{"id":13968,"date":"2026-01-22T09:50:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T09:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/?p=13968"},"modified":"2026-01-22T09:50:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T09:50:02","slug":"corrective-exercise-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/corrective-exercise-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Corrective exercise success: Developing effective client relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Developing effective client relationships requires that you understand some basic principles about human interactions, says Justin Price<\/strong>, as he outlines how to ensure corrective exercise success.<\/h2>\n

Whenever a relationship is created between two parties, particularly in those relationships where one party is seeking help or advice from the other, each person assumes a role, either as the expert or as the subordinate, based on whether one is the person providing assistance or the person being assisted. This is a very important concept to understand, because the assumption of these roles has a direct impact on the behaviour of each party and determines how you interact with your corrective exercise clients.<\/p>\n

How roles affect behaviour in developing effective client relationships<\/strong><\/h4>\n

People who assume the role of subordinates (i.e., clients) will do what an expert (corrective exercise specialist or trainer) tells them to do, generally without question. You may have noticed this when observing another professional working with a client. For example, you may have seen someone lift weights that are too heavy for them or perform exercises that are unsafe or beyond their abilities because their trainer instructed them to do so.<\/p>\n

This happens because the clients believe it is not their place to question the expert. They are only following instructions in order to avoid disappointing the expert and do not feel responsible for their own actions or the outcome. While you may wish to have your own clients follow your instructions without question, this kind of relationship means that if anything goes wrong, the clients will blame you. They will think you (as the expert) should have known better.<\/p>\n

While you are<\/em> a specialist in the area of musculoskeletal assessment and corrective exercise, immediately assuming the role of expert will reinforce clients\u2019 perception that you (and you alone) are responsible for fixing their problems. This will hamper your ability to help your clients to learn and to gain self-confidence, because they are now relying on you to take control of every aspect of their programme.<\/p>\n

In short, if clients view you as the expert with all the answers, your ability to encourage them to participate, learn, build confidence in themselves and adhere to their programmes is greatly diminished.<\/p>\n

Develop a teamwork approach<\/strong><\/h4>\n

To eliminate some of the problems associated with the expert-subordinate relationship, encourage clients to offer problem-solving ideas for their own issues and participate in the programme design process. For example:<\/p>\n