The Power of Consistency as a Fitness Coach
The world is in a constant search for quick fixes and rapid transformations. As professional coaches, we must preach the power of consistency
I often ask myself what truly sets apart an exceptional coach from the rest. There are a ton of attributes that come to mind, such as competence, confidence, humility and trustworthiness, but it’s more than just these things. While these traits matter, they lose their effectiveness if not applied consistently.
Consistency is the linchpin of great coaching. When it comes to success, it isn’t just a highlight reel of standout moments like the ones most coaches talk about and post on social media. Rather, it’s a cumulative effect of daily, consistent actions.
The idea of consistency equalling success goes far beyond just coaching. Show me a successful entrepreneur, athlete, author, etc., and I would put my money that their success was built on doing the right things consistently over a long period of time. Good things happen when we do the right things over and over. The small things compound over time and become big things. The power of consistency is relevant for us to consider to be better coaches, but also for our clients to reach their goals more effectively.
While our client’s goals are individual and vary—from weight loss to building muscle, from getting stronger to increasing aerobic fitness—the foundational blueprint for success remains unchanged: consistency in exercise, behavior and lifestyle choices.
Consider a client striving to shed those last 10 pounds. A cursory approach would have many coaches immediately focus on intricate nutrition protocols, macro-counting or creating aggressive caloric deficits. While these strategies have their place, they might not offer the sustainable path we’re looking for.
Instead, imagine directing your client’s energies toward developing long-term, sustainable eating habits. This approach to food could focus on things such as:
- Quality of Intake: Advocating for whole foods, incorporating rich sources of animal protein, essential fats and nutrient-dense plants.
- Mindful Eating: Focusing on simple things such as sitting and chewing during meals to encourage the body’s parasympathetic response, enhancing digestion and food assimilation.
- Post-Meal Movement: A simple walk post-meal can be instrumental in metabolism, energy, digestion and an immediate physical feedback loop to what types of food make them feel “good” vs. “bad.”
When I discuss this concept with coaches, I often receive positive feedback, even though this is not a profound thought. We all know the power of consistency, the power of habits and the power of doing the small things over and over. The challenge is for coaches to get buy-in from their clients around this concept.
As fitness coaches, our role goes beyond the exercise and nutrition program. We have to teach, connect, and get buy-in. We are in the business of building healthy habits with our clients. The key word there is HABITS. We cannot build habits without consistency. Whenever you prescribe an exercise or nutrition program for your clients, ask yourself, “What are the habits I am attempting to build here?”
For example, if you’re building a 3-day per week program for your client, what is the intention here? Maybe it goes further than putting 10 pounds on their back squat? Maybe it’s building a consistent, more foundational habit of lifting weights 3-days per week. Challenge yourself to connect your client to this more foundational habit. Talk about how putting 10 pounds on their back squat or even putting an additional 5 pounds of muscle can be built on this foundational habit.
Real, sustainable habit change and improvement lies in small, micro behaviors in our day-to-day lives, not in radical overhauls. These seemingly insignificant behavior changes, when performed consistently, compound over time, leading to impactful change. For coaches, this outlook will make it more likely that clients don’t just achieve their goals but maintain them over a lifetime.
If your client’s goal is to:
Get stronger:
Consistently lift heavier loads over a long period of time
Get leaner:
Consistently eat a little fewer calories over time
Get a larger aerobic base:
Consistently get in an appropriate amount of easy aerobic volume over time
NOT
Get stronger:
Lift heavy every 3 weeks
Get leaner:
Go on a crash diet and drop fat in 4 days
Get a larger aerobic base:
Prescribe intense work that leaves them beat up and unable to recover
While the world is in a constant search for quick fixes and rapid transformations, we, as professional coaches, must teach our clients the power of consistency. Whether it’s lifting weights, eating healthily or building the aerobic system, lay one brick at a time, every day, every training session, every opportunity.
Let’s champion the mantra of ‘consistency over intensity’ and inspire not just momentary achievements but sustainable results.
See Carl’s previous column here.
Carl Hardwick, CEO of OPEX Fitness & CoachRx, is a strong advocate for bringing honor to the coaching profession and raising the value of all fitness coaches. He lectures frequently about program design, business systems, and building a sustainable coaching career. Follow him on Instagram @hardwickcarl and OPEX Fitness on YouTube