Whether you’re an experienced exercise professional or just starting out in the game, mastering the art of creating great online training sessions is a crucial skill you need to be successful in the 2020s and beyond. In many ways, the methods you use for designing your in-person sessions are transferable to the online space, while in others a total rethink is required.
Here are our top tips for designing and executing excellent online training sessions that will keep your clients happy and coming back for more:
Keep it simple
The first and most important rule when it comes to creating a fantastic online training session is not to overcomplicate things. This is also true of in-person training, but understanding the medium and planning accordingly is especially important when working online.
Some important things to take into consideration include:
- Your clients probably won’t have access to the same amount of equipment as they would in a traditional setting. Plan accordingly by creating sessions that can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Think more bodyweight exercises and creative solutions for equipment using commonly available household items.
- It’s harder to correct form when you’re not able to intervene physically. Start with simple exercises or postures that can be easily explained & demonstrated and gradually increase the complexity of sessions over time.
- Try to use a monochromatic or at least relatively simple background that allows your client to see what you’re doing. Don’t run sessions in a noisy or busy location that can distract from the task at hand – getting fit and healthy!
Make it personal
Your clients have chosen 1-on-1 online training sessions for a reason. They’re not looking for a generic experience or canned class. It’s important that you consider each client’s specific needs and personality when designing your sessions. It’s also important to communicate with each client in a way that brings out their best. Some people respond well to tough love while others prefer a lighter touch. Being able to quickly determine what works best will maximize your chances of retaining clients for the long term.
It’s also a good idea to try and add your own personal touch to online training sessions. This could mean having your own catchphrase or greeting, wearing a unique item of clothing or outfit, creating an interesting backdrop for your sessions, or any other creative method you can come up with to make your sessions more memorable.
Mix it up
Whether you’re training in the flesh or using an app, it’s vital to ensure that your sessions don’t become boring or monotonous. After all, if you’re always doing similar exercises and the structure of sessions never changes, what purpose do you even serve? In that case, it’s better to design a program and sell it rather than offer 1-on-1 training. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, like when you’re teaching Ashtanga yoga or specific dance choreography.
Even then, there is room for variation. Besides changing up the exercises or postures you do in each session, you can get creative with your warmups and warmdowns and gradually introduce greater levels of difficulty as your client progresses. Ultimately, the best way to ensure that you’re keeping things interesting and worthwhile is to ask yourself: “What would I expect if I was paying for this session?”
Leave it all out there
The fastest way to lose clients and ruin an otherwise well-thought-out online training session is to seem like you’re just going through the motions. If you’re not interested, engaged and energetic, don’t expect your clients to be. Remember, your job is just as much (if not more) about keeping people motivated as it is about teaching them correct form and new exercises.
Expertise, experience, and fancy qualifications will get you nowhere if you don’t have the attitude to match them. As with any job, you’ll only find true success if you genuinely enjoy what you do. If you’re not excited before each and every online training session you do (of course, we all have off days from time to time), perhaps you’re not in the right line of work…
Creating great online training sessions with Heck Yeah
Besides providing a marketplace for you to connect with potential clients from around the world, the Heck Yeah app also contains useful tools that can help you to provide great online training sessions for your clients. These include high-quality video calls, an intuitive user interface & calendar, a seamless payment system, and online support to help you troubleshoot issues and resolve any disputes that may arise with your clients. With Heck Yeah, you can focus on what you do best while we do the rest.
