2020 was the year of learning how to work online, and thanks to the novel coronavirus COVID-19, millions of businesses around the world have gone virtual. Now, with 2021 in full swing, it’s time to reassess and redirect the goals of your online business. In this guide, we’re going to cover some of the latest trends in online fitness to give you an idea of what you can do to attract more clients and gain more traction as a professional online trainer.
Educated Instructors
Today’s client is informed, especially with widespread Internet access giving anyone the ability to find the answers to their questions 24/7/365. Because of this, experience and expertise are becoming more highly valued by customers looking to find a trainer, and for many, education and credentials are indicators of expertise. Clients looking for online personal trainers spend the time to check for their instructor’s education credentials and are far more likely to pay for your services if you have some education under your belt.
Education is about more than acquiring a certification, it is about proving that you have the discipline to stick with a program, and the base of knowledge required to create your own opinions. Without the basic understanding of industry standards and best practices, it is hard to prove that you have the skills and knowledge to make safe and effective recommendations for your clients. At PT Academy, we help our students to develop these skills and learn the tools they’ll need to give their own ‘students’ guidance to achieve their fitness goals.
Certificate III & IV
If you dream of a career as a personal trainer, a Certificate III & IV in fitness program is the place to start! Designed to equip you with all the basics, this program covers everything from basic human anatomy and physiology and nutrition to creating your own programs for clients with unique needs. Completing the course is easy, and begins with an online course followed by in-person hours at an approved gym or with PT Academy instructors.
Continuing Education Courses
If you have already completed all of your basic certifications to become a personal trainer, there are still plenty of education opportunities to be had. At PT Academy, we offer a variety of continuing education courses like our new YBell Course or our Mindset and Performance Coaching class. Continuing education courses allow fitness professionals already established in their profession to develop new skills and add new tools to their toolboxes in order to provide superior services to their clients.
Incorporating Wearable Fitness Technology
Another trend expected to explode in 2021 is wearable fitness technology, which has become far more advanced in the past few years and more affordable. Wearable fitness technology like smart-watches and fitness rings can track data like steps, heartrate, calories burned, sleep, and more. Personal trainers offering their services online can incorporate wearable fitness technology to give them more information about their clients and the specifics of their health.
Creating personalized fitness plans can be difficult, especially when you meet a new client for the first time. Often, clients aren’t great at self-assessments of their own fitness levels, which is normal but frustrating. By having access to wwearable fitness tech stats, personal trainers can create plans suited for that person’s body, assess how their plans affect them, and make adjustments to prevent over excersion or injury.
Holistic Training
Stress causes physical discomfort and illness, and makes it difficult to retain muscle mass, strength, and stamina. As such, mental health and wellness are key to physical fitness, which is why holistic training methods have become more popular among personal trainers and fitness enthusiasts alike. Holistic training addresses not only the physical condition of the individual, but also their emotional and mental fitness through incorporating techniques like meditation, mindfulness, body positivity, and self-care.
Today, people are far more attuned to their emotional and mental wellbeing than ever before, and seek out aids to their emotional health almost as frequently as their physical health. Like healthy eating, healthy thinking can feed the mind, which is why people looking for fitness education and training also look for someone with emotional intellligence.
Functional Fitness
Functional fitness focuses on developing the strength, flexibility, and balance needed to perform daily activities and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. With many people transitioning to more sendentary lifestyles working from home, the general public has become more aware of how daily movement impacts their bodies, and may be more in-tune with how sitting still impacts their health. As such, more people are seeking out functional fitness trainers to help them do the things they want to do the most without feeling winded or tired before the fun is over.
Visit PT Academy online today to learn more about advancing your career, and be sure to take a look at our blog for much more content just like this!
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