The fitness industry has changed dramatically, and no area more so than personal training. Everyone is scrambling to rethink how business is conducted. How do you effectively train a client when you can’t get closer than six feet? It may not even be in person; how do you train them via the internet?
The overwhelming consensus for success during these strange times is to be flexible and proactive. I look at our current business as happening in quarters:
- One quarter of members and clients will not leave their house or allow anyone in. They are strictly quarantining and could be good candidates for virtual personal training.
- Another quarter may be quarantining, but are comfortable with a trainer coming to their home.
- The third group is happy to exercise outside but is resistant to be indoors.
- The last quarter is just over all of it and ready to do anything that feels normal, including getting back to their pre-COVID workout routine.
Meet your members and clients where they are. Virtual personal training simply requires an internet connection, potentially a bit of learning the technology, and a willingness to work with limited equipment. Don’t be afraid to jump in with both feet and educate your trainers, members and clients on how effective a virtual session could be.
In-home training could be the best of both worlds. The trainer can bring additional equipment to supplement the client’s equipment, and physical distancing and safety procedures can be maintained while still providing the exclusive personal service of a typical session.
Outdoor training is my favorite service right now — though I’m biased, as I live in Colorado. You can be outside, there’s plenty of air circulation, you can potentially be maskless depending on your local requirements, and you can load up a storage pod with plenty of equipment. Our clients have been taking selfies with the trees.
There is a silver lining to this pandemic, and that is the impetus on us all to rethink and recreate ourselves into something even better.
