You've said it a thousand times. Your client asks a question — about an exercise, a rep range, a training approach they saw on TikTok — and you say "it depends." Because it does. Every single question a client asks a fitness professional is context-dependent. Some questions have one layer of context. Some have fifteen. "It depends" is not wrong.
But when it's followed by silence, or the next exercise cue, or a pivot to something else — your client walks away no better informed than when they asked. And in Episode 4 of the Smarter Strength Podcast, Dr. David Skolnik makes the case that this might be one of the most quietly damaging habits in coaching: not because coaches don't know the answer, but because the complexity of the answer becomes the reason not to give one.
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WHY THIS IS A PROBLEM
Every unanswered "it depends" is a missed opportunity to show your client how deep this goes, how much you know, and why they need you.
There's also a harder truth: sometimes "it depends" with no follow-up is gatekeeping — hiding the complexity of an answer behind the complexity of the answer. It's the coaching equivalent of "trust me, it's complicated." Clients deserve better than that.
THE SOLUTION: FOUR CATEGORIES
David's framework: filter every client question through one of four categories. Most questions will naturally fit into one primary lens. Once you've identified it, use that lens to give at least one layer of context.
Goal — Does the exercise or approach match what the client is actually training toward right now?
Programming — How is the exercise built into the plan? The same movement, programmed differently, delivers entirely different results.
Pain — Does past or current pain make this movement appropriate? Or does it change which variation is safe and effective?
Lifestyle — Does the client's schedule, stress load, and recovery capacity actually support the approach?
YOUR ACTION THIS WEEK
Every time you catch yourself saying "it depends" — in person, on a call, in a message — add one extra layer. Pick one of the four categories (Goal, Programming, Pain, Lifestyle) and explain what it depends on through that lens. Just one. Not all four. One. That's enough to start closing the gap between the answer you have and the understanding your client leaves with.
NEXT WEEK — EPISODE 5
David's keeping this one close to the chest — a special episode he hadn't fully formed at recording time. Tune in Monday to find out.
