Original Post written by James Dixon, Certified Personal Trainer in Washington, DC.

Online Fitness Training has been creating a lot of buzz in the fitness industry in recent years. While there are many benefits to joining an online fitness program, it does require certain characteristics in order to be successful. Below, are 3 important characteristic traits that are ideal for online fitness clients.

Discipline

Since online fitness programs do not involve face to face interaction (though some trainers use hybrid programs), it is important for a client to have a strong sense of discipline if they want to achieve results. Clients need to be able to schedule their priorities in order to allow time to adhere to their training program. This may take time to get used to for clients who are accustomed to working with a trainer in person. The subject of nutrition is also a key component of discipline. Knowing how to be mindful of one’s eating habits is equally important as the training itself in an online fitness environment.

Communication

In a face to face training session, trainers are able to make adjustments to clients programs based on verbal and non-verbal (e.g. body language) communication. In an online environment, this is not as feasible.Therefore, an online fitness client needs to be able to communicate through as many means as possible (e.g. email, mobile app, phone) to provide feedback to their trainers. It is often easier for clients to regularly communicate with their trainer when they see them 2 to 3 times per week than when they are training online in another part of the country. Fortunately, in this current society, communication through a technical means is now becoming more of a norm.

Willingness to Keep Thing Simple

Online fitness training programs are usually simplistic in nature. It is often challenging for most clients to follow advanced online training programs due to either a lack of understanding of complex movements and/or equipment. Therefore, basic training programs that do not require much thinking or supervision are ideal for most online programs.

These are just 3 examples of certain characteristics one should be familiar with when contemplating training online. Online fitness can be a win-win for clients and their trainers, so as long as each party understands what they need to do to make their training relationship a success.

---

Contact James today to schedule a risk-free personal training session.  If you are looking to lose weight, build muscle, or improve your overall quality of life, a RightFit Personal Trainer will help you set and achieve your health and fitness goals.