The Differences Between In-Person and Online Personal Training

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With the help of a professional personal trainer, many people manage to keep fit and achieve specific health goals. You can choose to have in-person training or take online classes through apps and video guidance. Your choice is influenced by a few aspects like your availability, equipment, and motivation. Here is more information on the differences between in-person and online personal training:

Technical Instructions

During in-person training, an expert monitors your movements from all angles and can correct your form immediately. Working out with proper form, especially for complex exercises like heavy lifting, prevents small mistakes. A trainer who is in the same room with you watches over moves and can provide feedback.

Online trainers use high-definition video to guide you through your workouts using personalized instructions. They analyze your live video footage, recordings, or screen-shared content to give you detailed feedback. You can get visual feedback on how to improve your technique through drawings and slow-motion replays.

Convenience Guide

Remote fitness training is more flexible, allowing you to exercise at home, in a hotel, or while traveling. You can store your workouts on a mobile device and follow them whenever your schedule opens. For your in-person training, you travel to a physical workout studio or a gym at a specific time.

Personal trainers require you to stick to a fixed appointment and wait for you to show up. Mobile apps store programmed routines that you can access at any time of the day. Once you commit to showing up to a scheduled session, it fosters discipline and consistency. The real-time encouragement from your in-person personal trainer pushes you through challenging workouts, unlike online push notifications that you can swipe and ignore.

Session Structure

A dedicated workout environment reduces interruptions and improves your focus on the exercise, with the trainer giving you undivided attention. The coach counts your reps and regulates rest periods to complete the training session within a specific timeframe, without procrastination. While online trainers encourage tracking your health data using fitness watches and phone apps, this approach relies solely on self-discipline and self-motivation.

Equipment Access

A workout studio is well-equipped with a variety of gym equipment and on-site resources such as stacked weight machines, squat racks, and indoor turf, provided by the trainer. A trainer can change or switch between workouts and adjust resistance based on a client’s goals and ability. Online trainers have to get creative with the equipment you have at home, limiting you to a countable number of exercise options.

Progress Tracking

An in-person trainer can accurately track your progress through physical assessments. Evaluating your posture and body movements while running strength tests helps to identify your weaknesses and imbalances over time. The trainer then uses these assessments to adjust your workout programs safely as you progress. This method provides a direct, more transparent way to measure performance than self-reported feedback or recorded videos, which online personal trainers rely on to monitor progress.

Hire a Reliable Personal Trainer

Personal training, whether in-person or online, provides the guidance, accountability, and resources for a stronger body and healthier lifestyle. To get reliable results, you should select a professional trainer who can get you a customized training program that aligns with your personal and health goals. Book a session with a personal trainer to start the journey towards your fitness goals.