How to Do a Personal Training Consultation?

Congratulations on becoming a Personal Trainer! Now that you’ve got your qualification, it’s time for your first consultation as a PT. 

This is your opportunity to connect with potential clients and show them how you can lend a helping hand in achieving their dream results. Setting the tone for a long-lasting relationship between yourself and your client is important, which is why we are going to help you make the right first impression for your PT consultation.

Prepare ahead of time

Do your homework on your new client before you meet them. Send your client a pre-consultation form that will answer some important questions. This could include a health questionnaire or goals they want to achieve; anything you think would be important before meeting your client. It shows you care and have put thought into their session too!

Break the ice

Once you meet your client, start by building a rapport with them to make a lasting positive impression. Ask open-ended questions to help them feel comfortable, such as:

• “What inspired you to reach out about personal training?”

• “Have you worked with a personal trainer before?”

Keep the conversation friendly and relaxed whilst also being professional. This is your chance to show your client that you care about their journey. 

Do a health and lifestyle assessment

Understanding your client’s current health status and lifestyle is important for creating a safe and effective fitness program. Here’s what you should cover:

Medical history 

Ask about any injuries, surgeries or conditions that could affect their training.

Current activity level

Find out what they’re currently doing for exercise. This will give you a good indication of their fitness level.

Diet and habits

Chat nutrition, sleep and stress levels to identify potential barriers. This will help you come up with exercises that are personalised and clear on goals.

Lifestyle questions

Get to know your clients’ daily routine to help identify any pain points. All of this is going to help you flesh out a training plan in step six. Think about how many times a week your client should train and the style of training. 

Perform a fitness assessment

It’s time to get physical! A fitness assessment gives you a snapshot of your client’s current abilities and lets you design a tailored program. If you’re doing a virtual consultation, schedule an in-person fitness assessment afterwards. We recommend including the following:

Body composition

Measure weight, BMI or body fat percentage if it’s relevant to their goals and you have the tools available.

Posture and movement

Check for imbalances or areas needing correction. Simple movements such as an overhead squat assessment, push-up assessment or even just a standing posture check are good.

Cardiovascular fitness

Something that gets the heart pumping! Depending on your clients’ abilities, this will usually involve a treadmill, bike or step climber.

Strength and flexibility

Make a call based on the assessments you have done so far as to how you assess clients in this space. This could involve basic movements involving deadlifts (one-rep max) squats, floor exercises or anything you think is relevant. Remember, it will be different for every client.

Make sure the assessment matches their fitness level and comfort. You should have a good understanding of this by now based on the previous steps. 

Set SMART goals

Ask your client about their fitness goals and dig deeper to understand their motivation. This part is always fun. Share an experience you’ve had with a similar client and guide them in the right direction. Help them set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound). For example:

• “I want to lose 5kg in the next six months by working out three times a week.”

• “I want to increase my strength and energy levels for daily activities.”

Most clients will have an idea of what they want to achieve, so this is your opportunity to flesh those goals out a little bit more, dig a little deeper and land on a couple you agree on.

Share your personal training plan

Now it’s time to put everything together! You should feel confident enough to to propose a training plan tailored to your clients’ goals. You can do this by explaining the following:

• How you’ll work together: Frequency of sessions, types of exercises and additional resources.

• What they can expect: Milestones, progression and the benefits of sticking to the program.

• How you’ll track progress: Check-ins, reassessments or tools like apps or fitness journals.

Remember to highlight how your program is designed to address their specific goals and challenges. Keep track of plans using a good system to make life easier for yourself.

Address questions and concerns

Open up the floor to questions and concerns. If your client doesn’t have any questions or can’t remember what to ask, we recommend prompting the following:

• Pricing and package options

• How sessions are structured

• Difficulty level and how often they’ll train

• Adjusting for injuries or fitness limitations

If there’s something you can’t immediately answer, let them know you’ll follow up with them once you’ve had a chance to look into it more.

Close with a call to action

Wrap up the consultation with a clear next step. If they’re ready to commit, finalise the details of their training plan. If they need more time, offer a follow-up or trial session to keep the momentum going.

Here is an example of something you could say:

“Based on everything we’ve discussed, I think this program will help you achieve your goals of XYZ. If you are ready, shall we book your first session for next week?”

Don’t be disheartened if your client isn’t ready — they have a lot to process right now. Remember not to be too pushy as this can draw your client away.

Ready to practice your skills?

Good communication turns your first meeting with a client into a lasting training relationship. Stay professional while being friendly, really listen to what they're telling you and keep good notes to show you value their time and goals.

Just getting started? Start your PT journey with AIPT's nationally recognised Personal Training Courses. Call 1300 616 180 today and chat with our Career Advisors about your future in fitness.