In collaboration with leading fitness professionals such as John Rusin, Jon Goodman, Todd Durkin, and many others, we’ve tracked the trends of how text messaging can influence client behavior for the better. After analyzing millions of text messages sent to trainees, we’ve mapped the process of how trainers can effectively use text messaging to influence client behavior outside their sessions. These best practices have been fully patented and integrated into Off Day Trainer, making it the first of its kind Health and Wellness text messaging platform, and the 2016 Silver Davey Award for Best Health Website.

“Text messaging is suitable for behavior change interventions because it allows for in-the-moment, personally tailored health communication and reinforcement.” -Oxford Academic Journals, 2010 [1]

In this article, you’ll learn the art of delivering the perfect text message at the perfect time to each of your clients.  As one of the most personal forms of communication, text messaging inspires action and can help motivate clients when you’re not around — specifically, during a client’s “off days”! This simple gesture goes above and beyond your scheduled time, can dramatically improve results, and will ultimately increase the VALUE that you provide as a trainer.

We’ve identified 5 critical elements to helping an individual achieve and maintain their health and fitness goals outside the session.

  1. Emotional Support:  Gain control over stress and sleep, and develop a positive attitude!
  2. Nutrition: Food is fuel, and the wrong fuel can clog up the engine. Real results don’t come via an attempt to outwork a bad diet!
  3. Lifestyle:  Changing habits (good and bad) require consistent efforts and mental fortitude (AKA discipline)!
  4. Accountability:  Most put up 100% effort during their sessions; it’s the off days that determine our clients’ results!
  5. Motivation: Average trainers push for that extra effort in the gym; elite trainers keep pushing every day outside the gym!

To yield maximum results, fitness professionals should reinforce each of these elements throughout the entire week — not just when in session. However, executing a holistic text strategy such as this can be difficult and time consuming.

Elite trainers are texting ALL of their clients, ALL the time to ensure their clients’ success. In order for you to scale this process and leverage texting as a business solution, you’ll need to invest in the right tools, such as www.OffDayTrainer.com.

Off Day Trainer is the most sophisticated text messaging software in the country, designed specifically for fitness professionals. Offering over 600 professionally curated text messages in its library, and individualized automation workflows, the platform makes it incredibly easy for any trainer to use. The best part: Off Day Trainer is already configured FOR YOU based on business best practices for communication.

Client Lifecycle Management

There are 3 main client statuses that all trainers need to prioritize:

  1. Potential Clients
  2. Active Clients
  3. Former Clients

poster with text-to-join instructions, ipad with onboarding form

 

Off Day Trainer helps you to generate new clients by allowing your prospects to easily request a consultation. The system will automatically schedule a 1-on-1 session on your calendar and send follow up text reminders of the event.

 

In the meantime, each prospect will complete a personal assessment survey before their consultation with you. The survey highlights their specific needs, wants, and goals — allowing you to easily demonstrate your value and sell more training.

 

Your current clients need text messages that address their specific goals, personal schedule and unique challenges! ODT custom tailors its messaging by automatically creating a plan for each client, keeping them disciplined seven days a week.

 

Group communication is an important part of your fitness business, but traditional “group texting” creates chaos, and exposes everyone to ALL responses. Off Day Trainer allows you to message groups in a way that feels personal and keeps responses separate.

 

 

Former client follow-up is critical to the success of your business. Off Day Trainer keeps former clients engaged to ensure they stay healthy and fit. If they fall off track, they turn to you — instead of a competitor.

Top 20 Text Messages

With the help of 1000s of fitness professionals, Off Day Trainer has compiled the top, MOST EFFECTIVE texts messages used to inspire action…and here they are!

Emotional Support

  1. What you do outside of training with me is critical. Rest, recover, hydrate and eat well in addition to the workouts on your own. You can do this, <Name>!
  2. Remember, <Name>, it doesn’t matter how strong, fast or fit you are today. The key to your success is consistent EFFORT over time. I believe in you!
  3. I never said that your results would be easy, <Name>, but I promise they will be worth it. Keep going, you’re doing great!
  4. Remind me, <Name>…what is your reason for training? WHY are you putting in all this work? It’s important to keep this top of mind daily.

Nutrition

  1. Before you plan your meals for the day, think about your goals and how the food you eat is going to help you achieve success.
  2. Please text me everything you eat and drink by the end of the day. Thanks <Name>!
  3. Today is the day to clean out your bad foods. Get rid of at least 3 things you know are bad for you and let me know what they were.
  4. Hello <Name>. Can you eat perfect for a day? I challenge you to eat perfectly today. Let me know how you do…

Health

  1. Rest is a critical component to your energy, recovery and overall wellbeing. It’s imperative that you’re getting sleep, <Name>.
  2. A good sweat is one of the best ways to manage stress. Don’t be afraid to disconnect from the world for a moment and get to sweatin!
  3. Here’s a winning formula for you, <Name>: Train like an athlete + eat like a nutritionist = Sleep like a baby! 😉
  4. Hydrate big time today. Put 6 elastic bands around your water bottle. Remove one band with every bottle drank. Text me tonight telling me how many are left.

Accountability

  1.  <Name>, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being perfect, how well did you eat yesterday? Text back your number!
  2.  “Nobody ever drowned in sweat,” is a popular Jack “Bear” Roberts quote. Text me “I almost drowned today” when you finish your workout 😉
  3. Hey! Can you text me when you finish your workout today? Just a simple, “done” is cool. Thanks!
  4.  I want you to run a mile and a half for time today, <Name>, and text back your time when done!

Inspiration

  1.  To achieve your goals, you’ll need to make a decision, commit to it and take massive action, DAILY, not occasionally.
  2.  You cannot fail if you do not quit. Remember that, <Name>, and always get back up and keep going. No matter what.
  3.  At the end of the day, you can either have results or you can have excuses. Not both. Let’s do the work to earn the results we’re looking for, <Name>!
  4.  The journey is supposed to be difficult, <Name>. If it wasn’t difficult everyone would do it. The difficult is what makes it great!

And there you have it! We encourage you to leverage these text messages to influence your clients’ behavior and increase your overall value as a trainer.

Remember, a simple text message (when done properly) might be the key to your client’s success, and to your growth as a true Professional Fitness Coach.

Check out our additional resources at https://offdaytrainer.com/blog/.

[1] Cole-Lewis, H., & Kershaw, T. (2010). Text Messaging as a Tool for Behavior Change in Disease Prevention and Management. Epidemiologic Reviews, 32(1), 56–69. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/…