| A Guide to Fitness Coaching: Online vs. Offline Coaches 2022 |
Before going to fitness coaching must-read Guide to Fitness Coaching. Fitness workout plans can vary based on your fitness goals, personal preferences, and the trainer/coach you choose to work with.
Setting goals and achieving them are two different things. It takes more than passion and motivation to lose weight, gain muscle, attains the required flexibility, or be in better shape. To attain these goals faster, you’ll need to work with a fitness trainer or coach.
How to start an online fitness coaching?
If you were to train yourself to lift weights, chances are you would make some serious mistakes. Trainers or coaches help both newbies and professionals adapt to the right fitness workout form and lifestyle. They are certified trainers who double up as coaches, ready to work you through the journey.
Over the years, the fitness industry has seen some rapid changes and developments. Nowadays, people don’t need to hit the gym to reach their goals. We have apps for that!
Flexibility, insufficient time, constrained budgets, and personal preferences push people to adopt virtual or online workout models that eliminate the need for a physical gym. With this, you can sign up for fitness workout classes and join hundreds of fitness enthusiasts reaching out for similar goals.
Whether you’ve signed up for a gym membership or you’re working out from the comfort of your home, a fitness workout coach or trainer can help you expedite the process.
That said, there are two types of coaches/trainers you can opt for: online and offline (in person) online fitness coach. Let’s look at the differences below.
Online Fitness Coach Vs. Offline Fitness Coach
An online trainer can create a fitness workout plan for you and guide you through the exercises virtually. With traditional personal training (offline training), your coach is physically present to guide you through your fitness workout program.
More often, you’ll register for an online fitness workout course and instantly connect with a trainer or coach. There are advantages and disadvantages to this type of arrangement. In this collaboration with Gym Expert, we’ve covered some below.
Pros of online fitness coach
- Online fitness workouts are flexible and on-demand. This means that you don’t need to schedule an appointment or show up in a physical gym to access training.
- Cheaper compared to in-person training. It’s also possible to access your fitness workout package from any platform, i.e., mobile, desktop, PC.
- Advanced analytics, stats, and progress tracking make it easy to gauge and adjust your efforts to reaching your goals.
- A one-on-one online trainer experience might work well for people who are constantly on the go. For example, travelers looking to follow through with their fitness workout routine.
Cons of online fitness coach
Most fitness workout activities and lessons you’ll find online are helpful. The only problem could be the delivery model.
For example, imagine you have a home gym, and you’re relying on a virtual trainer to guide you through a custom fitness workout plan. Assume that the virtual trainer isn’t keen enough to inspect your form while lifting, squatting, or doing triceps/chest dips – this alone can lead to serious workout injuries.
Below are the other cons:
- Lack of personal connection with your fitness workout master/trainer or coach. This can result in poor communication, which can affect your relationship and program efficiency.
- Some trainers are not efficient in offering online fitness workout lessons, which can affect the quality of the services you’ll be receiving.
- Lack of psychological motivation component due to the virtual nature of the given fitness workout program.
As far as physical training/coaching is concerned, there are many advantages and a couple of disadvantages. We’ve listed them below.
Pros of Physical (Offline) Training
- Comprehensive assessment and a hands-on approach to coaching is guaranteed. You learn the right skills from the right person in real-time.
- The instant feedback, reaction, modification, or corrections as you proceed with your fitness workout routine.
- Your coach can easily develop or build a custom fitness workout program for you based on your strong and weak points instead of adapting the off-the-shelf workout programs.
Cons of Physical (Offline) Training
- Your fitness workout program is location dependent. The trainer’s schedule and yours should sync for the training to be offered.
- In-person trainers are a bit costly, which can be a deal-breaker if you’re on a budget.
- The quality of the training you’ll receive is subject to a couple of factors—for example, the cost of training, and even the day/time of training. Depending on the number of people attending the fitness workout session, you may not receive the attention you deserve.
Choosing a Fitness Workout Coach/trainer: Online or Offline
Below are some questions you want to answer before making up your mind to pick either an online or an offline coach/trainer.
What are my fitness goals?
It’s important to know what you want to achieve as you strive to keep up with a tough fitness workout routine.
For many, the goal ranges from losing weight, keeping healthy, gaining lean muscle, building strength and flexibility, boosting performance and endurance (mostly athletes), and getting in shape. You have to identify why you’re interested in keeping fit.
Should I adopt a fitness workout plan?
Based on your goals, you should weigh if it’s necessary to follow a fitness workout guide.
Some people will find that they just want to keep healthy and maintain their body weight. This way, a strict fitness workout plan will be too much for them. Maybe they will opt for jogging in the morning and a couple of press-ups/stretching before bed-time.
What’s my budget? Which trainer matches my expectations?
Can you afford to pay your in-person trainer? If yes, that would be great. If not, you’ll need to identify an online coach that offers value for your money.
To make sure your expectations are met, use your current fitness workout program to determine the type of training you want. If you’re more into calisthenics and other outdoor fitness workouts, you want to find the right trainer who’s experienced in the field.
Do I have a specific fitness workout program to follow?
If yes, what resources do you need? A fitness workout at a gym, for example, means you have access to a wide range of workout equipment. This can be quite different if you’ve opted for a fitness workout at home.
Depending on your level of training, home workouts can be quite versatile. You can have some fitness workout for beginners that involve stretching and cardio. There are also some really hard fitness workouts or professional-level exercises that you can do at home and engage nearly all the muscle groups.
Analyzing these aspects will tell you exactly what you need to reach your goals. You’ll then narrow down to the resources at hand, then proceed to choose your trainer –either offline or online, based on what makes the most sense to you.
If you don’t have any fitness workout program in mind, you’ll base your decision on your goals, personal preference, budget, and expectations.
Other Factors to Improve Your Training
As you follow through with your fitness workout program, find some ways to motivate yourself. For example, look for a workout partner with whom you share similar goals. You can also reward yourself for achieving some milestones in your journey.
Once you’ve gotten used to the various exercises, you can build a fitness workout program to suit your needs and personal preference. However, you want to work with a professional to make sure the program is geared specifically to your unique needs.
You can also get away with training without a professional’s help, but the risks outweigh the advantages. Before picking any of the fitness workout routines out there, make sure to consult your trainer.
For workouts that involve lifting weights, it’s advisable to have fitness workout gear to protect your body from excessive wear and tear.
Summary
When it comes to choosing a trainer/coach, there’s no right or wrong answer. It all comes down to what works for you. Budget, time and location constraints, personal preference, and goals are some of the determining factors.
And as a rule of thumb, always review both your online and offline trainers. Customer satisfaction is key. You want to check the kind of fitness workout programs they offer and the reviews left behind by their clients. This is a good indication of what to expect and whether to sign up with their programs or not.
Hopefully, you’ve learned something from this write-up. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Senior Writer, has been with Rottenpanda.com since 2017. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Nick specializes in finding interesting topics, gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Nick loves traveling, pets and happily married to Lucy.
