Mental Training for Coaches & Personal Trainers

Make mental training an implicit part of your program. Mental training if used has always been in addition to physical training; an explicit part of being an athlete or an exerciser. In my work I am beginning to question why. When put in terms of being an addition to physical training, mental training is not seen as the necessity it is and is viewed completely opposite because now it’s also viewed as more work. It does not need to be viewed this way.

Training programs have developed over time

I’ll bet when you started coaching or training things were done a certain way but over time that changed. For example, when I started personal training many years ago we did not know about ‘working the core’. As time went on and the importance of ‘working the core’ came to fruition it was another element I needed to learn and add to my personal training regime to be an effective personal trainer. Mental training is similar. Although it’s been around for quite awhile it’s the new ‘core’ for coaches and personal trainers and it is important to figure out how to add it to your regime.

So how do you do that? I am beginning to work with personal trainers and coaches to add mental training into their physical training so that it’s no longer explicit but it’s implicit.

What does that look like? All coaches and personal trainers should be asking for an initial verbal and written assessment. That assessment should include mental skills. There are real easy ways to assess mental skills, one is called the performance profile. One you have a baseline you need to learn some basics about mental skills so that you can guide your athlete or client through their challenges to help alleviate barriers that are getting in the way to their success. This does not mean you have to go to school to learn all about sport or exercise psychology but it does mean that a little bit of knowledge will be helpful for you and your athlete or client.

Communication is important

One other skill that is tremendously helpful in this process and one that I hope you already have is good communication skills. Communication has developed over the years and we no longer coach or train people the same. It takes an individualized approach. Part of that approach is being able to listen, ask the right questions and clarify the conversation. Listening allows athletes and clients to feel like they are being heard, feel as though they are being supported, helps build collaboration, etc. Being a successful coach is about building the relationship with your athlete or client.

All of this takes very little education and really very little system change particularly once you have it all in place. It does take a little more of you connecting with people at a little bit of a different level but it’s not your job to ‘fix’ your athlete or client that is really my job. 🙂

Add mental training to your physical program

Let me give you an example of the process:

As a personal trainer or coach you read through your initial written assessment and realize your athlete or client has a lot of anxiety. The next session you sit and talk to your client a little bit about the anxiety and then offer a couple of suggestions of things that might help with that anxiety: pre-performance/exercise routine, positive affirmation(s) or some positive imagery. Your athlete or client chooses one and your job is to educate them on the basics of that mental skill and help them develop it on a very basic level (again any more than that and you might want to refer them to me). You will continue to check in about the athlete or clients anxiety (just as you would their physical skill) and readjust what they are doing to enhance that mental skill.

All of this might sound really confusing! If it does, let me know and I can  help educate you and help you develop a basic understand and plan for your athletes and clients.

The most important thing is to start somewhere and instead of mental training feeling like an add-on lets work together to incorporate it into your coaching and personal training.

Dr. Michelle

Communication is key to successful mental coaching!