Fitness is an attractive industry for young professionals. Coaching can be described as an interesting job that involves communicating with people, meeting new people, and the opportunity to keep yourself in excellent physical shape.
Many business sectors are moving online, and fitness is no exception. There is often a question on the Internet about “who is an online fitness trainer” and how to become one. In the article you can find information on how to become a successful specialist, increase the number of clients, and promote your services online.
Live online training
Live broadcast on Instagram or YouTube, where feedback is minimal: participants can only watch and write comments. On these social networks @worldclassclubs. attracted thousands of people to his open training sessions, with about 500 people watching the broadcasts at the same time.
Plus live broadcasts:
+ The openness of the club and the charisma of the coaches attract new users, this is important! New people can stay with you for a long time!
Disadvantage: ... you can just come, look and leave. Unfortunately, such broadcasts often pass by - either the time is not right, or there is no mood, and the inconvenience of viewing on a small phone screen reduces the quality of the picture and, consequently, the perception and effectiveness of the training (the eyes are strained, not the muscles).
Some studios have organized closed Instagram pages. Access to posts and broadcasts is available to subscribers for a fee - on average from 290 rubles to 1,500 rubles per month.
Such pages have even begun to be promoted on the Internet as online fitness clubs.
Where to look for clients
After understanding who an online fitness trainer is, newcomers to this profession have the question of where and how to look for clients.
It’s worth looking at things sensibly and not flattering yourself with false hopes that people will line up to see a new instructor. Advertising is necessary, and it is important to first work as a “name” to become a recognized fitness and health professional.
After a few years of work, clients will know about you even through word of mouth; joyful women who have lost weight will send their friends and acquaintances to training.
You can start looking for clients on social networks. It is necessary to create a working page that will contain information about the coach, his education, and the programs he runs. It is important for clients to see a person in action, so it is worth posting videos from training sessions and reviews from grateful clients.
Potential clients can be found in subscriptions on the pages of sports clubs; do not be shy about sending requests to add people as friends. You can create a message template containing brief information about the services of an online trainer.
Distance training is suitable for people who spend a lot of time at work, so it’s worth sending out a letter offering your services to large companies.
XROOM.APP - video conference via link without registration
At the time of writing, we accidentally found a free service with an extremely simple interface, XROOM.APP. The development team made it for themselves in 2022, and then shared their development with everyone. According to the authors, their service attracts 20,000 users from all over the world every month.
The main advantage is that participants do not need to specifically install software and it is free. The system supports an unlimited number of participants, broadcasting from any device with the Internet and a camera. There is a chat and the ability to share files, and even show a remote screen. To record video you need to use a plugin. Xroom on a separate platform allows companies to change the interface design and connect your own domain - here's an example. We need to test it. We tried video calling with our team, we liked it, and we decided to share our find with you in this review.
Screenshot of Xroom screen
Online training via Skype and Zoom
These classes are the closest analogue to training in the gym, since the trainer and practitioners have the opportunity to see each other. Thanks to visual and verbal contact, an atmosphere of collective action is created, even if the participants are located in different parts of the globe.
The Skype and Zoom applications can be used free of charge at first, with some restrictions - for example, Zoom at the time of writing gives 40 free minutes for a group of up to 100 people. You can remove this restriction by paying $15 per month.
Advantages of classes via Skype and Zoom:
+ For the trainer and the studio: there are no random people in the training session, therefore, engagement increases. You can conduct such classes on a schedule and for a fixed fee (including subscriptions), getting as close as possible to the format of classes in the studio.
+ For students: the coach sees you (even on the screen), which means he can give you hints and correct you (with words). Feedback is always invigorating and motivating! In addition, you can practice one-on-one with a trainer (personal online training). All attention - only to you!
Now about the cons:
— Of course, the main obstacle to this format (as well as others) is its technical side.
If you are a trainer and have never filmed yourself or broadcast live on Instagram, try testing this format on a small circle of friends or clients, and make the class free. This way you will worry less about responsibility for the technical side and will be able to devote more time to the activity itself.
After all, it is for your experience and knowledge that they come to your gym, and now for online training. And no obstacles (for example, rickety tripods) will diminish your charisma!
For the trainer
Pros:
There is no rent or deductions to the club. Only taxes. Working from a computer allows you to work from anywhere. There is no need to stand in traffic jams for hours and waste time on the road.
Minuses:
Clients who require attention 24 hours a day. They are sure that if a trainer works online, then he is obliged to answer their questions, day or night. They completely ignore your working hours and your right to privacy. Fortunately, such people are rare.
Online courses and online marathons
I had experience both as a participant and as an organizer of such events. Below you will learn about the features of each of these types of activities on the Internet, but first a small clarification: the success of an event (no matter for the participant or the organizer) does not always depend on its cost.
A free online course may not cover the costs, but it will help draw attention to the activities of the trainer and his paid resources. A paid event, on the one hand, will narrow the audience, and on the other hand, will make it more involved and result-oriented. Let's look at each type of online activity with content prepared in advance.
Discipline
This is a key point in the training. You can have an experienced mentor and an excellent training system. But if you don’t do the necessary things every day, nothing will work!
Each participant is required to write a report on the training conducted and the completion of the task for that day. The report must be posted no later than the next day. In the absence of a report and if no warning was given in advance, a remark is made. Repeated failure to comply with the reporting rule will result in expulsion from the group and exclusion from the training. Without the possibility of recovery. We immediately warn you about this in advance.
We have discussed this rule many times with colleagues and training participants. And they came to the conclusion that it was reasonable, despite the protests of the rare lazy people and slobs among us. Discipline greatly motivates the entire team and each participant personally, and does not allow the team to deteriorate. This has been tested many times in our work and is confirmed by scientific research in the field of management, psychology and pedagogy.
Therefore, please come to the training with a strong work and results mindset. This will double your achievements! Paying for the program does not give you privileges or immunity. This is compensation for the coach's efforts. And it is not refundable if you are expelled from the group for violation of discipline.
In case of unforeseen situations - urgent business trip, illness, etc. – be sure to warn the coach, and then absences will not be considered a violation of discipline.
Online training courses and apps
Such classes are usually posted as a series of videos with a specific topic on separate platforms, for example, on the website of a fitness studio or personal website of a trainer, as well as on portals with other online courses and in smartphone applications.
The most popular applications for online training are Insight Timer with yoga and meditation, Nike training club - fitness, yoga, running, but there are also many others.
We recently published an article about the most popular free home workout apps.
What are the advantages of online courses?
+ For a trainer and studio: it is possible to prepare material, film it and make it available (paid or free), and then start promoting - inviting existing clients using a newsletter, and new ones by using advertising in search engines.
If you place your material on a portal with other courses, then you don’t even need to spend additional money on advertising - clients will find you themselves!
+ For students: clear structure and lesson plan; no connection to the time of live broadcasts - you can study at any convenient time by simply going to the website or application. In addition, beautifully shot material motivates you to achieve great results.
Disadvantages of online courses:
— For the trainer, studio and practitioners: the lack of feedback during training (or even in general) reduces the return and motivation of some clients.
— Not everyone is used to working at their maximum if there is no coach nearby.
Online marathons and challenges
They say that the time for challenges has passed, and indeed, everyone is already quite fed up with them. But various online marathons on Instagram and Telegram continue to gain popularity. Their mechanics are very simple: participants are gathered by the organizers in a separate chat, possibly in a separate account, where the marathon takes place. The participants' task is to complete exercises and tasks every day for several days - from a week to 21 days, and sometimes longer. Prizes are often given out for activity.
Pros of online marathons
+ For the trainer and studio: During an online marathon, the involvement of participants greatly increases - even if they are lazy or put off classes for later, they still receive daily reminders and take part along with others (albeit mentally).
+ The effect of collective spirit is what attracts a large number of people to participate in marathons, and it is worth considering this fact if you care about building long-term, trusting relationships with clients.
++ For those involved: the opportunity to communicate with other participants and even find friends with similar interests, community support, motivation to win a prize.
Disadvantages of online marathons:
A marathon is for a while, but sport is forever. An online marathon is just a toy, an opportunity to meet in an informal setting on social networks and exchange opinions, learn something useful while looking at the phone screen. However, a large amount of communication often distracts from the essence - from why we have actually gathered here.
Training videos on YouTube
A social resource where you can find everything - training videos for beginners on “how to pump up your abs”, exercises for beautiful posture and gait, dance classes for every taste, online cardio training, yoga, meditation, martial arts - in general, you just have to decide in the sea of diversity . And, of course, understand how suitable this format of classes is for you.
Related articles: Five best YouTube channels on yoga for beginners I want to lose weight: a review of video workouts for practicing at homeVideos from star trainers: a review of home exercises for weight loss
What are the advantages of playing sports on YouTube:
+ For a trainer and studio: a YouTube channel is an opportunity to loudly express yourself in the Internet space and, thanks to well-thought-out content, find new clients, sometimes without even investing additional funds in advertising. The turnover of subscribers on YouTube is less noticeable than on Instagram, and videos remain relevant even a year or two after publication. In addition, there is feedback in the form of comments.
+ For those involved: free access to useful and (almost) endless content. The opportunity to choose a trainer, type of training, and also try something new.
Disadvantages of YouTube as a format for fitness classes:
— For the trainer and studio: filming quality content requires good equipment and a team, as well as regular publications, otherwise your videos will simply get lost in the sea of others, and subscribers will find a new idol.
— For those involved: the abundance of content makes choosing a workout difficult. And the fact that no one is watching you during classes can lead to cheating (from the English “cheating” - deception) - distortion of the technique (intentional or unintentional) in order to perform an exercise in an easier version or with a greater number of repetitions.
What type of online training should you choose? And where to place online training to attract new clients and not lose old ones? Test all the options described above, draw up a content plan, and with experience you will understand what doesn’t suit you and what evokes sympathy and positive emotions from your audience. After all, the main thing in training is the positive charge that the trainer gives, and the desire to exercise and not give up training is reinforced by feedback and live reviews!
Where to get knowledge from
A successful fitness trainer is a person who not only works with clients, but also constantly improves his knowledge and learns something new.
The fitness industry does not stand still. New directions are emerging in which you can grow and develop, for example, everyone’s favorite functional training, or step, which ten years ago was just simple combinations of steps. Today you can watch with admiration the beauty of step dance; the choreography simply fascinates beginners.
You can start training at the following reputable fitness schools:
- FPA (Association of Fitness Professionals) - https://fitness-pro.ru/
- Vader College - https://www.cbb.ru/
- First fitness school - https://firstfitschool.ru/
Also, the online school Skillbox launched the “ Personal Fitness Trainer ” course.
A three-month training program that is perfect for future fitness trainers, athletes, fitness club managers and those who want to work in the fitness field. The course consists of 10 thematic modules and 60 online classes.
Link to the educational program and detailed information about it: https://skillbox.ru/course/fitness-instructor-pro/
To improve your skills or gain new knowledge, you should seek help from a fitness industry guru, for example:
- Pavel Fatykhov - https://www.instagram.com/pashafatykhov/
- Sergei Oleynikov - https://www.instagram.com/s.oleynikov/
- Taras Klimov - https://www.instagram.com/tarasklimov/
Legendary international presenters of fitness conventions conduct online seminars and offer courses remotely, many of which can be watched in recordings.
Of course, it is better to take a step course offline in order to easily teach it remotely. The rest of the courses can be completed remotely.
In great demand are “universal” instructors who can easily conduct a strength training session, after which they switch to stretching or Pilates. It is important not to take superficial knowledge from courses, but to take a serious approach to studying each area.
Clients tend to ask a lot of questions, so the trainer needs to know all the nuances of the programs and be able to calmly and clearly explain each exercise. In addition to training programs, it is worth studying anatomy in order to understand how to properly train muscles and not harm the body as a whole.
Nutritionist courses have become popular over the past three years. A trainer working online can take this course and earn money not only from the training process, but also from creating a dietary menu for his clients.
When choosing a profession as an online instructor, you need not to be afraid of difficulties, persistently pursue your goal, study, and train a lot yourself. Good luck on your sports path, and believe in yourself!
