Why You Need A Coach

The word “coach” is an old French word meaning, a vehicle to transport people from one place to another. In some cultures the word is even used to describe a type of carriage that conveys a valued person from where he or she was to where he or she wanted to be.

Imagine trying to get someplace you have never been without the help of a map, GPS or someone to show you the way. You would be driving around aimlessly and likely never reach your destination.

When it comes getting healthy or more physically fit most people have no clue where to turn. They have little, if any, knowledge of how to program their training or plan their meals to reach their goals.

When I first began working out I didn’t know how to use the equipment or perform the exercises properly. I often eavesdropped in on other people’s training sessions and watched their trainer demonstrate exercises, asked questions, watched YouTube videos, and joined every class I could to get a wide range of experiences.

Even today, as I am make a living training people I am continuously asking questions, learning more, and surrounding myself with people who have valuable knowledge to share. There is so much information out there it’s impossible to be an expert on it all.

The best athletes in the world, CEO’s of fortune 500 companies, lawyers, doctors, ect. All hire other people to help them improve their skills. Often times we’re too close to the situation to see objectively what the issue is and how we can fix it. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. I ask other people for guidance and help all the time. I know I don’t have all the answers.

If you are ready to get your health back by improving both your physical fitness and nutrition I highly recommend you hire someone to pick you up from where you are and take you to your destination. The likelihood of you reaching your goals will increase tenfold.

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’re not alone.

Know that there will still be a lot of hard work and dedication to earn that better body or healthier state of being. But with having a coach your setbacks will be few and far between, you will have a friend and a confidant to lead the way, and the sense of direction will get you to your destination much more efficiently.

If you’re someone searching for answers to get a better body, improve your health, or optimize your results we would love to be the person who picks you up and takes you there.

Why Your Trainer Should Be Online

When someone mentions personal training a few things come to mind. Being at a gym with an individual who walks around helping others perform workouts. Having someone with you to motivate you to do tasks that help you reach a goal. And hiring someone to help develop proper technique in certain movement patterns.

Do you need to have a face to face trainer?

Most people do not view personal trainers online as a very effective or sufficient way to achieve their health and fitness goals.

What if I told you that having an online personal trainer would be just as beneficial if not more than a personal trainer at a gym?

If you are pondering this question, then allow me to give you an insight as to why good online coaching could be useful for you. 

1) Scheduling
If you have ever had a personal trainer, then you would understand why scheduling can be a pain in the butt. When you have a personal trainer in the gym, you have to schedule a time slot in order to meet with them. What happens if the trainer does not have your preferred time? You essentially have to schedule around them and settle for a less desirable time slot. With online training, you do not have to settle for a time slot or stress about when to meet your trainer. You simply fit it into your own schedule.

2) Attention
Did you ever notice that no matter the gym, your time slot with a trainer is 30-55 minutes.  That means that you only have your trainer's attention for 30-55 minutes. Usually, the only time you see or hear from your trainer is within that period of time. You pay anywhere from $45-150 per session and only get 30-55 minutes of inspiration, education, and communication. 

With online training, your coach is with your every step of the way. Communication is the core of online coaching.  There are no time restraints or times that you cannot call on your coach to help you with any questions or concerns about an exercise, nutrition matter, or motivational pitfalls.

3) Crutch-less
Hmm. Crutch-less. What does that mean? Well, in order for me to tell you, I have to explain it.

Let's say you go to the gym to meet your trainer, Sue. Sue takes you through a warm up and progresses you through your workout. That is great but what happened? Sue most likely took you to the machine or through an exercise and showed you the right way to do it. She would in turn ask you to mimic what she demonstrated. Which is great. But did you think about doing the exercise correctly or did you rely on Sue to tell you how you did? Hmm.. most people probably would say that they relied on Sue.

During my time as a personal trainer at a gym, my clients relied on me to show the them machines, count for them, and perform the exercises even though we had done the exercise multiple times. That is what I call a crutch. Most clients rely on the personal trainer to be their crutch. 

Technology has progressed in such a manner that really aids online training. Online training has bridged the gap with ways to correct technique and form issues with the ability of sending video. A good online coach will ask you to video certain movements so they can help with form. It provides a good framework to correct technique but also provides you the ability to look back and make some self corrections and also see progress over time. Online coaches can't count for you or show you where certain machines are located but you will find your way with practice. Online coaching provides a crutch-less atmosphere where the client has to rely on memory, and over time develops a mind-muscle connection. Great virtual coaches provide clients with videos and descriptions of every exercise, and eventually you will remember the terms and cues on how to perform each exercise without having to look at the video reference. In time this will give you a great deal of confidence. 

4) Stress Free
When you have an online coach developing your weekly exercise routine and meal plan, it can alleviate a lot of unwanted stress out of your life. Taking the guess work out of achieving optimal health and fitness is half the battle. Great virtual coaches provide you with a plan so you are not left to wonder what do each day. They list out every thing for you to help ease your mind. You don't see a face to face trainer daily so often times you are left without a plan for the days that you do not see them.

You deserve to have a great coach who provides constant lines of communication, a personalized plan, and a positive environment to help guide you down a path to a healthier lifestyle.  

No Pain No Gain = Lies

We are in this era where working to reach your goals should rank a level 10 on the pain scale. I was having a conversation with a client that wanted to lose 100lbs. He told me that the only workouts that have worked for him in the past are workouts that made him so sore he couldn't get out of bed the next day. 

Myth: If the workout isn't debilitating then it's not working. 
That is so far from the truth.

Social media has perpetuated the idea that unfit people have to go into extremes to transform their bodies. Think about it with me for a second. 

"Sweat is just fat crying."
"It's not working until it's hurting."
"If you aren't sore the next day then you didn't work hard enough."
"The workout didn't start until you puke or fall down in exhaustion."
"Pain is weakness leaving the body."

These types of things are great for TV and get good ratings on shows that promote weight loss but they absolutely suck in real world application. Unfit individuals think this is what they'll actually have to do to lose weight and get healthy. It's why so many hesitate to start and often never start. I know if it stood true that I'd have to be all or nothing I would walk away. I would stay on the couch If I had a coach who told me the only way to get results is to have such an agonizing workout that I would need medical attention to get the results I wanted. 

If you've ever tried a WebFit workout then you will know that they are appropriate. There will be more times that you tell me you can do more than I prescribed than you telling me you had to throw up half way during the workout. Good coaches know how to scale for each individual client. 

Weight loss shows miss the opportunity to teach participants and viewers about rewarding workouts that build muscle and the metabolic advantage that comes along with them. 

Body composition is the ratio of lean body mass to fat mass. As you build muscle, your body composition improves. As you lose fat, your body composition improves. 

You become a leaner person.

But if you build muscle at the same time you're losing fat, the scale may take its time going down, and it may even momentarily stay the same. Does that mean that you're making zero progress? Absolutely not.

But guess what, sustainable progress doesn't gain popularity or viewers.

Why I Became Frustrated With The Fitness Industry

Being in the gym can either be a great experience for you or a terrible one. I experienced both. The insane part about it, is that I would experience both sometimes in the same day, or even the same hour. I was a personal trainer in a gym for 8 years. It was a limiting experience because of gym protocols and limited time with clients. Being unable to provide the quality service that my clients actually needed became frustrating.

One example is the beloved 1 hour session. I blocked out an hour of time to meet with potential clients, and personal training clients. When I first started in the business I thought this was the silver lining of the career. It wasn't.

When you walked in the door, my clock was already ticking. As you were walking up to me I had already started to pick your physical attributes apart. The conversation in my head sounded a lot like this. "Tight hamstrings, duck feet, tight chest, and definitely sedentary." I am open minded, and I don't believe in judging a book by its cover. But there was a shot clock that started the moment your hour started with me. I needed to hear your story, and you had to learn something about me in a short amount of time. It's a lot like speed dating in hyperdrive. Except I had to convince you why you should spend $500-$1,000/month dollars on me and not why you should go out with me for drinks.

I need to research on who made the rule that all personal training sessions should last one hour. They made a huge mistake with that protocol. An effective workout is hardly ever exactly 1 hour in time. Some protocols call for 45 minutes, some an hour and a half up to 2 hours. Individuals that were brand new to any kind of physical exercise that only need 30 minutes. In the instances where I had 60 minutes with a client that only needed 30 presented quite the dilemma. I can't count how many times I had to fill time with conversation about what they had on the schedule for the weekend. Or pointless movements because I knew they needed to get there 'moneys' worth.

It was so frustrating.

Training should dictate business practices and not vice versa. The only way I avoided a scheduling nightmare, and provided a steady income was to stick to that strict schedule.

I couldn't be happier that I don't have that as my reality anymore. With WebFit as the tool, I changed the rules. Unlimited communication, unlimited support and motivation is forever in the forefront. Designing programs that fit your needs and goals with no time fillers or wasters.

Chuck and I had one goal in mind when we created WebFit. To create a new lane in the health and fitness industry by doing things right. We are off to a good start.