Video Transcript

Welcome to day 3 of the Precision Nutrition 5-day Exercise and Sport Nutrition Coaching course.

In the last lesson, we talked about why it’s important to assess your clients efficiently and effectively, using a repeatable and standardized system of questionnaires.

Now you might be wondering:

“OK, I’ve got this information…what next?”

And that’s a good question. Because your ultimate goal, of course, is to help your client take action, and keep taking action, until they get where they want to go.

So today, I’ll talk about how you can translate what you learned with those assessments into a client action plan that does three things.

First, the strategy should match a client’s goals, readiness, willingness, and ability to actually do what you’ve asked them to do.

Especially within the context of the other life demands, such as work, school, family, traveling, or whatever else they’re dealing with, other than nutrition and exercise.

The plan should align with who your client is, and what’s important to them.

Second, the strategy should balance getting results with a client’s ability to execute and how quickly they’re willing to go.

Obviously you want your clients to see progress; at the same time, you both have to agree on the trade-offs they’re willing to make for this progress.

Third, the strategy should be based on daily practices and build on a “5 S” model of habit change.

• First, it’s simple.
  Don’t overload your clients with a bunch of stuff they can’t do or won’t do.

• Second, it’s segmental.
  In other words, it’s broken into very small steps that a client can easily do. When tasks are both simple and segmented, your clients will be able to succeed each and every time, which keeps building motivation and momentum.

• Third, the plan is sequential.
  The steps go in a logical order, each one building on the next.

• Fourth, it’s strategic.
  Everything you ask your client to do has a specific purpose. You’re always looking for the steps that will give you a good return on investment — little actions that will add up to big results in the long run.

Below today’s video, you’ll see a little exercise that we do with clients — the 4-Circle exercise. This helps you think about how every action leads towards a goal, and how to break large goals down into small daily actions.

• And finally, a good coaching action plan is supported.
  All along the way, you give your client everything they need to succeed, whether that’s information, or a clear action plan, or help with logistics, or anything else they might require to get things done consistently.

So here’s an example.

Let’s say I have a new client. Their diet isn’t so great, and it’s obvious they might have some nutritional deficiencies. Plus they’re often dehydrated.

But they’re busy, they’re picky eaters, and they’re not yet ready to make larger changes.

So — considering their goals, who they are, what they want, and how quickly they’re willing to go, which isn’t very quickly — I might start them with something very simple: A daily multivitamin, taken with a nice, big glass of water.

This takes almost no effort for the client to do, so they’re unlikely to resist it. I can combine two tasks in one — improving nutritional intake while improving fluid intake, at least a little bit.

By the end of a week, my client might be feeling better, but more importantly, they feel good about their ability to do the tasks I give them. Which means that soon, they might be interested in trying a next step, maybe one that’s more significant like trying some new fruits or vegetables.

With this simple, strategic step, client resistance is low, consistency is high, and the client is empowered to keep progressing.

It’s a win-win.

If you had to, you could probably think of dozens of ways to apply this. Strategic daily practices that can build client confidence and level them up to better and better results.

Now, you might remember that in the last lesson I talked about nutritional levels. Let’s review that again.

Level 1 clients are people who are completely new to eating well, or they just want some basic improvements.

They just want to look, feel, and perform a bit better.

Most of your clients will be Level 1 clients, and that’s important to remember. Unless you’re working with professional bodybuilders or athletes, they’ll probably be average people or recreational exercisers who don’t need a lot of fancy stuff. They can get great results with a few basics, done consistently.

Most Level 1 plans are sustainable, do-able, long-term plans that focus on improving people’s health, body composition, and performance for life.

Level 2 clients are people who can do the basic tasks well, and are looking for more guidance, planning, and direction to go to the “next level”.

They’re clients who benefit from more tailored strategies — such as higher-level recreational or amateur athletes.

But they should be able to show you that they can do the basic tasks consistently and well, and are ready for more advanced tools and techniques.

This means, for instance, that:

• their household and kitchen setup is good, and they have a solid, reliable food preparation and shopping routine;
• they have a regular, consistent, and appropriately designed workout schedule; and that
• they’re prepared to put time and energy into doing what you ask them to do.

Also, level 2 plans may be focused around a competition season or a particular goal such as getting to a relatively leaner body fat, or building muscle more seriously.

And level 3 clients are elite or professional athletes or physique competitors who need exceptional levels of leanness, performance, and/or recovery for their jobs.

Most Level 3 nutritional plans are short-term plans — for instance, helping an athlete or physique competitor get competition-lean over several weeks, or helping an athlete such as a fighter cut weight before a bout.

Level 3 clients are ready, willing, and able to organize their entire lives around doing Level 3 nutrition.

They may be getting meal delivery, or having a personal chef help them with meal prep. Their whole routine is dedicated to executing the plan.

Often, with more advanced clients, you’ll be going back and forth between Level 1, 2, and 3 plans — more stringent plans when the client needs them, and more relaxed plans when it’s time to take a break from strict dieting, training hard, or competing.

So what does this all mean for giving your client an action plan?

Well, first, you need to determine your client’s level.

Again, you’ll do that by using your assessment forms and looking at how ready, willing, and able they are to be consistent with basic habits.

Always start with the assumption that clients are Level 1, even if they tell you they’re more advanced. It’s their job to prove to you that they can do more.

Second, you need to create a strategy that matches their level, and explain it to them in a way they can understand.

For most clients, that means using simple language, without technical jargon. It means using lots of demonstrations so they’re clear on what needs to happen.

Third, we recommend that, for most clients, you use a habit-type approach, where you introduce a new habit or practice every 1 to 3 weeks, at the pace your client can handle.

For instance, let’s say you have a Level 1 client. Basic habits can include adding more fruits and vegetables, adding more lean protein, learning to prep meals in advance, or switching out sugary drinks for water.

You can use pictures and videos for how to do this, or maybe a little cheat sheet like a shopping list.

For your Level 2 clients, maybe you focus more on things like workout nutrition, such as a BCAA and carbohydrate drink during and after training.

Or you look at some basic nutrient timing to match their training and competition schedule.

Or maybe you focus on eliminating some subtle food intolerances and sensitivities with an elimination diet.

We won’t talk about Level 3 clients today because they usually require an in-depth, individualized approach.

If you want more on that, definitely check out our Level 1 Certification program because, in our 600 page textbook and accompanying video lectures, we teach you how to provide comprehensive advice for all 3 levels.

But, for now, let’s review what makes a good plan.

First, a good plan matches the client data — all the information you collected in the assessments.

For instance, maybe you have a client who’s at Level 2 for nutrition. But because they’re busy and they travel a lot for work, they can only handle some very simple habits right now.

As a coach, you want to match the plan to what you know — from your assessment — your client can do consistently.

So don’t give them something advanced. Give them something basic, like “When you’re away next week, look up a local healthy meal delivery service or grocery store, and make sure you get a hotel room with a fridge.”

Second, a good plan is progressive.

You’re not trying to do everything at once. Go step by step.

Third, a good plan has a plan.

In other words, everything you assign to your client is connected to the outcome they want. Your client should be clear on how everything you’re asking them to do relates to their goals and needs.

Finally, a good plan is immediately do-able.

Your client should leave your planning session with a clear idea of what they’re going to do, how they’re going to do it, and when they’re going to do it.

Obviously, creating a good coaching action plan, communicating the plan effectively, and getting clients to buy into that plan, is both an art and a science.

Again, if you’d like to really dig into this, our PN Certification program shows you how to create strategies for all types of clients at all the different stages of their coaching experience.

With that said, here’s what you can start on today.

Review the forms you downloaded in yesterday’s lesson. You can even try them out on yourself, on a hypothetical client, or on a real client you’re working with today.

Look at the responses you get.

Then ask yourself: If I had to assign this client three habits in a logical order, what would those habits be? And why?

See if you can come up with a “5S” action plan based on what you learned about your client.

In the end, after a proper assessment, it’s time to create an effective action plan. Hopefully today’s lesson has given you some new tools for doing just that.

Of course, once your client has an action plan, you’ll want to track what they’re doing and how it’s working. And that leads us to tomorrow’s lesson… Step 3: Measure.

See you then.