Written by: Gary Jimenez, MS, CPT, CES, PES
When you hear the term “personal training” what comes into mind is an individual who works at the gym helping members get fit and reach their goals. When you hear the term “virtual training” many ideas come into mind such as: training for a job virtually (literary), a seminar, etc... When hearing this term, personal training is not the first idea that pops into our mind, but since the beginning of the pandemic many Fitness Coach had to move their places of training outside or online virtually!
Many individuals don’t see virtual training as being beneficial, the reason being is that people believe they get a better workout when working with the Fitness Coach at the gym. This can be true to some level, because 1) the gym provides a lot of equipment to use, 2) the coach are there to correct you if needed, assist you and can demo workouts for you, and 3) Individuals can continue their workout after their training appointments, such as classes or using other equipment on their own. Believe or not, at times these shining moments of live personal training can be temporary, especially when individuals’ schedules change due to school or work. Many coaches know how frustrating this can be, when a clients schedule changes and then booking can be very difficult because 1) their schedule is full or 2) the client availability does not match
the coaches.
Then later we recommend for individuals to workout on their days off, but this can
be challenging especially if their occupation requires them to work hard, then their days off
would be used to rest. Next, being a full time parent can also be a challenge, because during the days they do not work, this time is used to spend with their family or loved ones. When this happens either the clients switch to another coach or cancel because they are unable to work with their favorite coach. This is where virtual training can solve these problems!
Virtual Training can be beneficial to these groups of individuals who have busy schedules,
because they are able to workout from their home. This allows them to save time from traveling to the gym, allows them to spend time with their family, resting at home and still work with their fitness coach! But here is where many people do not see the benefits of virtual training: not having workout equipment at home. Believe it or not you don’t need all the equipment to get a good workout, just having household items anybody can get a great workout!
As a fitness coach who has been affected by this pandemic and switching over virtually, I have used a lot of equipment to get a good workout on my own and with clients. Over time I have used a lot of household items such as: a gallon of water, a chair, a towel, can of beans, college textbooks and even my own dog! (working out on my own) Both my clients and I get a good workout and still that soreness the next day, but the best part is that all was done from the comfort of our homes. Scheduling becomes much easier for both clients and I, and I wouldn’t have to worry about clients being late. At times the internet can be a pain in the butt, but this was not always an issue.
Virtual Training can be an area where some coaches fail, because they rely too much on gym equipment and don’t know how to be creative. When we read the textbooks we get when studying for our certifications, these types of situations where fitness coaches must switch to virtual training are not included. This does not prepare the coach and doesn’t allow them to become creative, therefore they spend a lot of money on equipment and some clients are unable to purchase these goods due to: 1) not able to afford them or 2) these items being sold out.
Lastly, one more factor that virtual training may benefit in is helping the high risk population. Due to the pandemic that we are all experiencing, individuals who are considered high risk will think twice about going to the gym when they are open because they do not feel safe going inside them. Therefore virtual training will allow them to have the same experience of personal training from the safety of their homes!
In order to overcome these discrepancies coaches should take the opportunity to become
creative on their own. What I recommend is to take some time and look for some items at home that can be either light or heavy. Once getting these items coaches should create at least five to ten workouts for each item, this allows them to build enough exercise with many items that clients can have at home. Therefore, Virtual Training can be beneficial as personal training to all people because they are able to workout from home and keep them safe due to this pandemic.
The most important factor that leads to a successful session is the coach being creative
with each workout because not many clients will have workout equipment. It is up to the coach to take the initiative to speak to the client and see whether they have any equipment or household items they can use to workout with.
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