Every coach has seen it. Client signs up, crushes the first three weeks, misses a session in week four, ghosts by week six.
The real cause
The plan was built for the client's best week. Life happens in average weeks. When the template requires a five-session week to feel successful, three-session weeks feel like failure.
What the good ones do
Sell the minimum viable week first. Two sessions, one nutrition anchor, one recovery habit. That's the promise.
Layer the fourth and fifth session as bonuses, not baseline. Then the client's average week feels like a win, not a shortfall.
The paperwork
Program cards should read: required vs optional bonus. The word "optional" is the retention lever most coaches never pull.
Progress cadence
Weekly check-ins with three-week trend windows, not day-to-day numbers. Fat loss doesn't happen in 7 days. Show 21.
Use the Workout Program Builder to structure the required/optional split cleanly.