This past weekend 30 coaches converged on OPEX Fitness HQ for our three-day Immersion. Over the three days, our instructors covered the whole OPEX System of Coaching, cementing what is taught in The OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP) online course. Whether you’re a CCP graduate or a CCP coach on journey, Immersion is a great way to refine your coaching skills and learn from one of the best coaches in the industry.

Here are the five things we learned at this weekend’s Immersion:

1. You Need to Develop Your Pitch

OPEX CEO and CCP Instructor, Jim Crowell, drove home the importance of developing your client pitch this weekend. Jim also reiterated the need to practice your pitch. “Pitch your service 100 times, in person, and I guarantee you that your pitch will be solid”. Learn how to level up your business of coaching knowledge here.

2. Ask About Their Day

James challenged coaches to dig deeper during the consultation and ask clients about their average day. This seemingly straightforward question is a highly effective tool to suss out red flags in your client’s lifestyle. For example, when the client says they have eggs for breakfast, this is an opportunity to dig deeper into their nutrition. Follow up questions such as, “how many eggs was that?”, “what do you cook them in?” and “are you sitting down to eat them?”  will help you get a better understanding of what to focus on first when prescribing nourishment practices.

3. Develop their Autonomy

“I am going to teach you to take care of yourself”

James FitzGerald

Starting from the initial consultation, you need to talk to clients about how you will develop their autonomy, to set expectations for the coach-client relationship. This will be a message that you will continue to reiterate throughout the relationship. Over time, the client will become more independent, which can be a scary thought for coaches fearful of losing clients. However, even as you create autonomy in nutrition, lifestyle, and execution, if you have set up the relationship effectively then they will continue to value the ongoing education and personalized training that you provide. They may not need you as they once did, but they will want to train with you forever.

4. Results Are Lifestyle Dependent

A focal point for James was that your client’s results are dependent on their lifestyle. No matter how good your program is, you just can’t out program a poor lifestyle. “It all comes back to mastering the OPEX Basic Lifestyle Guidelines (BLGs),” said James. Learn how to program BLGs for your clients here.

5. Walk the Talk

Our last takeaway is that coaches have to walk the talk. James highlighted this by saying “You have to become the best you possible before coaching, once you become the best you possible, then you can impact others”. He challenged coaches to look inwards and think critically about if they are “walking the talk” and honoring the BLGs themselves. Further your education so you can walk the talk with this free coaching course.

Want to learn more about Immersion? If you are either a CCP Coach or a coach on journey you can sign up to attend the next Immersion here. New to OPEX Fitness? Get an introduction to our method of coaching with The Free Coach’s Toolkit. Sign up today and take the first step to becoming a professional coach.