The rise of digital fitness has revolutionised the traditional personal trainer’s role, inspiring a transition to online personal training. As an online personal trainer, you’re granted the flexibility of making your own schedule, from getting ready for client consultations to onboarding and meetings.
Your day might include meal planning and delivering motivating training sessions, all from the comfort of your preferred location. This shift offers an inspiring journey for aspiring and current fitness professionals to become more effective in their practice.
Let’s take an inside look at what a typical day for a personal trainer includes.
A Day in the Life of an Online Personal Trainer
Morning
Start Your Day
Unlike a face-to-face trainer who must be at the gym early to meet commuting gym members, an online personal trainer can start their day at 9 am. This allows for a more relaxed morning routine; you don't have to get up for that 5am client. However, establishing a routine is still necessary.
Wake up, have a healthy breakfast, and get ready for your day. It's advisable to fit in a morning workout before nine. Consider filming your personal workouts as this can serve as potential marketing material in the online setting, showcasing your fitness skills and interaction style.
Prioritise New Enquiries First
Once you're ready, start your workday. The first part of your day should be dedicated to checking for new inquiries. This involves going through your website inquiries, social media platforms, emails, and messages for any questions from prospective new customers. Responding to prospective clients first not only shows that you care but actually affects your closing rates when securing a new client.
No one likes leaving a hot inquiry sitting in their inbox - by the time you get round to them, they may have signed up with another coach. Therefore, it's important to look after your business's sales first and schedule follow-up calls or consultations.
Review Client Communication
Next, review client communication. This involves filtering through various communication channels from existing clients, such as emails, review platforms, and comment sections. Here, you'll find updates on clients' progress, concerns, and feedback. Messages can consist of workout updates, queries about their nutrition plan, or just general clarifying questions about the training program in the online setting.
Client Check-Ins
These are normally conducted once per week through video calls, phone calls, or chat, depending on the client's preference. During these check-ins, clients discuss their training progress, obstacles, and fitness goals. As an online personal trainer, it's your role to provide an interactive learning environment and direct mentorship.
Listen attentively, provide guidance, and motivate them towards the completion of their course. Time managing your client check-ins and subsequent appointments is necessary. Allow a 15-minute overlay of time to ensure that you're not late for subsequent appointments.
Afternoon
Client Consultation & Onboarding
After a break, it's time to conduct client consultations and onboarding. You might have a PT consultation booked. Use your consultations as leverage to attract prospective new clients in the format of a no-obligation, free consultation to talk through their fitness goals and what online personal training can offer them.
One area where many online personal trainers go wrong is having a scheduled sales call and then a separate onboarding personal training session. To do PT consultations properly and be flexible with your schedule for client consultations, combine these two steps.
The consultation is not just your time to sell your services and personal training courses; it's also your time to onboard them if they decide to sign up. Normally, the onboarding process should be automated and done through email platforms to save time while growing your online client base. Each consultation should last roughly about an hour, especially if you're closing them as a new paying client.
Personal Training Program & Nutrition Plan Writing
Next, spend time writing programs and nutrition plans for clients. These plans need to be tailored to each client's specific fitness goals. This personalisation is key to sustaining the client's motivation and preventing cancellations. When the nutrition plan is written and distributed to them, it needs to be much more than a diet printout and some helpful hints. It should include a breakdown of carbs, fats, and protein, cover pre and post-workout nutrition information, and list common vitamins and minerals essential for maximising their nutritional health. The program should also provide flexibility according to the client's lifestyle, demonstrating the adaptability of online personal training.
Focus on Your Marketing
Focus on advertising activities and marketing strategies for your fitness program. Unlike a physical gym with a steady flow of members passing through it, as an online personal trainer, you need to actively grow your business.
Spend time refining your Google ads, writing new blog content, setting up a Facebook ad campaign, and reporting on analytics. These efforts are essential for building your online coaching and keeping up with the latest industry trends in fitness careers.
Paperwork and Planning
To finish off the day, sort out your administrative tasks, such as maintaining accurate financial records for your online PT program. Evaluate your systems and processes because every business is just a series of systems and processes, and online personal training is no different. Also, work on your own professional development. Whether it's enhancing your sales or marketing skills or learning about the ever-evolving fitness industry, continuously expanding your knowledge and skills is important.
Consider continuing education for personal trainers to ensure you stay current in the fitness industry. As an online personal trainer, your end goal should always be to build a better product and be effective in an online setting. This commitment to your fitness career will boost your knowledge and confidence, making your day diverse and exciting.
What Are The Benefits of Online Personal Training?
In today’s fast-paced world, online personal training has become a convenient and easily accessible solution that has revolutionised the fitness industry.
1. Flexibility and Convenience
Online personal training eliminates geographical constraints, allowing you to enrol and study fitness training programs at your convenience. Whether it’s accessing training videos, engaging in online interaction, or downloading notes, all these resources are readily accessible wherever and whenever you prefer.
A recent survey found that 81% of respondents found it easier to balance their education with personal lives through online learning. Even if you’re working a 9-5 job, online training fits into your schedule, making time for learning during coffee breaks or instead of watching television.
2. Opportunity for Self-Paced Learning
Online personal training provides you with the opportunity to learn at your own pace. This approach has been shown to increase retention rates by 25% to 60% compared to traditional face-to-face training. With images, videos, and legible fonts, digital and practical instruction helps you retain the necessary skills, allowing you to absorb the material at your own pace. So, you not only get to control when and where you train but also how quickly you absorb and apply new information, ensuring a more effective and personalised learning experience.
3. Cost Efficiency
Face-to-face training can be expensive, but online personal training means you don’t have to commute to a gym or training centre, saving on travel costs. Plus, online personal training courses come with affordable fees, making fitness training a cost-effective opportunity.
4. Online Support and Direct Mentorship
Online personal trainers are always looking to help and motivate students. They provide one-on-one support and guidance, offering everything you need to succeed. Whether it’s tracking progress, clarifying questions, providing feedback, or offering motivation, they’re there to support you. This interactive learning environment keeps you committed to your fitness journey and ensures the successful completion of your training.
Challenges and Tips
Online personal training comes with challenges that trainers need to overcome for successful client experiences.
Maintaining Client Motivation
Ensuring client motivation in a virtual environment can be challenging. When training clients in person, it’s easy to know if they are committed to their program because they show up and do the work in front of you. However, online, they have the freedom to manage their own schedules, which can sometimes lead to them getting demotivated if there’s no self-discipline.
Here are a few tips:
- Foster a strong commitment to learning and maintaining self-discipline.
- Fuel their motivation by regularly reminding them of their fitness goals.
- Make sure the “What’s in it for me?” The question is answered in your messaging before the start of the program and throughout.
- Maintain regular interaction with your clients, providing feedback and encouragement to keep them motivated.
Managing Technology
The use of technology in online training can pose challenges due to technical issues and varying internet access.
To effectively manage these issues:
- Provide detailed instructions on navigating the course, avoiding an intuitive layout or unclear directions.
- Prepare for handling queries or clarifications. An FAQ section or guide can save both you and your client's time.
- Address potential issues during development to ensure a smooth user experience.
- Offer round-the-clock support to assist with any technical difficulties.
Addressing these challenges proactively, you can excel as an online personal trainer and deliver a high-quality online personal training experience.
FiT’s Online Personal Trainer Courses
Fitness Industry Training’s (FiT) online personal trainer courses offer a blend of online and face-to-face learning, providing an accessible and comprehensive education for aspiring fitness professionals.
Certificate III in Fitness
Start your journey as a fitness professional with FiT’s Certificate III in Fitness. This online fitness course provides you with the flexibility to study at your own pace, from the comfort of your home, with 24/7 access to course materials. But online learning isn’t the only mode of instruction; FiT enhances your learning experience with face-to-face immersion training. Here, you get to train with industry-leading trainers in some of Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle, and Melbourne’s top gyms, providing an immersive and hands-on learning experience.
The Certificate III in Fitness qualifies you to work in various fitness settings as a:
- Gym floor instructor
- Group exercise instructor
- Outdoor fitness trainer
- Assistant gym manager
- Gym or health club membership consultant
- Sports coach
This course provides a solid foundation to boost your career in the fitness industry. However, to expand your job opportunities and establish yourself as a fully qualified personal trainer, a Certificate IV in Fitness is necessary.
Certificate IV in Fitness
For those who have completed their Certificate III and are ready to level up their qualifications, Certificate IV in Fitness is the next step. This course equips you with advanced fitness education, enabling you to write effective programs and coach individual clients to achieve impressive results.
Like the Certificate III course, the Certificate IV program offers a blended approach, combining self-paced online learning with ‘hands-on’ virtual workshops. This blended learning model ensures that you get the most comprehensive and flexible training possible.
- Personal trainer
- Group fitness instructor
- Outdoor fitness trainer
- Club manager
- Studio or club owner
- Sports coach
Fast Track PT Course
Want a quicker entry into the personal training industry? Consider FiT’s Fast-Track Certificate IV in Fitness. This program allows you to finish the 8 prerequisite units of Certificate III in Fitness, where students learn the basics including health screening, anatomy, and physiology, and the 20 units from a full Certificate IV in Fitness.
With Certificate IV, your learning goes deeper into programming for different types of fitness components. You’ll develop skills in creating long-term programs, focusing on strength, endurance, and conditioning workouts. This provides hands-on experience on how to program for clients, ensuring they receive quality service.
Alongside, you’ll get first aid and CPR certification, gaining the confidence to lead various exercise programs. With FiT, you can expect a mix of self-paced learning and virtual workshops, getting you ready to work with clients of all skill levels.
Whether you’re an aspiring personal trainer or a fitness enthusiast considering a transition to an online training career, FiT’s online personal trainer courses are designed to inspire, educate, and propel you into a successful fitness career.
The Importance of Face-to-Face Immersion Training
FiT courses are designed to prepare you for success in the fitness industry through a good combination of practical and theoretical work, providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to excel. With a unique blend of online and in-person training, students get a chance to train alongside some of Australia’s most respected personal trainers at premier gyms.
- Practical Skill Development
- Immediate Feedback
- Enhanced Learning Experience
- Client Interaction Skills
- Continuous Support and Assessment
The FiT team offers one-on-one support and guidance, ensuring students are well-equipped for a successful career in the fitness world.
Thrive as an Online Personal Trainer
A career as an online personal trainer is both demanding and rewarding, filled with back-to-back client appointments, planning out personalised workout plans, nutrition coaching, and staying up-to-date on industry trends.
While there may be challenges along the way, the achievement of helping others reach their fitness goals makes it all worth it.
Our interactive fitness courses at FiT, delivered by our world-class trainers, equip you with practical skills and knowledge to kickstart or further your fitness career.
Explore FiT’s courses today – your successful fitness career starts here!
