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It's NOT personal training over Zoom
There's a lot of confusion out there about just exactly what online coaching is.
If, like many people, you think it means a zoom call where you do your exercises your coach awkwardly watches you, you're wrong. Some coaches do this, but I do not.
"So what is it then?"
Online coaching means having a professional guide you through everything required to make fitness a lifelong habit, including reaching whatever specific goals you may have. In many ways, you could think of it as something like a consultancy or mentorship.
It is a collaborative process that is built on honest communication between client and coach.
"Okay, so what exactly am I getting when I sign up?"
There are three main components that make my online coaching service valuable:
Removing any guess work of what to do
Holding you accountable to doing it
Making it enjoyable and sustainable for the long run
Not having a plan
Not sticking to the plan
Making the plan too hard/unenjoyable
The simple reality is that this is just easier to do when you have someone who's entire job is ensuring you do this in the smartest way possible. I liken it to the difference between cycling taking a plane. They'll both get you there eventually. The plane is more expensive on the front end, but saves you a heap of time and energy in the long run.
Individualised Training Programme
The programme is delivered using the TruCoach app/website. TruCoach is a software designed specially for online coaching and I've found it to be a really beautifully laid out and easy to use way of communicating with clients. You'll need to download the client version of the app on your smartphone.
The programme is tailored to your needs, but will generally follow a format of 1-2 main lifts in a session, with 2-5 accessory/assistance exercises. The number of days you train, exercises you perform, sets/reps etc. will be decided by your personal preferences and goals.
Below is an example programme:
Weekly Check-In Calls
This is by far the most valuable aspect of having a coach - accountability and guidance. There are dozens, maybe even hundreds of decent strength programmes available for free through the web. But if reaching your goals was that simple, you wouldn't be looking for a coach!
Weekly check in calls do two things:
1. They hold you accountable to get the work done (it's a lot harder to flake off going to the gym if you have someone to report to at the end of the week!)
2. It allows me to provide guidance on the things that actually make the difference between reaching your goals or not. Examples include feedback on how to get more sleep, when to schedule workouts to make them suit your lifestyle, when it's time to take a lighter week of training etc. This is all stuff that saves you years of making your own mistakes and being confused by the plethora of contradictory voices out there.
Check-in calls are done over Zoom once per week and typically last 10-20 minutes.
Form/Technique Feedback
In order to get the most out of an exercise, it's important that you perform it in a manner that aligns with your goals. This also allows me to see how challenging you are finding an exercise.
I generally like clients to obtain one video of the final set of each exercise. For me to analyse technique sufficiently, a side-on angle where the entire body is visible and the camera is level with the hips is desired. Obviously this is not always feasible if training in a busy commercial gym, in which case any video feedback is better than nothing.
Video Demos of Exercises
All exercises are accompanied by a short video detailing the key things to focus on when performing it. These can all be found on YouTube through my 'Tutorials' playlist.
Bigger, more complex exercise like squats and deadlifts will naturally have some longer explanations than simple single joint exercises like bicep curls.
What About Sleep and Nutrition?
Each week, you will be assigned a specific habit to work on that will improve your sleep and/or nutrition. This will be unique to you, based on what you are struggling with, as determined by our check-in call chat.
These habits hugely enhance not only your results, but also your health. Critically, because they're habits, it means you can finally start making permanent changes to your nutrition and sleep quality.
These habits lead to benefits such as:
Breaking through performance plateaus
Regularly waking up without an alarm clock and feeling fully rested
Enjoying nights out without the needs to binge drink
Making healthy eating a stress-free, enjoyable part of your week
What Next?
Overall, online coaching is a great and cheaper option for anyone who is not interested in person coaching. Whether that be due to time constraints or just personal preference.