The weekly check-in in online coaching: question template and method

What a weekly check-in is for

A program sent once does not adapt to a client's life. The check-in creates a regular review: you see what happened, you decide what to change, and the client knows someone is looking at their data.

The questions to ask

Keep the list short. Each question should trigger a possible decision.

Question	Why
Weight this week	See the trend, not a single weigh-in.
How workouts felt	Spot fatigue or progress.
Nutrition adherence	Know if the plan is sustainable.
Energy and sleep	Understand recovery.
A free note	Pain, travel, obstacles.

Progress photos are useful, but they should stay optional and under the client's consent.

A four-step method

1. Look at the trend over several weeks, not only the last one.
2. Pick one lever to change: calories, volume, cardio or recovery.
3. Explain your decision in two or three sentences.
4. Mark the check-in as processed so the client knows it was read.

How long should it take?

For the client, under a minute. For you, the time to read, decide and reply. If you follow many clients, a tool that gathers check-ins and flags missing ones saves you from checking everything by hand. That is what the EatPlusTrain weekly check-in does, and the AI copilot can prepare a draft reply.

Common mistakes

• Changing several settings at once: you no longer know what worked.
• Reacting to a single weigh-in.
• Not replying: the client stops filling it in.