As online personal trainers become more and more common, knowing what to look for in a good trainer is essential. After all, when you sign up with a personal trainer at the gym, you can trust the manager has only hired the best. However, when you go online, you’ll have to do your own research and weed through the good and the bad. To help you know what to look for and find the best trainer for you, we’ve put together the top 7 things to expect from your online personal trainer.
Fun and challenging workouts with your online fitness coach
First and foremost, you can look forward to great workouts every session. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or fitness enthusiast, you will end each Zoom call feeling happily exhausted and proud of what you’ve just accomplished.
Every workout will also be different to ensure you’re continually challenging your body, learning new movements and never getting bored or complacent.
Most online personal training sessions will be High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) style, where you’ll be given one exercise to do for between 30 seconds to 1 minute, then move on to the next exercise. However, you will also have the opportunity to join classes that focus on mobility, flexibility, and advanced workouts.
Your online personal trainer will put you in touch with like-minded individuals
Fitness should never be something you conquer alone, and an excellent online trainer will make sure of that. With Facebook groups, online group workouts and the ability to chat outside of class, your personal trainer will give you all the tools to get in touch with other like-minded individuals with similar goals of increased fitness, weight loss and muscle toning.
Along with your personal trainer, these new friends will hold you accountable and be there to check in should you miss a class. If you live close by, you may even find yourself meeting up outside of class to complete workout videos together or head out for a weekend walk. Who knows, you may even meet a new friend for life.
Work together with your online personal trainer to create a nutritional plan
No matter how much time and effort you put into your workouts, you won’t see results if you don’t adjust your nutrition plan to match. You can expect your online personal trainer to help you put together a healthy eating plan that fits in with your life and goals.
This nutrition plan will have all the information you need to make healthy choices including portion sizes, how much protein and carbohydrates you need to energise yourself, which fats are good vs bad and what liquids to drink.
Your online personal trainer will also incorporate a ‘celebration day’ into your meal plan to ensure you’re not foregoing your favourite foods. They’ll teach you how to do this without setting yourself back or over-indulging. After all, balance is key when conquering your fitness journey.
Expect your personal trainer online to check in
Your online personal training doesn’t start when class starts and end when class is finished. You can expect your online trainer to check in with you throughout the week and before, during and after class. They’ll make sure you’re being challenged without feeling overwhelmed and check to see if you have any questions or concerns.
Your online personal trainer should also be there to celebrate when you’ve reached your goals, ensure you’re setting new ones and are living a healthy lifestyle outside of class. You can expect your online trainer to be the good angel on your shoulder, encouraging you to make healthy choices even when no one is watching.
Expect homework from your online personal trainer
As we mentioned before, your fitness doesn’t start and end with the Zoom call. Between sessions, your online personal trainer will give you homework – but don’t worry, this is the type of homework you’ll enjoy and will help you reach your goals faster. You may be given exercises to do, workout videos to complete or goals of how many steps to take each day.
Other homework you can expect from your online personal trainer includes food swaps, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, biking or walking somewhere close you’d otherwise drive and so forth. Homework is meant to keep your fitness goals at the top of your mind and help you create healthy habits you can stick to for the rest of your life.
Goal planning with your online fitness coach
Be prepared to hear the word fitness goals a lot with your online personal trainer. Before your first session even begins, you’ll have both short term and long term goals set that are achievable yet challenging.
Remember that no one goal makes sense for everyone, so you can expect your online trainer to dig a bit deeper if you simply say your goal is to lose weight. Perhaps you want to fit into that outfit that’s hanging in your closet, you want to complete a 5km run in under 25 minutes, or you want to increase your muscle tone.
Your online personal trainer will not only help you set the perfect goal for your lifestyle, but they’ll also help you reach those goals and give you ideas for how to celebrate your achievements without going straight for food that could set you back.
Expect your online trainer to be available when you need help
You may want to reach out to your trainer for a range of things. If you’re unsure of how to do an exercise properly, are confused by the homework, or perhaps you’re on holiday and need different exercises to do with the equipment and space you have. Your online personal trainer will be there to help answer your fitness questions and help you to stick with your meal plan even if you go astray for a day.
How do I find a good personal trainer online?
Now that you know what to expect from your online personal trainer, the next step is finding one. For a personalised program and all the tools you need to reach your fitness goals, reach out to Shane at Body Fit today. With 18 years in the fitness industry and a former Commonwealth Games and World Championships competitor, Shane creates fun and effective body weighted exercise workouts so you can see results fast.