Keeping on top of your health and well-being remains an imperative goal for most people today. With a busy work schedule and other responsibilities, finding a routine for your fitness schedule and getting into a gym may not be so easy.
Why look for a virtual fitness trainer?
There are several reasons as to why you may choose to find a virtual fitness trainer or coach to workout with as opposed to a fitness guru in your local gym. Finding an online fitness trainer could be especially useful if you’re seeking flexibility in your busy schedule when juggling responsibilities like work and childcare, or for complete direction in your workout routine. Perhaps you feel as though you have reached a plateau, or you feel more comfortable working out in your own home if you are looking to avoid a busy gym. Whatever fitness goal you have in mind; it may be easier to achieve it sooner by seeking advice and guidance from a professional.
What does a virtual fitness trainer offer?
A virtual fitness trainer or coach will work in the exact same way any trainer would. The small difference would be that they are not physically present to help with perfecting your form or technique during certain exercises, however, will provide you with verbal direction so you are able to achieve this.
A virtual fitness trainer will provide you with a diet plan, an exercise routine and one-to-one sessions via online technologies to achieve your desired results.
Top Ten Tips
Follow our Top Ten Tips to help find the perfect virtual fitness trainer for you.
- Your fitness goals
Before seeking out a professional fitness guru, you want to ensure that you know exactly what you require of them. You may want assistance with your diet, building muscles and burning fat or even to enter a competition. It is imperative that you determine what your fitness goals are before talking to a trainer so you can be sure that you will achieve your desired results without wasting your time and money.
- Finding a trainer
To begin your search of finding a fitness trainer, you could turn to those in your inner circle for recommendations. You could consider visiting the website of your local gym to see what services they can offer online with their qualified fitness trainers. Following that, it is ideal to exhaust search engines such as Google which can direct you to the websites of virtual trainers as well as their social media pages. A reputable trainer will have populated social media accounts with testimonials and images of their work with clients. When looking for a trainer, you want to ensure that they are fully qualified and have the expertise to guide you with your fitness regime. It may be worth noting that whether the clients they have worked with have similar body types or goals as you and how they were able to help with achieving the desired results.
- Qualities of the trainer
Hiring a professional fitness trainer is an investment for your health and overall wellbeing so you want to make sure that you are choosing the right one for you. You want to ensure that your trainer possesses the right qualities to match with your personality type as this is an investment that can make a world of a difference for you. Your trainer should be empathetic and understanding of your goals where they can encourage you to achieve your maximum potential. It is their responsibility to hold you accountable and motivated where they should stay honest, be communicative and remain professional at all times. Your fitness trainer should be exhausting all efforts to ensure you are seeing and achieving results. It is especially important that your fitness trainer remains meticulous, especially when it comes to correcting your form or technique. Your trainer should be helping you to avoid injuries at all times.
- Flexibility
A driving factor for many of those choosing to work with a virtual fitness trainer is their busy schedule. You may have an extremely busy work schedule or childcare responsibilities where hiring a virtual fitness trainer could give you full flexibility for your fitness regime. When selecting your trainer, it is within your best interest to clarify their work schedule and the best forms of communication when taking you on as their client. Expressing your lifestyle concerns to your trainer can help them to better formulate a plan that would work best for your routine.
- Interviewing / Auditioning the trainer
Not only should the personality type of your trainer match yours, but your trainer should be an expert in the area of your interest. If you are interested in powerlifting, you should be seeking a coach who has trained or competed in a competition environment but if you are simply looking to burn fat or gain muscle, you may want an expert in that. Ask yourself what you require from a trainer in your sessions and use those answers to help you when selecting one. Are you a self-motivator or do you require hands-on support? When interviewing your trainer, it is important to be upfront and honest about your goals but equally important for trainers to be open about their areas of expertise and their track record. This is your opportunity to feel out how genuine their services are and how they are able to help you with achieving your fitness goals with a structured plan and timeline. A good trainer will grace you with a one-off / introductory session, sometimes at a discounted rate, to see whether they are the right fit for you before you go ahead with making a commitment for a length of time.
- Costs
Virtual fitness trainers tend to be less expensive as there is lack of physical and hands-on training. Although you may have one-to-one sessions online, you will typically complete your routine in a gym or at home, in your own time. Your online fitness trainer will devise a meal plan, a workout routine and days of measurement / weight taking where they track your progress. It is notable to factor in their expertise into costs as those who have been in the industry longer with a stronger clientele may be a little more expensive. You should also bear in mind that a higher charging trainer does not necessarily mean better results and for this, research is extremely essential. When choosing the right trainer, consider the value of their service as opposed to being driven by low numbers.
- Credentials
Qualifications can be important for fitness trainers who wish to build a portfolio and a client base. Although some certifications are necessary, it is not always necessary and sometimes experience is genuinely enough. There are a number of elite trainers who train clients without certifications but have carried out the necessary steps to acquire the expertise. An example of this is seen with powerlifters who have either competed themselves or train athletes who compete. If you’re simply looking to shift some pounds or enhance your overall fitness capability, testimonials may also serve as credit. Trainers will have portfolios of testimonials and success stories for you to make an informed decision.
- Getting the best out of your trainer
You want to make sure that you are getting the very best out of your trainer when you finally make a decision. They should have a full understanding of your lifestyle, your fitness goals and any prior injuries you may have, to create tailored plans for you. Your virtual fitness trainer should be aware of your physical health and dietary concerns before devising any fitness plans or workout regimes so that you are fully safe when training. It is good to bear in mind that it is not required for your workout routine to be complex, but rather that it achieves results. Your fitness trainer should continue to advise you correctly and in accordance with the machines that you are using and for the specific exercises you are using them for. As they are advising you virtually, it is essential that they play an active role in mentoring, motivating and supporting you with achieving your goals. The feedback you receive from your trainer needs to be sufficient and clear so that you are able to workout without their supervision. They need to stay in constant communication with you throughout the weeks and remain flexible for your schedule.
- Longevity
Whether you are choosing a virtual fitness trainer for coaching or simply to help with tailoring your fitness structure, you will need to consider the length of time in which you require a trainer. Some coaches or fitness trainers will work with you to achieve your goals within a certain amount of time before letting you go, usually with a lifestyle plan, whereas others may attempt to squeeze as many funds as they can from you without any goal structure. Once you set an appropriate length of time to meet your goal with your trainer, it becomes a lot easier to see whether your goals are being achieved. Once you achieve said goals, your trainer should be devising a program to help you with a fitness lifestyle plan without their further assistance.
- When to find a new trainer
Unfortunately, not all trainers and their trainees have success stories to share. If you notice that your trainer is not paying you the attention that you deserve or you haven’t met your achieved goals within the structured time frame after following their strict plans and communicating your needs, you may want to consider looking for a new trainer. Not every trainer will meet your needs however, you should not hesitate to find one that does, as you deserve a trainer that will motivate you to reach your goals.
Gera is the Founder and Head Trainer of First Class Personal Training with over 20 years of professional experience, not only as a personal trainer but also as a nutrition and wellness counselor and a post rehabilitation specialist.
