Thelwall, Grappenhall & Latchford April 2015 | Page 50

One of the most important aspects of being
a personal trainer is managing people’s
expectations.
Most people are fairly realistic with regard
to what they want to achieve and the timeframe involved. Occasionally, however, I
will get a client with such unrealistic aims
that it requires me to have diplomatic
skills that would make Benjamin Disraeli
himself envious.
Who can blame some people for making
such unrealistic assumptions?
Who can blame people for expecting the fat
to just ‘melt’ away in ‘just six weeks’ when
they’re constantly told in the media that it
will? Who can blame them for expecting
to get a 6-pack that they could grate cheese
on by doing a few ‘easy’ home exercises and
taking the latest ‘fat-burner’ supplement?
We see magazines with covers showing
a toned, ripped young lady or a hunky,
rippling young man and a headline along
the lines of;

‘Lose weight FAST!!!!’
Or maybe;
‘Get 6-pack abs in just 6 WEEKS!!!’
I have to admit that many of my ‘fellow’
PT’s are just as bad.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve
seen an advert, poster or flyer for some
bootcamp or class loudly proclaiming that
you can ‘Lose up to 30lbs in