Personal Training - Online Vs In-Person - Which Is More Effective?
How online personal training can be equally as effective as having a trainer right next to you.
Do you want to lose weight? Get fit? Run further & faster? Get stronger? Do you want to achieve the body and mind you crave?
When it comes to achieving your health & fitness goals there's nothing like having a personal trainer on your side to ensure that everything is tailored to your needs. Online personal training has really taken off over the last few years and whilst many people are intrigued by it, they aren't sure if it really works. The surprising fact is that it can be equally, if not more effective than the more traditional "in-person" option.
I know what you're thinking - Really?
Let's take a look by breaking down the major comparisons:
Motivation
Personal training is effective because the motivation to workout and stick to a healthy eating plan can sometimes be difficult, it's good to have a qualified professional in your corner to make you accountable for your actions and help keep you focused on your goals. Online personal training is no different, your trainer is always in touch via email, usually more often than an "in-person" trainer, pushing your progress and maintaining a reassuring connection to you. You'll find that having a trainer literally next to you is not entirely necessary to motivate you to workout. In fact, over time it can become a problem as you become over-reliant on your trainer being physically next to you and cannot train independently of them. The online option takes a "soft-touch" approach whereby your trainer stays in regular contact via email etc, encouraging and progressing you but during the workouts it's all down to you. In the long term, you learn to push yourself and use your trainer just like any other component of a healthier life.
Progression
It's pretty much a dead heat in this case. Both varieties of personal training are equal in terms of progressing the challenge in your workouts. Your in-person trainer will move things along during your workouts. Your online personal trainer will use your workout logs to see how you are progressing and move things forward for you using this information.
Cost
Personal training is one of those things that traditionally is a luxury for those whose pockets are deep enough for it. It's can be very effective in helping you to truly identify and reach your health and fitness ambitions. There's nothing like having a qualified trainer on hand who is specifically focused on you and your goals. The downside is that working out with a trainer 3 or 4 times per week is an expensive undertaking and one which is simply too costly for most of us. An online personal trainer on the other hand is much more reasonable and you can get a much broader service. A subscription can cost as little as £19.99 per month and your trainer is available to help you with any issue 24/7. This way you can get in shape without breaking the bank!
Equipment
"Do I need a lot of equipment to get a good workout?" This is a question I hear pretty often. The short answer is NO! A fully equipped gym is great, but not essential. The truth of the matter is that if your trainer (online or in-person) is properly trained & skilled, they should be able to design an effective and challenging program for you that uses nothing more than your own body weight. No equipment, no excuse. An online personal trainer will take into account whatever you have available, from a jump rope to a treadmill.
Accountability
This is a big one. Results, in the end, are everything. So if you choose an online fitness trainer will they be as accountable for your success (or failure) as an "in-person" trainer? The answer should always be a resounding yes. Just because your trainer isn't right next to you doesn't mean they aren't responsible for your results. A good online personal training service should be flexible to your needs and goals, if you aren't happy with something you should be able to discuss this with them and resolve it just as easily as if they were in the room with you.
Knowledge
One of the major concepts of online personal training is that because of the distance between you and your trainer, it focuses on building up your knowledge of health and fitness so that in a reasonable amount of time you are able to motivate, encourage and account for yourself and can achieve your goals by yourself.
A study by the Journal of Medical Internet Research into the effectiveness of Web-based vs non-Web-based interventions found that those people who chose the online options showed results including increased exercise time, increased knowledge of nutritional status, increased knowledge of asthma treatment, increased participation in healthcare, slower health decline, improved body shape perception, and 18-month weight loss maintenance over those who chose the non-web-based option. That's an eye-opener.
Looking long-term, if you want to lose or control your weight, improve your fitness, improve sporting performance, eat a better diet and generally become a healthier person then the most critical component is knowledge. As the old saying goes, "knowledge is power" and online personal training undoubtedly has the capability of giving you that power.
If anything online personal training can be a more complete service than the "in-person" choice & you might just find it's the affordable, effective missing link in your health and fitness you've been looking for.
Enjoy your health
Chris
Chris Loughrey is a personal trainer specializing in weight control, diabetes management & online personal training. Fully qualified and accredited by the European Health & Fitness Association (EHFA) he also deals with sports injury rehab and is a qualified Neuromuscular Therapist (NMT). You can find him on the web at [http://www.my-personaltrainer.net]
Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Chris_Loughrey/763893
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5445996
