Form questions

Personal training intake questions from goals to limits

Ask 14 to 18 before the first session. Never skip the pre exercise screening questions, current injuries and the client's main goal. Screening keeps the client safe, injuries shape the program, and the goal is what every session is measured against.

Personal training intake questions cover what the client wants, how active they are now, whether they need medical clearance before exercising, any injuries or limits, and when they can train. These twenty questions put the pre exercise screening in the middle, where its answers decide whether training can start or a doctor should be seen first.

The questions

Goals

  1. What do you most want from training?Multiple choiceRequired

    Strength, weight loss, fitness, sport performance, rehabilitation, confidence, other. Ask for the top one or two.

  2. What would success look like in three months?Long text

    Turns a vague goal into something trainer and client can check.

  3. Have you worked with a personal trainer before?Single choice

Current activity

  1. How active are you now?Single choiceRequired

    Not active, light activity, active two or three days a week, active most days.

  2. What activities do you do?Multiple choice

  3. How many hours do you sit on a typical day?Number

Pre exercise screening

  1. Has a doctor ever told you that you have a heart condition or should only exercise under supervision?Single choiceRequired

    Follow the wording of the screening tool your business uses.

  2. Do you feel pain in your chest when physically active?Single choiceRequired

  3. Do you lose your balance from dizziness, or have you lost consciousness?Single choiceRequired

  4. Do you have any other condition that could make exercise unsafe?Single choiceRequired

  5. Are you pregnant or have you given birth in the last 12 months?Single choice

Injuries and limits

  1. Do you have any current injuries or pain?Long text

  2. Any past surgeries or injuries the trainer should know about?Long text

  3. Are you taking medication that affects exercise?Single choice

    Details are discussed privately, not typed into a form.

Lifestyle and logistics

  1. How would you describe your eating habits?Single choice

  2. How well do you sleep?Single choice

  3. How stressed do you feel day to day?Single choice

  4. When can you train?Rating grid

    A checkbox matrix of days by morning, midday and evening.

  5. Baseline measurements, optionalNumber

    Such as weight or waist, only if the client wants them recorded.

  6. I understand the risks of exercise and will tell my trainer about any change in my healthMultiple choiceRequired

    A single checkbox consent.

Which questions to make required

Seven are required: the main goal, current activity, the four screening questions and the consent checkbox. Screening answers decide whether medical clearance is needed before training, so a missing answer cannot be allowed. Lifestyle and injury details are optional in the form because they are better explored in conversation at the first session, where the trainer can ask follow up questions.

The form built from these questions

A static copy of the finished form, from its own example page.

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What do you want out of training? *

Tick everything that is true. The first block of twelve weeks is built around whichever of these you put first in the conversation, so it helps to know the whole list.

↵Enter

Three ways to change this bank

For a group class or bootcamp, keep the screening and consent and drop the goals and availability sections, since the program is fixed. For older clients, add questions on falls in the last year and balance confidence. For a sports team, add the sport, position and training load. In every version, use the screening wording your business and insurer require, keep it exactly as published, and have a clear process for clients who answer yes to any screening question.

Questions people ask

Why do personal trainers need a pre exercise screening?

To find the small number of people who should see a doctor before starting or increasing exercise, such as those with heart symptoms. Industry bodies and insurers usually expect it. A yes answer does not mean the person cannot train; it means they should get medical advice first.

What happens if a client answers yes to a screening question?

The trainer should ask them to see their doctor and get clearance or advice before starting, or before increasing intensity. Record the outcome. Never push a client to train against a yes answer, and never try to interpret the medical issue yourself.

Should health details be collected in an online form?

Only what is needed for safe training, and keep it secure, since health information has extra privacy protections. Limit access to the trainer, and do not ask for full medication lists in the form; discuss those privately. Tell clients how long the form will be kept.

How do you set goals with a new client?

Start with what they want in their words, then turn it into something measurable over a set time, such as walking 5 km without stopping in three months. The success question in this bank does that. Revisit the goal every few weeks.

Should trainers take body measurements?

Only if the client wants them. Many clients prefer to track strength, energy or how clothes fit. Make measurements optional, explain why they are useful, and record them privately. The form keeps them optional for that reason, and clients can add them later if they change their mind.

How often should the intake be updated?

Whenever the client's health changes, such as a new injury, pregnancy or new medication, and at least once a year. The consent checkbox asks clients to tell their trainer about changes. A short review at each program change keeps the record current.

Can a conversational form handle a screening questionnaire?

Yes. Each screening question can sit on its own screen with a clear yes or no. Jump rules can send anyone who answers yes to a screen explaining that they need medical advice, while everyone else continues to the goals and availability questions.

How long should a personal training intake take?

About ten minutes, done before the first session so the session itself is spent training. Keep optional sections short. The trainer then follows up on injuries, goals and lifestyle in conversation, which builds rapport better than a long form and lets the trainer ask follow up questions.

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On writing the questions themselves, read How to write an intake form for any practice. For everything the builder can do, see the form maker. Step by step: Create a conversational form with AI, then Control who can fill in your form.

Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .