Top 4 Benefits Of Online Training

​Before the COVID-19 lockdown, most people were sceptical about online coaching. Many people didn't fully understand what it was or how it could benefit them.

​And with many trainers being forced to offer online training options over the last 4 months, it's become a lot more mainstream. The undeniable benefits have been realised by many people who otherwise might not have considered it. If you still have questions, keep on reading.

Benefit #1. Value For Money

When you see a personal trainer face to face in the gym for an hour a week, often that's the extent of your relationship. You get minimal support outside of that hour, and the entire value of the coaching happens in that hour you are physically together.

In online coaching, the value for money is significantly higher as the amount of actual coaching you get is much higher. It's less about the individual exercise, and more about holistic coaching tailored to clients' needs. Emphasis is often on education around nutritional choices or addressing lifestyle factors which have previously limited your success. 

You also often receive "value stacks" which may include guides, goodie packs, or other tools to help you through your health and fitness journey that could be missing from in-person training. 

Benefit #2. Accountability & Motivation

When you see a face to face trainer, they may keep you accountable for your behaviour in that session by sending you a text to remind you of the appointment. They will likely motivate you to perform the hour-long workout with more intensity than you could without them physically next to you. But many of them are unlikely to provide any other motivation or accountability in the remaining 167 hours that week. 

When you have an online coach, the accountability and motivation extend far beyond a single weekly hour. You are encouraged to perform regular check-ins with them so that they can assess your performance throughout the week. Knowing you are being supported as and when you need it is often a more desirable standard of care for people with online coaches.

Benefit #3. Total Time Freedom

When you have a regular appointment with a face to face trainer at the gym, you have an hour a week which is set into your schedule. For some people, they like the rigidity of keeping to a set booking so that they can carve their time out around that commitment. They are likely to attend it in the same way they attend a doctor's appointment.

However, for many people, this has to be an afterthought and fitted in around all their other commitments - work, childcare, etc. and has the added complication of trying to juggle the trainer's timetable too. That can often lead to very early appointments before work, or very late appointments after work, which you may have to cancel if something crops up at the last minute. And if you don't have to cancel, you may spend the whole day dreading an evening workout that will keep you awake too late and ruin your sleep.

Online training solves this by offering a remote solution. It doesn't require that you be in a particular place at a specific time. Only that you find a way to schedule that workout in at some point which is convenient for you. As an online coach myself, I advise my clients still to add this to their calendar for added accountability. But at least you're only managing your own time, not working around gym closing hours and a fully booked trainer's timetable. 

Benefit #4. Communication of Expectations

When you have an in-person trainer, lots of the communication of expectations is verbal. It happens on the gym floor, between sets, while music is blaring. You (or your trainer) may be distracted, and things might be miscommunicated or forgotten by the time you see each other next.

When working with your coach online, communication of expectations can be laid out either in writing (email, spreadsheets, shared documents, Facebook groups, etc.) or recorded on video. This means that you have got a record to look back over if there's something you want to check.

The increased access you have to your trainer means you can ask more questions and get a more prompt response. This means that you will be clear on what you need to do, ask as many questions as you have, and take action week on week. 

Wrapping Up

​The benefits listed above are the essential features of hiring an online coach, but there's more to the details. You can be travelling a lot with work and still have the same expert having your back. You could have particular needs when it comes to your fitness goals and would want to work with the best professional who isn't based near where you live. Online coaching gives you that opportunity. 

Having access to the best experts could be what drives your progress forward finally. If you'd like to have a commitment-free chat about your current state of fitness and your goals, feel free to reach out!