Comments on: Zen of Teaching Pilates – working through a negative mindset

By: Teaching with a theme within a Pilates instructional field | Pilates Digest

Teaching with a theme within a Pilates instructional field | Pilates Digest — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:32:13 +0000

[...] range of themes is endless. The extent to which a topic is explored depends on the instructor and the client as well as the client’s goals set up in the initial sessions. How many classes [...]

By: Andrea Cousins

Andrea Cousins — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:03:52 +0000

It continues to surprise me how my attitude can direct a session. If I can visualize a positive experience or just be open to whatever follows, even difficult clients can be pleasant. And yes, those that pay are not always invested mentally into the full idea of Pilates. I see that where I work every week.

By: j

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:03:41 +0000

Hi I love the post , this is one of the challenge i think all instructors face in the business, having client who tried to get into my personal life was my biggest challenge but i must say that this has make me a stronger and more committed instructor the way i handle it now is, whenever i get ask a question now i answer good and not get carried into their conversation and move to the other exercise , i use to give them my full attention to their stories and feel sorry towards their story , i stay very friendly to them but i do not let them overtake the session and yes staying present help me take control. I also think us a instructor needs to draw the line between being an instructor and too friendly , and if somebody wants to only socialize with you they will leave if you keep your ground and earn the respect that you are an instructor not a psychologist ,they will soon come to that realization and the conversation will dissipate.I hope that this will be helpful.

By: Robin Koocher

Robin Koocher — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:34:55 +0000

Thank you for this great article – I read it while I was waiting for a new client. I practice & agree with everything that you wrote; but it made me feel more confident in my approach. I felt totally prepared to face my new client; having no idea what type of attitude she would have. As it turned out; she was the most focused positive person I have ever trained. Now I can use her attitude & your article for the negative types!

Thanks again.
Robin

By: Sharon Evans

Sharon Evans — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:03:37 +0000

Great article and so true! I have heard some of these same comments being made to instructors, who seem to handle it in a positive way.

By the way, my husband also read this article and thinks you are a very talented writer.

By: jo

jo — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:38:35 +0000

loved your comments about clients that just complain. Ideas please,how do you politely get a client to a quiet space when they don’t want to go. This i find difficult and they just don’t want to.

By: Russ Lane

Russ Lane — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:44:30 +0000

It’s funny, I’m working on how personal trainers deal with “difficult clients” for my Web site and I came across this.

The subject interests me because, for a long time, I was one of those difficult clients. When I dropped from 350-165 I was determined to see my weight loss through,so I picked up a trainer. Knowing full and well that focusing on weight lifting/intense exercise also freaked me out. Yep, I intentionally threw myself between a rock and a hard place and counted on the “coal under pressure makes diamonds” cliche. It paid off, and I learned far more about myself than my ability to do pushups.

I train on my own now (with a trainer I ask for advice when I hit a problem), and looking back at my time with my trainers, Half the time I was conflicted: as much as I wanted to see my weight loss through, I didn’t think I was capable of half of what they asked and would panic. And when I’m nervous, nervous = chatty.

Other times Real Life was so chaotic that the trainer time was the only way I could be sure I’d make it into the gym. This was on top of training my muscles (some of which had never seen much action) and avoiding injury.

With any fitness routine, I think it gets overlooked that the weight loss process is a confronting experience. It’s not exactly as simple as waking up one day and deciding to do get in shape/lose weight/etc. That’s how it looks on TV competitions; real life is a little more complication. The decision to lose weight (and implicitly, change your life) is a decision you have to make over and over, every day, and some days that’s more successful than others.

That doesn’t make inappropriate behavior excusable; rather, I think it’s just as important to teach clients *how* not to make excuses or dodge doing the work as it is to teach how to move their arms and legs.

Wonderful post. Thank you!

Best,
Russ Lane
Second Helping

By: Kerrie Ann Frey

Kerrie Ann Frey — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:57:37 +0000

Thank you for your comments! Clearly not all clients are “challenging”. This article is geared towards those – few and far between – clients who allow us to engage in the practice of patience. And, yes, it may see strange that in this economy people would come in to not work their hardest, but it does occur – at least in my neck of the woods. :) Pilates is, indeed, a process that fully engages the mind and the body.
It is joy when a client is always mindfully engaged and motivated; however, even the most focused student can have a down day. In an effort to keep the entire small group present and positive, these options worked for me. I would love to hear additional methods other instructors implement to keep the air positive!

By: Nadine Tyreman

Nadine Tyreman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:59:38 +0000

These clients may be complaining and engulfed in negativity, but some motivation got them INTO the studio. That is the instructor’s true challenge – to discover that motivation and build on it. Now true, there are some individuals who are simply challenging to work with no matter what is said. I have also found that if those people focus on their breathing while they are moving they cannot speak and they end up feeling and acting more positive when they leave. That allows me to stay present with the individual, appreciate and express their accomplishments, and be rewarded with their, “Thanks, I feel so much better,” and continued business.

By: Carolyn Zaremba

Carolyn Zaremba — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:29:26 +0000

This is a good article, but I am amazed that anyone would pay for Pilates training and then not want to fully engage in it! Training costs money and it seems a waste of money, particularly in this economy, to sign up for and attend training sessions and not make the most of them! I have certain physical limitations that necessitate adjustements in my routine, and sometimes movements are challenging, but tht is the whole point of Pilates, it seems to me. You have to go beyond your comfort zone to make any progress at all. Having studied classical ballet as a young person, I know that the seemingly impossible routine suddenly becomes possible after weeks of what can seem frustrating effort. These people who complain about the exercises have no idea of process. Good luck to teachers with the patience to carry these students past their resistance and on to a new level.