Weekly check-in questions for personal training clients

A weekly check-in is the cheapest way to catch a problem before it costs you a client. Done well, it takes them a minute and tells you who needs a lighter week, who needs a push and who's about to drift away. Done badly, it's a twenty-question form nobody opens after week two.

Keep it to six questions or fewer

Every extra question lowers the odds of getting any answers at all. Ask only what you'll act on. If you wouldn't change a client's plan or send them a message because of the answer, cut the question.

Questions worth asking every week

• How well did you sleep this week? (1 to 5). Poor sleep is the most common reason a good plan stops working.
• How was your energy? (1 to 5). A low score two weeks running is a reason to ease off before fatigue turns into missed sessions.
• How closely did you follow the plan? (1 to 5). Asked without judgment, it tells you whether the plan fits their life.
• Your weight this morning (a number), only if body weight matters for their goal.
• What went well? Wins are what keep people coming back, and you'll want to mention them.
• Anything you'd like to change? The one open question that catches what the others miss.

Use scales, not essays

A 1-to-5 scale takes one tap and can be compared week to week. Save open questions for one or two things only words can answer. Clients on their phone between meetings will answer taps; they'll put off a text box until they forget.

Send it on the same day each week

A check-in that arrives every Sunday becomes a habit. One that arrives whenever you remember gets treated as optional. In Liftsmith, the Send this form every week switch on a client's report sends it for you and keeps the last twelve weeks of answers side by side.

What to do with a low score

A 1 or a 2 is a conversation, not a data point. Message them before the next session, ask what's going on, and adjust: fewer sets that week, an easier day, or simply a reminder that one bad week doesn't undo a good month. Liftsmith puts a low score under What to do first on that client's report so it doesn't get lost among everyone else's.

Start new clients with an intake questionnaire

Before the first session, ask for their main goal, how long they've trained, how many days a week they can train, whether they train at a gym, and any injuries or pain to work around. It saves the first session from being a form-filling exercise, and it tells you what equipment to plan around. Read how to keep personal training clients consistent for what to do once they've started.

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