Better Sessions, Better Results, More Referrals
Read time: 4 to 7 minutes
Goal: For you to have more efficient sessions and more client referrals
Every trainer knows the difference between a session that flows effortlessly and feels successful, and one that feels frustrating from start to finish.
I’ve seen countless Instagram memes joking about trainers trying to teach a Romanian Deadlift. Honestly… it can be a nightmare.
I’ve personally made the mistake of teaching things like RDLs and Barbell presses to brand new clients simply because they’re considered more “advanced” or technical exercises. Obviously, there are a ton of benefits to mastering more technical movements — but truthfully, most beginner clients might be better off mastering the most simple exercises first.
And here’s why.
Generally, I design a new program every 4–6 weeks. Your long-term 1-on-1 clients usually do not care about keeping things “fresh” all the time. They care about feeling successful, confident, and seeing progress.
That’s why simplicity wins.
Especially for the average client paying for training that’s effective, time-efficient, and as frustration-free as possible.
Talking strictly about RDLs here for a minute:
For the fifth time, your client probably still doesn’t understand exactly what you mean by:
“Keep your shoulders back.”
“Hips back.”
And 9 times out of 10, their upper back rounds forward, they feel it in their lower back, and now both of you are frustrated because the movement still doesn’t look or feel right.
So why force it too early?
Why not start with something simpler for the first month or so?
A deep goblet squat, sumo goblet squat, glute bridge — movements like these will absolutely light up your client’s glutes and quads without requiring you to repeat 10 different cues every set.
Then, once they build confidence and body awareness, you can progress them into more technical movements like an RDL or Bulgarian split squat.
I personally think one of the most important things with a new client is building trust and momentum in sessions early on. Throwing highly technical exercises into the first few sessions just doesn’t make much sense to me anymore.
Getting a client to “feel” their glutes during a glute-dominant sumo squat tends to be infinitely easier than teaching a deadlift variation right away.
Start there first.
Get them comfortable.
Build confidence in their body movement.
Then progress into the more technical stuff later. Trust me.
Getting back to what I first said about the flow of a training session… It matters. Remember, for the majority of clients you train, they need guidance. They need you to be in control of the session. Most clients will train with you 2 to 3 days per week. In my opinion, full body sessions make the most sense for the majority of people you’re going to train.
Of course, every client has different goals. Some want bigger glutes, others just want bigger arms — so your programming should always reflect what matters most to them.
If glute growth is the goal, I still prefer a full body approach, but with more emphasis on hip-dominant movements.
On the topic of setting up a client’s program… There are a couple things I’ve learned over the years of training clients.
Avoid programming 2 grip heavy movements within the same superset (i.e. RDLs paired with Pulldowns or Rows.) I wish I learned the importance of this earlier on because it makes such a difference in clients being able to focus on the exercises and not the feeling in their grip and forearm strain. Instead, feel free to pair RDLs with some type of press or tricep extension and pair your rows with squats or hip thrusts.
Structure every single workout with the intention of providing some type of progression that you can show your client in the following weeks or months. (i.e. “4 weeks ago you did 15 pound squats. Today, you were able to do 30 pounds!”) This will make your client so happy and they’ll tell all their friends about you. Progress your client. Some type of improvement that you can show on paper. Or laptop if you use that to track.
Your clients don’t always have to lift heavier every single session. Sometimes it takes 2 to 3 weeks before upping the weight makes sense. Just last week I thought to myself “should we go heavier? Nah. Let's do it next week. I want her to perfect the form at 30 pounds first, then we’ll increase it next week.” Literally thought this through in my head because while going heavier and telling my client it was a PR is nice, I also know she hasn’t perfected the form yet for 30 pounds. Thus, keeping the same weight often makes more sense than upping the weight every single time.
Avoid destroying your client on the first exercise of the session.
Tons of nuance here.
If your client’s goal is to have a stronger deadlift or squat, then of course put that early on in the session at max effort.
But, if your client is 40 or 50 years old and their goal(s) aren’t to max lift on heavy compounds thennnn I suggest starting the workout with exercises that aren’t as fatiguing, so they aren’t completely wrecked by the middle of the workout.
Your workout programming should be heavily influenced by the design of the gym you and your client have access to.
I’m going to give an example of an 8 exercise workout (4 supersets) that provide a full body workout suitable for essentially every single client you train.
Full body workout A:
A1) Seated Hamstring Curl 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
A2) Bent - Over Dumbbell Row or Machine if available 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
B1) Dumbbell Sumo Squat 1s pause at bottom of each rep 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
B2) Slight Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
C1) DB Hip Thrust or Machine Hip Thrust Variation 1s pause at top of each rep 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
C2) Overhand Grip Lat Pulldown 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
D1) DB Walking Lunge 8 steps each leg use appropriate weight that allows excellent form 2 to 3 sets
D2) Cable Face Pulls 12 to 15 reps 1-2 RIR each set
E1) Lying Leg Raise, Captain’s Chair Leg Raise or Crunches 15 to 20 reps 1-2 RIR each set
Full body Workout B:
A1) Lying Hamstring Curl 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
B1) Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
B2) Shoulder Press Machine or DB Shoulder Press if machine not available 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
C1) Leg Press of your choice 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
C2) Single arm Cable Lat Pulldown or Single Arm DB Row 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
D1) DB Glute Extension 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
E1) Abductor Machine 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
E2) Triceps Rope Pushdown 2 to 3 sets 1-2 RIR each set
Of course, these two workouts should be changed to match what you have access to at your gym or at your clients gym. But, I just wanted to give a few full body workout examples that will allow you to challenge your clients while keeping exercise selection simple and easy to teach at the same time. Both workouts hit almost every muscle group and will leave your client feeling challenged in just the right amount.
To wrap this all up — remember that great coaching is not about showing clients how advanced or “hardcore” you are as a trainer. It’s about delivering sessions that feel organized, successful, and sustainable for the person standing in front of you.
The best trainers know how to simplify. They know how to choose exercises that clients can actually perform well, feel confident doing, and progressively improve at over time. That’s what keeps clients motivated. That’s what builds trust. And honestly, that’s what gets referrals.
Most clients are not looking for the most complex workout possible. They’re looking for guidance, structure, accountability, and proof that what they’re doing is working.
If your sessions flow smoothly, your clients leave feeling successful, and you consistently show them progress week after week they’ll stay with you for a long time and tell other people about you.
Keep it simple.
Coach with intention.
Progress your clients consistently.
And always remember: the basics done well will outperform “fancy” programming almost every single time.
Really appreciate you reading & hope you’ve found even just a little bit of value here.
Any questions feel free to email at Luciano.Capitano.Coach@gmail.com
