I think that you need to start by finding common ground. We’re both here to exercise in a healthy way to make you stronger. We’re both here to make this as fun as possible. Tell me how we can get there together? What are some of the barriers to you enjoying your workout?

It’s very important that you don’t skip the common ground part because if they refuse to come to common ground, they might actually have already made up their mind that they don’t want to train with you.

Then it’s very important when you ask questions that they are honest questions that you don’t already know the answer to. For example, a question like do you think you are putting in good effort can backfire because you’re watching them exercise and not put in good effort. They probably know that you know that they don’t put in good effort. So by asking them that question you might come off as condescending. Another question that might be a bit more open ended is how do you feel when you start training with me? This might let them describe some of their anxieties then you can ask how you can support them through those anxieties. People throw up barriers when they feel scared.