There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the Health and Fitness industry. Personal trainers who used to rely on physical interactions had to rapidly move their service delivery online in order to continue meeting their clients’ needs and secure their cashflow. However, with restrictions lifting, PTs must now consider what the new normal looks like for their business.

The convenience of virtual services is a huge benefit to clients who may now prefer to workout remotely. Or in addition to fact-to-face training, would like a supplementary ‘take-home’ workout plan. With the added opportunity for PTs to expand to new, previously unreachable markets, offering virtual service delivery is a worthwhile investment.

Whether this means creating personalized online workout plans, or virtual group training sessions, ensuring that your services are delivered at the highest quality could be the ticket to maintaining your value virtually and differentiating from other, more generic offerings.

So, what can you do as a PT to ensure that you are delivering high quality virtual services?

Ensure you have the right tools to create quality video recordings and streams

Having the right software, tools and equipment at your disposal not only improves the quality of your virtual service, but also make it more enjoyable for your clients. Good quality videos and resources make it easier for your clients to understand the exercises even if you aren’t there to guide them.

Making the perfect video

If you’re recording your own videos and streaming with your clients, then be sure to consider these points:

• Make sure your camera is capable of recording high quality videos, whether you are using a smartphone, laptop or camera.
• Ensure your camera is stable and positioned correctly to capture everything you are doing.
• When creating your video, ensure your workspace is free from clutter and other distractions.
• Check that you have sufficient lighting so that your clients can clearly see everything you are doing.
• If you are streaming, ensure your internet speed is capable of maintaining a smooth connection.

Moving your business online can be difficult, especially when you first begin to develop your online presence. To help you understand how to better manage this, the Australian Institute of Fitness posted an article about online professionalism as a personal trainer which you may find helpful.

Maintain your clients’ correct form and posture

Correct form and posture is critical to the effectiveness of a workout. Even though you are not physically with your clients, it’s still important that they maintain the correct form and posture during exercises to avoid injury and obtain the best possible results. If you are pre-recording the exercises for a workout plan, then ensuring your form is correct so that your clients can easily follow along will be key.

Using dedicated virtual PT software, such as goXpro, can help you to create tailored workout plans using a library of pre-recorded videos and exercises - all designed with the correct form and posture in mind. Simply pick and choose the exercises, or record your own, to create a highly personalized workout plan for your clients.

You can also conduct a full assessment of your client’s fitness, wellness, posture and biometrics by capturing their static and dynamic posture (as seen here), as well as body composition, to assist in selecting the right exercises to meet their needs. Not only does this provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your client, it also helps to create a highly personalized experience that your clients are more likely to benefit from.

Use home equipment safely and resourcefully

Many clients will have limited access to workout equipment at home. As such, it’s important that you tailor your activities to make use of what they have available. When instructing your clients to use certain household items as equipment, you must make sure they are using them safely and correctly to prevent injury. If you are doing a group workout session, having alternative exercises available to cater for a variety of at-home equipment options will encourage engagement and make sure clients are able to make full use of your time.

Offer cardio at home

Cardio is an important component for many workouts, but it isn’t just limited to a treadmill or a run. Consider some alternative cardio exercises that will still get your client's heart rate up. For best results, alternate between a couple of different exercises to keep the workout fun and engaging.

Be sure to consider your client’s abilities when choosing the exercises so that they are not too difficult but still help them to achieve their goals.

Set payment expectations

A lot of work goes in to creating tailored workout plans and group sessions, so make sure that you are also being paid for your time. Your clients will already know that they are engaging you for a service, even if that is now being delivered in a different format. Set your expectations for payment early on and make sure you have the right tools available to support you. Setting up subscription payments and payment plans with direct debits is a great way of achieving this. Solutions such as Ezypay can ensure that you are getting paid for your hard work automatically, whilst avoiding any awkward payment conversations.

The health and fitness environment is changing, and setting yourself up to continue servicing your clients remotely is essential – both now and in the future. The right software, tools and equipment can help you improve the quality of your virtual services and save you time in the process, so that you can focus on what you do best – helping your clients achieve their health and fitness goals.

Ezypay has integrated with a wide range of health and fitness software solutions, including goXpro, to ensure that payments are an integrated part of the customer experience. 

Learn more about how Ezypay can service Health & Fitness businesses, or apply online to get started.