5 Reasons To Consider an Online Personal Trainer
Online training is a relatively new facet to the fitness world and it is beneficial whether fat loss, strength, or muscle building is your goal! The convenience and versatility of it makes it an approachable way to begin fitness with a quality coach. The five components of fitness are muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular health, and body composition and online training will give your body the ability to improve these components. Online training usually takes place exclusively through email and text messaging, however some trainers conduct sessions through Skype.
The top five reasons to consider hiring an online trainer are:
- Accountability: Your online trainer will make sure you always know what to do next and will check in regularly to make sure you are doing the work! The biggest thing I see in the gym from year to year is gym participants who do the same routine repeatedly and look the same year after year. Having someone holding you accountable simply works!
- Respect: Your online fitness program is individualized. Programming should always be 100% tailored to your goals, and individual preferences. Many of the programs you can buy online are cookie cutter, which means they were designed for anyone and everyone, but not you specifically!
- Results: Online training if followed will make sure that you are making progress in and out of the gym. Change your mind, change your body, change your life! Many people can struggle to see results on their own which is a why a high quality coach can keep them on track and progressing steadily towards their goal.
- Health: Online training will encourage health, it keeps you motivated, and it makes sure that your body is improving, and when your body is improving so will your health. A nutrition part should always be included with online training whether macro-nutrient based or specific. (Many online trainers are not nutritionists, so they should not give specific food recommendations, however macro-nutrient plans are fine and will get you results.)
- Freshness: If you have followed the same routine for a while it should be refreshed. Online training can keep things fresh and keep your body guessing to make sure of progress!
Who is online training for? Online training is best suited to individual people or couples who are self motivated. Participants must train in the gym or at home at least two, preferably 4-5 days per week to see results from online training. Your online coach should check in with you weekly ensuring adherence to the exercise programming. Keep in mind that not all online trainers are the same! Some things to look for include formal education in fitness (kinesiology or exercise physiology degrees), high quality certifications, years of experience actually training people in person at the gym, and value. An online trainer without content could be an online trainer who hasn’t actually done it before. Focus on the information they are providing and look for before and after photos to see if they work with people like you! Photos should also be a taken weekly because they tell the online trainer so much more than the scale.
Online training can cost less than 1 on 1 personal training while ensuring that you still have all the tools needed for success in a program. Keep in mind however that the best online trainer in the world can’t do the work for you. Focus on progress over perfection and consider giving online training a try!
Michael Hartman
My mission is to give personal training participants a safe and effective workout designed specifically for their goals. Dealing with many sports injuries over the years taught me how to come back stronger every time. The competition is with yourself... Strive to bring out your best self and get better every day!
