Are you among the 64.2 million gym membership holders in the USA? If so you have likely been looking for alternative ways to keep your shape or avoid packing on the pounds during corona hit 2020.
If you have tried to start working out at home more often, you likely found that there are pros and cons.
One major con is that you have to teach yourself a personal routine – and that is one easy way to fall into bad habits.
Have you ever considered a virtual personal trainer? They can help you to overcome bad habits and get into shape, right from your front room.
What kind of bad habits can a virtual trainer help you with? Why not read on to find out.
1. They Can Help You Improve Your Form
The first and most important thing that a personal trainer can do for you is to observe your form. When we work out at home with no-one to observe us, it can be very difficult to know how our form is or correct errors.
Bad form can lead to unnecessary pain after the workout, slow recovery, and even injury. Even a slight occurrence of any of these things can kill your motivation to want to work out the next time.
Avoid this by finding a virtual personal trainer who can guide you through your workout and ensure that it is as efficient a workout as possible.
2. They Can Correct Unrealistic Goals
Many people start with sky-high goals such as wanting to be able to run a marathon within a few weeks. Next, when they start to train for the marathon they wear themselves out and become disappointed.
Actually, the goal was not the problem. The person lacked the necessary information and planning needed to be able to work towards their goal successfully.
SMART goals involve the ability to track your progress and achieve specific goals. A virtual personal trainer will leverage their experience and education to help you reach your goals by using a realistic schedule.
3. Avoid a Lack of Accountability
Ill-discipline is one of those nasty habits that we need to get out of. If you work out at home alone, no-one will actually know whether you have done it or not. This lack of feedback or accountability can lead to overly flexible workout times that don’t happen more often than not.
When you set a time for working out and engage the services of a personal trainer, you will immediately create a sense of discipline. In order not to attend the session you will have to take the time to inform the trainer and possibly lose financially.
This is a great way to motivate yourself to stick to your schedule. You will thank yourself later that you did this.
4. Avoid Wasting Time
Walking into a gym without a plan in your mind will lead to a less than effective workout. Not only will you have to motivate yourself about what kind of work out you will do, but you will also be subject to your thoughts and emotions which may be less than motivated at that time.
Avoid this when working out at home by having the virtual personal trainer do the thinking for you. After the first workout, they will know your level and can plan your exercise routine and rep count.
This is the key to achieving your fitness goals. Delegate the planning to a professional and then simply work on maintaining your schedule of workouts with that person. Before you know it you will have reached your fitness goals.
5. Avoid Random Workouts
Spontaneity is great but if you choose to workout alone, you may end up continually choosing your “old favorite” exercises and routines. This can lead to an unbalanced routine and eventually an unbalanced body structure.
The personal trainer will maintain records that will help them to balance your workout routines. They will mix your favorite exercises with lesser favorites and surprise you with new methods.
6. They Will Provide Background Education for Each Exercise
If you are serious about reaching specific goals you will know that exercise is only one part of your regiment. In addition to this, you will need to set goals as regards the foods you eat and don’t eat and make other lifestyle changes.
Your personal trainer will be able to teach you the benefits of each exercise that you do, what muscle group you are working on, and how long it will take to reach your goals. They will also be able to provide some guidance as to the diet and nutrition habits that you need to invest in to speed up your progress.
7. Help You Avoid Injury
Your personal trainer will be able to provide observations that can help you to avoid short and long term injury.
It can be very difficult to pace yourself when working out at home. An explosive start to your workout may leave you with painful strains or even muscle tears. Also, not cooling down sufficiently after a workout can lead to long recovery times. This is especially true if you have had a more sedentary lifestyle during the past months of lockdown.
Avoid this by allowing the personal trainer to discuss your workout with you before you start. They will be able to provide information regarding how to start, your form, speed during the exercise, and how much you can realistically do in your current condition.
Make the Most of Your Time and Home with a Virtual Personal Trainer
If we have learned anything in COVID hit 2020 it is to make good use of our time at home. A virtual personal trainer can help you to achieve the shape and the level of fitness that you want right from your front room.
If you would like to benefit from professional support while working out at home, then we are here to help. We leverage our years as personal trainers and fitness freaks to give you the best advice and services possible. Why not contact us or check out our blog to find out more.
