In our lives, most of us play many different roles. In the course of any given day, I am a product manager, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, mom to an energetic 6-year-old, wife, and aging athlete.
Consequently, the focus of my training sessions varies to accommodate not only my current fitness goals, but the demands of my day-to-day life. Throughout the course of my career, I’ve watched my clients and class participants change their training dynamics, as well as balance their goals with countless other demands.
To stay motivated on our fitness journey, we need the flexibility to challenge our bodies and minds in a way that will keep us stimulated and on the path to our desired outcome, whatever that may be at the time. Whether it’s improving physical performance, training for a race, losing weight, or living independently for as long as we can, goals don’t simply differ; they evolve and change. This is truly the “why” behind target training. It’s a tool that gives trainers and end users the ability to set their training target around something that is meaningful to them personally.
Target training allows instructors and users to set training goals around pace (RPM, SPM, mph/kph), distance, calories, watts, 500m split or HR, depending on the goal of the training session and the modality. Once the target is set on products offering target training technology, effort can be validated in real time in a way that is visible to both the user and trainer.
This holds the participant accountable to achieve the outcome that has been established, and helps the trainer to hone their coaching skills by providing more encouragement to those who are below target, asking others to hold back if they are above target to ensure they can finish the challenge or saying well done for those who are on target. It’s about inspiring members to keep moving on their terms with metrics that are meaningful to them. Using target training technologies can help more members stay on target and achieve their latest fitness goal.
Becky Jalbert is the global product manager for group training at Matrix Fitness. She can be reached at becky.jalbert@johnsonfit.com or visit matrixfitness.com to learn more.
