Online Training is a relatively new – and quickly growing – phenomenon in the health and fitness industry. More and more people have experienced its benefits first hand, but many people still wonder how, exactly, it works.
The COVID-19 pandemic skyrocketed the popularity of online fitness training for two main reasons: gyms closed and personal trainers needed a way to continue working, and people all over the world needed effective workout options they could do from home.
In October 2016, I transitioned to an online coaching business, working exclusively with my in-person clients. As many of my clients were switching to online coaching, they asked a lot of questions like, “What is online coaching, exactly?”, “How does online training work?”, and “What’s in it for me?” I aim to answer all these questions for you here.
I’ve worked with clients in person since 2008 (13+ years), and online since 2016 (5+ years).
What, exactly, is online coaching?
Online coaching is the most flexible, cost-effective, way to reach your fitness goals. If you want to work out where and when it’s convenient for you – instead of relying on someone else’s location and availability – at the fraction of the cost of in-person fitness training, online coaching could be for you. You can get fit even if your schedule is crazy and your budget is tight. Pretty sweet, right?
Jonathan Goodman, founder of the Personal Trainer Development Center and the Online Trainer Academy, puts it this way:
“Online training is a new and exciting way for me to offer my clients what they need, when they need it, without the limitations and expenses of the gym so that I can offer a better, and more cost effective, service than an in-person trainer.”
Every coach runs their online programs a bit differently, but every one of us is providing our clients with fitness and nutrition guidance, detailed workout plans tailored to their specific goals, and ongoing support.
It can be as simple as e-mail-based coaching, or as in-depth as video coaching sessions coupled with a specialized app you use to access workouts, track progress, and report to your coach.
So, what do I get with online coaching?
My programs are just one example of how online training can work. The basic structure of my programs could apply to any type of online coaching. I’ll describe them here so you can get a sense of what to expect. With my coaching programs, you get customized workouts created specifically for you and your goals. Every client is different, so in 5 years of working with clients online, I’ve never given 2 clients the same workout program. I work with whatever each client prefers and has available, including their own homes, outdoors, or local fitness facilities.
You also get nutrition coaching where you’ll make changes one small – but powerful – habit at a time. I make sure that your nutrition supports your fitness and physique goals, including pre- and post-workout nutrition and any food-related lifestyle habits a client needs to work on.
I don’t give clients prescribed meal plans for the simple reason that they don’t work. A diet plan is not empowering; it takes you away from your own decision-making process – which you need for long-term success. Not to mention, fitness coaches are not within their scope of practice to provide meal plans, even though many do so anyway. Only registered dieticians are legally qualified to create specific meal plans for their clients. Instead of restrictive meal plans, I empower you to take charge of your own nutrition in a way that works for you – and get results in the process.
With online coaching, you also get personal support from me throughout each week. The level of communication ranges from e-mail and in-app text messaging to unlimited voice messaging, texting, and video exercise form analysis.
So, you’re basically getting friendly virtual access to world-class individual coaching and support, plus all the know-how you need to nail your fitness goals – whatever they may be.
The nuts ‘n’ bolts of JayC’s Online Training
I’m not much of a “tech-y” person (and neither are many of my clients), so I aim to keep things as simple as possible while still delivering mind-blowing results. I use one complete app in my online coaching: fitness workouts, nutrition, and communication.
Online fitness coaching involves ongoing and continuous support, not just scheduled sessions. If a client needs help, they can reach out at any time. I see details of every single workout my clients complete (and every one they miss!), and every single meal they eat.
Fitness coaching
For my fitness coaching, I use a premium exclusive fitness app. My clients receive workouts, log them as they get done, and track their progress. I get automatic notifications whenever a client completes a workout (how’s that for accountability?!) and I can easily keep tabs on everyone’s progress. I also receive notifications when clients miss scheduled workouts! Clients also have the option of saving – or printing out – their workouts as PDFs if they like.
Nutrition coaching
I use MyFitnessPal (optional with which most people are already familiar) for nutrition coaching. My clients log their food and I can automatically see their entries without them having to send me anything. Keeps things nice ‘n’ simple. During the week I keep tabs on each client’s daily food logs. Food logging in an app isn’t for everyone. Most of my clients (like those with histories of disordered eating patterns, for example) choose to track their meals in other ways, like posting photos of everything they eat inside my fitness app.
Communication
For my most fitness coaching program, clients get e-mail and text messages (within the Fitness app) WhatsApp, Viber, or Telegram support for questions they may have, progress check-ins, etc. My clients can also use either my fitness app or any Chat app to send video clips of their exercises so I can check their forms.
It may sound like a lot of techs, but it’s really not a huge time investment. After a short initial learning curve, my clients spend most of their time focused on their workouts, and overall nutrition, not spending hours glued to their phones or computer screens.
It takes 2 minutes after a workout to enter weights used and reps performed, and 5 minutes to create a food log for the day (less if you eat similar foods every day.) That’s a pretty good investment of 7 minutes, if you ask me, especially because your coach can see all your info immediately.
Who can benefit from online coaching?
A huge variety of people can benefit from online fitness and nutrition training. I’m one of those people myself! (I think it’s important that all coaches have their own coaches.) You may be an especially good candidate for online coaching if one or more of the following describes you:
You’re looking for a coach with specific expertise or within a specific niche
Great coaches often have very specific types of clients they’re best suited to working with, given their qualifications and experience. As a client, you can seek out a coach who precisely suits your needs, even if they live in a different city – or on the other side of the planet.
I work exclusively with both men & women who want to lose weight and get strong. If you’re looking for a “quick fix” 90-day challenge, I’m not your coach. If you’re looking to compete in a physique competition, I’ll refer you to someone else. But if you’re looking to make health & fitness a priority in your life let’s talk!
With online coaching, you can work with a professional coach who suits your needs from anywhere in the world!
You live in a remote location
People who otherwise wouldn’t have access to personal training can now have a coach! For example, one of my clients lives in the middle of Outback Australia, This is not someone who’d normally have access to an in-person trainer, but she now gets customized workouts, progress tracking, exercise form checks, nutrition coaching, to take her fitness to the next level.
You have a very full schedule
Scheduling is a non-issue with online coaching. Instead of being stuck with someone else’s schedule (i.e. a trainer at a gym), you work out when and where you want, but still, get the benefit of a structured program and ongoing support from a coach.
We can also be much more flexible with your workout programs than a typical 60-minute gym session. Due to demanding work schedules, for example, many of my clients split their workouts into five 20-minute sessions per week. Others will do cardio in the morning and weight lifting in the evening. Still, others will do most of their workouts for 45 minutes at the gym, but also have backup 15-minute home “quickies” on hand for days they’re extra busy.
Sometimes a bit of experimentation is necessary (e.g. switching evening workouts to morning workouts to ensure they get done), but I create workouts to accommodate your schedule – no matter how full it might be.
My online client Larissa says:
“One of the main benefits of online coaching for me was the fact that I could work out in my neighborhood at a time that worked well with my schedule. I also really liked being able to have accountability for every workout that I did, by inputting the weight and reps that I did for each exercise and sharing that with Coach JayC through the fitness app. It was so easy and helpful!”
You travel a lot
Maintaining and improving your fitness can be challenging if you travel a lot. Having a plan of action and the support of a coach can certainly help! One of my clients travels so much that she gets a new set of 3 travel workouts every month (in addition to home and gym workouts).
I create challenging (and quick) bodyweight workouts for clients who won’t have access to any equipment while traveling. One of my clients is traveling for work this week and wasn’t sure what equipment her hotel’s gym would have. I got her to send me a quick video clip of the gym when she arrived, and I then put together a workout she could do during her stay there.
You want to work out at home
You don’t need to go to a gym if you don’t want to! Many of my clients train in their own homes for various reasons, like taking care of young children, living in remote locations with no gyms available, or just simple convenience.
You can skyrocket your fitness with the right set of bodyweight moves coupled with a few simple (and inexpensive) pieces of equipment. My clients’ home gyms range from a $20/3,000.php set of resistance bands or dumbbells to a full garage gym with a squat rack and bench press.
You’re on a budget
Online coaching is cost-effective. You’re not paying a coach a high hourly rate (plus club overhead), so you can get better training at a fraction of the price. Rather than booking hour-long sessions at the gym each week, online coaches can provide ongoing (and better!) support as you work toward your goals.
What type of client might not do well with online coaching?
If you’re the type of person who needs an appointment with a trainer at a gym in order to work out, online coaching might not work for you. You’re gonna need some level of self-motivation and self-discipline to get the most out of online coaching. You get structure, direction, support, and accountability of course, but it’s still up to you to get done what you’ve set out to do.
Online coaching is a great way of empowering yourself to take ownership of your own fitness and build bulletproof health habits. It could be what you need to level up your fitness!
Ready to kick start your fitness? Start here.👈🏼