Even the consideration of going online as a young coach today tells me you’re lost.
“You can’t say that Mass!”
Yes I can. Here’s why…
If you intend to become the best coach that you could be in order to contribute maximally via a lifetime career in fitness, then that begins with MANY hours coaching people in person on the gym floor.
If you don’t agree with that then as I said, you’re lost…
The highest order of coaching movement is in person.
The highest order of feedback from movement is in person.
The highest order of feedback on thoughts and feels around movement is in person.
Therefore, the highest order of program design application is in person.
Still not convinced?
What about the essence of coaching – the relationship between the coach + client?
The highest order of conversation is in person.
The highest order of awareness is found in person.
The highest order of empathy is felt in person.
The highest order of trust is formed in person.
So, the highest order of vulnerability and honesty is enabled in person.
The utility of 1-1 PT is limited. If you stop, it stops. So to stretch this out as your sole coaching practice long term will lead to eventual burn out.
However, it most definitely has its use: It is the learning and proving ground for the apprentice and intermediate coach. It is the foundation of a career.
The same cannot be said for online coaching, which is a derivative of in-person coaching, not the other way around.
Online coaching is a specific skill set that must be formed on top of skills and competence gained from the many hours of in-person coaching that I mentioned earlier.
Online coaching is actually very difficult.
It can be done, but few do it well. Most don’t even reach ‘half arsing it’, because they haven’t put the spine of their career in place before they started attaching arms and legs.
Remember what is definition of success was before you venture online. Holding that as your metric of success should guide you well.
If you’re already online and struggling to coach, returning back to the gym floor would likely be a step forward, not backwards as your ‘business mentor’ in Dubai would have you believe.
If you’re looking to become a personal trainer and want the best teaching in the industry, then be sure to check out our level 3 personal trainer course.