online training
-A Brief introduction-
Online training is a relatively new form of personal fitness coaching, that has risen in popularity in recent years (particular during and after the pandemic).
It offers an extremely personalised experience covering all the bases on the journey to your physique, performance and wellness goals.
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Here's a quick breakdown of what I believe are the 3 main benefits of online training in comparison to in person training.
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INDIVDUALIZED
Making a change in your body is difficult. It takes time, consistency and most of all a PLAN! We are all individuals and what works for one may not be ideal for another.
I will never promise rapid results, but I will promise to give you the most effective and efficient way from your current situation to your final goal.
The most important thing is to have a program that WORKS FOR YOU!
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Heres a short comparison for you....
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Picture this, you're a newly qualified personal trainer, you've finished your two week course to gain your level 3 (which is an issue in the profession I'll save for another time). You have 8 clients today, each one an individual human being with a different body, history and goal. Now you know deep down they all need their own specific program, with short term and long term goals, that progresses in a structured manner towards their final goal.
But unfortunately you only get paid for the physical coaching you do, so you physically don't have the time in the day to do this, you just have a few template sessions (or are given them by the gym you work in) and try to jam that square peg into the round hole.
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(If you are an athlete, just imagine the same thing but 10x exaggerated. )
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How about this alternative....
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1 We have our initial consultation call, it takes around 15-30 minutes. We use either facetime or simply an audio call. You are at home you feel relaxed and comfortable, and we start to build a working relationship, we discuss the following:
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Where you currently are physically and mentally in life.
We build a picture of you as an individual person, including your health, likes and dislikes as well as why you started this journey in the first place. But most importantly where we're going and why?
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(Maybe you just signed your scholarship to play college basketball and want to come in at your physical best?
Maybe the kids just started school and you finally have some time to focus on yourself again?
Maybe you're just in a bit of a rut and want to find a way out of it? )
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We figure out what your lifestyle is like, what you enjoy, what you hate, what time you have available and finally what tools you have at your disposal on the journey.
(Maybe you work a 40 hour week and have 3 lunch breaks a week you want to utilise, with only body weight sessions.
Or maybe you have access to a million pound fitness centre with more machines than Elon Musk.)
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2 We build a plan thats going to work around you and your lifestyle, and what you have at your disposable. It's flexible and tailored exactly to your needs. It progresses slowly and is flexible to deal with the inevitable bumps along the way.
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3 We have weekly catch ups each Friday for all 10-weeks of the program, we monitor your progress measuring body stats to make sure we're on the right track. We make any adjustments needed along the way, and you make great progress! You're inspired, motivated and better than anything you physically and mentally feel transformed and powerful. You've learnt a lot in the experience and don't feel you need so much guidance, you can now go out on your own and continue these new found habits without the need to pay a professional for help (Although I'd be honoured to continue aiding you on your fitness journey!)
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AFFORDABLE
In person training is expensive! You are going to pay at the very minimum £25 for a 45-minute training session (and can be as much as £150 in the Greater London area! Yikes!) so with £100 you can have 4 in person sessions a week?
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Alternatively....
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I currently offer a new client price of 10 weeks for £100.
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Lets compare the 2 and consider which one is going to push you closer to your results, by breaking down what's included in that price.
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IN-PERSON
You get sweaty 4 times, yeah you might get a few good workouts in, but a good sweat once a week isn't going to get you the body you're after. What about the other 167 hours that week?
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ONLINE
With that same £100 online you could receive 10 weeks of personalised programming and progress tracking, nutritional guidance and planning, support and coaching throughout the entire experience with regular check-ins to keep you motivated and moving forward!
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I'll leave it up to you to decide which is the more valuable.....
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FLEXIBLE
(or Anti-Fragile)
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I may have covered this in minor detail early, but I believe it is often overlooked at just how important it is to be flexible or anti-fragile online training is. 'Anti-Fragile' is an idea coined by the philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb; it as you can imagine describes something that is the complete opposite of fragile, not robustness but in fact something that gains from chaos, rather than just surviving.
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I firmly believe that online training offers this. In person training is really pretty rigid (fragile). You have to arrive at a certain place, at a certain time, hopefully you feel great (and your coach/PT does). It's not hiking to the top of Mount Everest, but there are certainly factors to be considered.
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Whereas online training offers a flexible approach, don't feel great at 6pm Monday? No worries get that workout in Tuesday morning when you've had your 8 hours sleep and are feeling on top of the world!
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A key characteristic of things that are Anti-Fragile is that they are simple and built on strong core values. This is the back bone of my program's, we focus on mastering the basics "the low hanging fruit" as many say. These are:
Your Nutrition - What and how many calories you are consuming
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Your Program - What is your goal and what do we have available time and equipment wise to achieve the before mentioned goal.
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Who are you? - You may have noticed we aren't all identical in this world, and what works for me might not work for you! Hate Back Squats? Cool lets hit some split squats and the leg press machine.
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Finally, on your fitness journey there are going to be peaks and valleys. We like to imagine that progress is linear and we can simply make the perfect plan and follow it and come 8/10/12 weeks, we will be where we want to be. Unfortunately, life happens (Exhibit A - The Pandemic.)
We WILL need to make changes and adapt as we go on! And thats OK!
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We have weekly or bi-weekly catch ups for this exact reason, so we can make adaptions, make sure we have clear efficient lines of communication, and can continue int h face of inevitable adversity.
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CONCLUSION
Now you may think after all that I hate 1-1 in person or group training, but quite the opposite in fact! It certainly has its place, and in fact may even be more beneficial for some people. For example if you have no idea what you're doing and need to learn the basics; I would absolutely urge you to go find a trusted professional personal trainer who can teach you the foundational movement basics, in a safe and secure manner. (In fact I can even recommend you some of the best I know in the business!)
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However, if you have a solid foundation of experience (6 months +), and haven't quite achieved the results you're craving, then online personal training might be the one for you!