In recent years, exercising from home has boomed in popularity. Thanks to virtual coaching, those with tight schedules, small bank accounts, and transportation restrictions can find solace getting fit in the comfort of their own homes. It’s no wonder the fuss-free exercise trend has caught on, as an option exists for everyone. You can begin exercising from home with a virtual coach in many ways.
Online Workout Classes
If attending classes is your preference, a variety of streaming services exist online. You can join many of these online studio classes at the time of recording, making the experience a live one, similar to what you would find in a real workout studio. Live sessions can be highly effective if you require social motivation, since participants must keep up with instructors. On the other hand, if you’re unable to join classes at the time of their recording, you can often view the videos later.
For example, on-demand streaming service Booya Fitness allows its users to attend classes in yoga, strength conditioning, Pilates, boot camp, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), and more. Users can browse classes based on their fitness level, time, space, and equipment, making the experience accessible across the board.
Exercise Channels
On video platforms like YouTube, exercise routines are abundant. Many videos are posted on a regular basis by highly regarded coaches, such as personal trainer Joanna Soh, who posts every Monday for more than 1.5 million subscribers. The variety of routines and workouts found on platforms such as YouTube can be helpful if you want to mix up your usual exercises. While Soh often posts 30-day challenges, other fitness channels offer plenty of shorter, one-off routines for occasions when you’re crunched for time.
Personal Virtual Coaching
Other virtual coaches work one on one with their clients. To “meet,” you might video chat with your new coach online, and from this point, you would receive instructions from your coach on which exercises to do at home or at the gym.
For example, Livekick is a hybrid between live-streamed workout classes and personal virtual coaching. The platform allows users to attend live exercise sessions up to three times each week, but even outside of class, coaches continue to touch base with their clients.
Gym Time or Screen Time?
Virtual coaching addresses one of the major obstacles people face in getting enough exercise today: convenience. Finding the time between work and dinner for a trip to the gym can be challenging, but in the 15 minutes dinner takes to cook, you could complete an entire HIIT routine from your living room floor with a screen and a Wi-Fi connection.
However, virtual coaching has its trade-offs. Available on demand, and at a lower rate, virtual coaching lacks certain aspects of traditional training that you may require, including in-person guidance and high-quality gym equipment. In the end, it comes down to the type of exercise experience that suits you best and whether the trade-offs are worth the ease of access, variety, and affordability of virtual coaching.
