailored to your client’s needs, helping them thrive and reach their full potential.

It is important to remember that your clients are more than just bodies to train. They have their own stories, interests, and priorities outside the gym that are just as important as their physical goals. Building a genuine and authentic connection with your clients can create a compatible partnership. To do this, seek first to understand and find common ground. Ask open-ended questions and take the time to understand their unique situations. When you show empathy and respect for their lives, you will earn their trust and build a fulfilling coaching relationship for both coach and client.

During client engagement, be mindful of their preferred behaviour styles. Adapting speech, body language, and learning styles to support their preferences for receiving information, demonstrates social agility. This intricate tool can cultivate competency and relatedness, primary ingredients for internal motivation. Utilizing quiet moments, such as the warm-up and cool-down, can provide opportunities for casual conversations and educational moments. Coaches can share their expertise between sets and enhance the client experience by delivering quick-witted feedback in their style, at their ability level. Additionally, seeking and listening to clients’ input allows the coach to acknowledge and validate their contributions. Reflecting on the coach-client communication and working to improve it can result in superior social agility.

It is worthwhile for a coach to be aware of a client’s daily readiness regarding motivation coaching. At Eleiko Education, we believe in gathering basic wellness information daily to manage stress levels and provide support where needed. We use four simple questions related to sleep, physical readiness, mood, and nutrition to determine a readiness and wellness (RAW) score. This score helps us modify training sessions to match the client’s daily ability and keep them engaged with a healthy perception. A client’s perception is a significant factor in their performance and success, making it a primary focus in the coaching process. With the RAW score as a tool, coaches can understand how much complexity to administer for the client’s physical and mental capacity for that day.

A coach can inspire the client to cultivate a sense of purpose and self-trust by providing ability-based benchmarks. This involves creating tasks with transparent expectations and clear objectives specific to the individual’s ability and requires client perseverance, resulting in small wins that enhance perception. This approach promotes client understanding and helps the client display their grittiness.

Providing clients with various choices during training sessions should not be underestimated. By allowing individuals to select the aspects of training they are most comfortable with or enjoy, coaches can foster a sense of client responsibility and satisfaction. Allowing the client to make training decisions offers autonomy, another main ingredient for creating lasting change. Consider how intimidating and overwhelming some training methods can be, especially for the novice. A coach can slowly introduce more training complexity as their ability is enhanced to furnish a positive perception and relationship.

Autonomy, competence, and relatedness are the main ingredients for creating internal motivation. The coach can empower the client by giving them a say in the process, enhancing their confidence and ability, and providing a personal connection. The behaviours impact the coach-client relationship, and one must strive to unlock the collective wisdom and tap into the full potential of the partnership to get the desired outcome. This process is a productive way to enhance perception and self-trust, leading to more sustainable performance.

Patrick Wormel, CSCS, is the Tactical Education Manager at Eleiko. With a decade of coaching experience, he is inspired to empower others with performance, learning, and kindness. At Eleiko, we work to strengthen people for better performance in sports and life. We aim to help people build strength and improve performance with precision crafted equipment and education.