Use this check-in to see adherence, recovery, and pain signals before you change programming.
The template
| # | Question | Input type | Choices / example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How many programmed sessions did you complete this week? | Short text | |
| 2 | What extra workouts or heavy physical work happened outside the plan? | Long text | |
| 3 | Steps or NEAT proxy (if you track it)? | Number | |
| 4 | How is your recovery this week (sleep and soreness overall)? | Scale 1-10 | |
| 5 | Any sharp pain, joint catches, or symptoms that made you modify movements? | Long text | |
| 6 | How motivated are you to train this week? | Scale 1-10 | |
| 7 | Did nutrition support your goal this week? | Single choice | Mostly aligned, Mixed, Off plan |
| 8 | What was your biggest barrier this week? | Single choice | Time, Energy, Gym access, Pain, Stress, Travel |
| 9 | Did you submit progress photos or measurements this week? | Single choice | Yes, No, Not scheduled |
| 10 | What do you want adjusted next week? | Short text | |
| 11 | How confident are you that next week’s sessions will happen as written? | Scale 1-10 | |
| 12 | Anything else your coach should know before programming? | Long text | Optional |
For shared baseline questions (stress, sleep, wins, friction), see /blog/client-check-in-form-template-coaching.
How to adapt this for your program
- Hypertrophy phases: Keep recovery and pain. Add one subjective pump or performance cue you care about for autoregulation.
- Fat-loss phases: Keep adherence and steps. Consider waist measurement cadence instead of daily scale noise if clients spiral.
- Athletes with fixed schedules: Swap steps for sport practice hours or conditioning sessions outside the lifting plan.
- Beginners: Add “which exercise felt most confusing” until technique stabilizes.
The three mistakes coaches make with check-in forms
Chasing novelty metrics every week. Coaches burn clients out collecting data they never reference. If you do not act on a field within two weeks, remove it.
Treating check-ins like confession. If clients fear judgment, you get fiction. Lead feedback with behavior facts and next-step clarity, not moral scoring.
Ignoring non-training stress. A brutal work week hits sessions before motivation drops to a three. Ask about life load explicitly.
What to do after they submit (the part most coaches skip)
Scan recovery, pain, and confidence first. If recovery drops while motivation stays high, you often have a programming or volume issue. If motivation drops while recovery looks fine, look at schedule fit and belief in the plan.
Reply with three parts: one acknowledgment of what they reported, one adjustment to the plan or expectations, one question that proves you read the text fields. Non-responders need a single nudge within twenty-four hours, not guilt trips.
Small roster, pristine discipline? A spreadsheet and reminders can work. Past roughly fifteen clients, missed replies and skipped follow-ups compound fast. CheckinHQ runs scheduled check-ins, optional nudges, and keeps submissions in one place so Friday reviews stop eating your weekend.