It goes without saying that there are many reasons why personal training can help you reach your fitness goals (we’re trainers, after all), and there's no doubt that having a personal trainer can help with accountability, injury prevention, and general physical education, but what about having an online coach? For those unfamiliar with online coaching, it is when you hire a coach/trainer to provide you with a workout plan that they've designed for you and your goals, then you complete the workouts on your own. The coach provides support through frequent check-ins, monitoring your progress, answering questions, making changes to your plan as necessary, and all of this is done virtually. But is it effective? The fact is that online coaching has a whole slew of benefits which
can make for a highly effective and efficient program that fits your lifestyle!
Here’s how:
Saves You Time. It takes time to pack a gym bag, get in your car, drive to the gym, get changed, workout, then drive home. It’s time well spent, of course, but if your schedule is pretty packed and working out from home is more feasible, online coaching can save you a ton of time. Even for those who prefer to work out at the gym, it takes time to plan your workout (or wander around aimlessly trying to figure out what to do) and to track your workout and try to remember what you did last time. Having a coaching plan laid out for you solves that and with our fitness app, tracking your workouts couldn’t be faster or easier.
Flexibility. If you work out with a trainer, you have a scheduled time that you need to be there on any given day. If something comes up and you need to cancel last minute, you’re out the cost of that session and you just have to hope the trainer can squeeze you in later in the week. With coaching, you can complete the workout any time of the day you want. Not able to workout at all on any given day? No problem. Online coaching allows you to simply move your workout to another day of the week.
Saves You Money. While investing in your health is always a good idea, online coaching is a more affordable way to get in a lot of quality workouts. Most people with personal trainers will train with them about 2 days per week. With online coaching, you get a plan for 3-6 workouts per week, depending on your goals and preferences.
Access To a Coach You Actually Connect With. This is huge. For most people, getting a personal trainer means getting set up with whoever works at your local gym, and you have to just hope that they’re the right fit for you. Choices are usually limited. (Side note - At Landry Fitness, we're independent contractors and don't work for any gyms, so anyone who's hired us has chosen us rather than being assigned. This is typically not the case at box gyms). In many cases, people don’t have access to a gym at all or their gym doesn’t offer personal training. Online coaching is available from anywhere, so you can select a coach that you truly connect with, making the experience that much more valuable.
Communication. With online coaching, you have access to your coach anytime. You can reach out via text, email, or through our app messenger system and your coach will be there to answer questions, offer tips and advice, and provide support.
Nutrition Support. Online coaching offers nutrition support on top of fitness programming. You can’t outwork a bad diet in the gym, so having the added benefit of nutrition advice can enhance and expedite your progress.
You Can Work Out From Anywhere. If you don’t have regular access to a gym, or you work shift work and the gym and/or personal trainer aren’t available when you’re off, or if you don’t have childcare to go to a gym, online training is a great alternative. Again, it can be completed at home, in a gym of your choosing, or a combination of gym and home workouts!
With online coaching, you get the support you need, how you need it, and when you need it, all in an affordable way. So, if you’re looking for an alternative to personal training but still want the support of a fitness professional, online coaching might just be the perfect fit.
Yours in Health,
Coach Shan