ISSA Online Coaching flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Scope of practice

The legal boundary of what a coach may deliver. Exercise prescription and behavior support are in scope; diagnosis, medical clearance, and therapeutic diets belong to licensed clinicians.

PAR-Q+ purpose

A screening questionnaire that flags clients needing medical clearance before exercise. Any yes answer on the follow-up page triggers a referral or clearance step before training begins.

Remote readiness check

Pre-training verification of device, bandwidth, camera placement, floor space, training surface, and available equipment, so sessions are not lost to technical or environmental limits.

Baseline measurement set

The intake data captured before program start: resting heart rate, tape measurements, movement screen video, training history, and a self-reported adherence benchmark for comparison later.

Reassessment interval

The scheduled cadence for repeating measurements and the movement screen, typically every four to six weeks, keeping camera setup identical so change reflects the client.

Readiness-to-change stage

A client's position along the precontemplation to maintenance continuum, which determines whether the first block targets education, habit building, or performance progression.

Weekly set volume

Hard sets per muscle group per week, commonly ten to twenty, split across at least two sessions. Beginners start near the lower bound and progress as tolerance grows.

RPE intensity zones

A perceived-exertion scale used to prescribe effort remotely: five to six for technique and base work, seven to eight for strength and hypertrophy, nine to ten for short peaks.

Strength prescription rule

Primary lifts use two to four sets of four to eight reps near RPE seven to eight, with hypertrophy work at eight to fifteen reps and isolation work at twelve to twenty.

Aerobic volume guideline

Weekly targets of one hundred fifty to three hundred minutes of moderate activity or seventy-five to one hundred fifty vigorous minutes, paired with two strength sessions.

Progression gate

The condition for increasing load or reps: all prescribed sets completed at the top of the RPE target with clean technique across two consecutive sessions.

Deload trigger

A programmed volume reduction of roughly forty to fifty percent, applied after two or more weeks of stalled performance, poor sleep, or persistent joint soreness.

Equipment substitution matrix

A mapping of each gym movement to band, dumbbell, or bodyweight alternatives that train the same joint action, so travel or lost equipment does not break programming.

Session time budget

A percentage split of session minutes: ten to fifteen percent warm-up, sixty-five to seventy-five percent main work, and ten to twenty percent accessory and conditioning.

Warm-up ramp sets

Ascending preparatory sets at roughly fifty, seventy, and eighty-five percent of the working load, performed after general aerobic raise and dynamic mobility for the day's joints.

Implementation intention

A written if-then plan linking a specific cue to a specific action, such as naming the time, place, and first exercise before the training day arrives.

Self-Determination Theory

A motivation framework holding that adherence is sustained when coaching supports autonomy, competence, and relatedness, rather than relying on pressure or punishment.

Process versus outcome goals

Process goals target behaviors the client controls, such as sessions completed or steps logged; outcome goals target results. Early adherence tracks better with process goals.

Motivational interviewing

A conversational method using open questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries to elicit the client's own reasons for change, since client change talk predicts behavior.

Weekly check-in loop

A recurring form capturing adherence, soreness, sleep, and energy, paired with a coach reply inside a stated window and a monthly review call to adjust the plan.

Lapse versus relapse

A lapse is a single missed session treated as data; relapse is a sustained return to prior behavior. A pre-scripted recovery action prevents the first from becoming the second.

Channel selection rule

Asynchronous messaging handles logging and quick questions, live video handles technique and program changes, and a written summary follows every live call.

Accountability structure

The combination of scheduled sessions, a shared visible training log, and a defined check-in when logs are missed, providing external structure without punitive framing.

Retainer versus per-session

Two pricing models. Monthly retainers smooth revenue and suit asynchronous online coaching; per-session pricing ties income directly to live hours delivered.

Capacity math

Billable hours per week multiplied by session or retainer value, minus platform fees, software subscriptions, and unpaid admin time, yields realistic take-home revenue.

Platform selection criteria

Evaluation of video quality, in-app programming and logging, messaging, payment processing, and data export, with export verified so client history stays portable.

Data minimization

Collecting only the client information the program needs, storing it in access-controlled systems, and knowing the breach-notification rules of the jurisdiction served.

Remote liability file

The documented set containing informed consent, a scope-of-practice statement, the completed PAR-Q+ record, and notes on any referral to a medical professional.

Onboarding sequence

The standard path from intake form to first program: screening, video movement assessment, goal-setting call, then program delivery within a promised turnaround time.

Retention signals

Leading indicators of cancellation, including falling check-in response rates, missed sessions, and incomplete programs, which typically move before a client actually cancels.

Monthly business metrics

The review set of active clients, average revenue per client, churn rate, acquisition cost, and hours worked per client served, used to spot margin and retention problems.

Consent documentation

A signed record confirming the client understands program risks, the coach's scope, and the referral process, captured before the first training session begins.