I copied and pasted the part I read, but here's the actual link to the article...
Trainer: Deborah Plitt, B.S., C.C.S., Life Fitness Academy Trainer
Q: How long have you been a Personal Trainer?
A: 14 Years
Q: How has technology helped you as a personal trainer?
A: Technology has helped me as a personal trainer in that it allows me to work with multiple clients at one time. I can train in person, online, provide Podcasts and record video demonstrations for my clients. In addition, technological advancements have allowed me to communicate with my clients 24:7. For example, I’ve sent e-mail and text message workouts to clients on vacation for their exercise fix.
Q: Are there any disadvantages to technology?
A: The negative side of technological advancements for personal trainers is the lack of in-person communication. With more and more advancements in equipment, programs and web sites that provide exercise programs, the personal trainer is viewed as less important. Technology has provided a more affordable way of personal training, although it will never be the same as having a trainer right there with you making split-second decisions and providing you with years of experience.
Q: How do you utilize the internet as a Personal Trainer?
A: The internet has allowed me to more effectively research a vast array of areas that clients ask me about, such as joint pain, supplements, and any other common questions in the areas of health and fitness. My clients have also gone online to become more knowledgeable and ask more educated questions.
Q: Is there any new technology that you’re looking forward to getting your hands on?
A: Yes, the USB capabilities on the new Life Fitness Treadmills. With a USB stick and the USB port on the new 95 Series Treadmills I can provide my clients with customized cardiovascular workouts. In addition, after their workout, my client can store their results on the USB stick so that I can record and track their progress on my computer. This new technology will allow for better retention, feedback and motivation for my clients.
Okay, so after reading this, I'm finally able to write something about technology in my field. Perfect. I never really considered or looked into what I could do with technology as a personal trainer. I mean, my idea of what my work would entail was basically "run faster, lift more, lose weight". Given, that's very much a nutshell, but there's not much more to it than that for me. So, I figured other than using heart rate monitors, I wasn't really going to have much use for technology. I mean, I obviously would like to be the best I can be in my field and train elite athletes-- and in which case I would definitely rely much more heavily on technology (heart rates, VO2 maxes etc.)-- but as a girl who's about to graduate college in a year and a half, I'm not about to work with the Lance Armstrongs and Usain Bolts of the world. So, considering that, that brings me back to the question of "what the hell am I really going to use technology for?" I guess this article answers my question, and quite frankly, it was a very simple answer for me.
I didn't really consider the fact that, yeah, I could send out texts to my clients and talk to them over a Podcast about what they're supposed to do for a workout that day. Things happen, and I'm to expect that my clients will not be able to see me every time they make an appointment, so sending text messages, emails, skype-ing them etc. really would be a type of useful technology for me. However, I do have to agree that it does take away from a personal connection with the client. If it gets to a point where that is the main form of communication, that's a problem. I'm a very personal kind of girl. I like to talk face-to-face about different issues and such. Sure, I'm a texting maniac and my phone is never off, but if I had a choice to text and/or Podcast, or talk in person, I'd much rather see someone in person to talk. Especially for my job I need to have a good connection with my clients. I need to know how they work-- do they respond better to me pushing them, or patting them on the butt-- issues of that nature. Clearly, it is easier to read people when in person (well, for me at least). I feel like I am able to read people pretty well, so seeing them in person will make my job that much easier.
I don't really see a need for me to go in depth about the importance of the internet. Obviously it's a very convenient and powerful tool that I will have as a trainer-- there's not much more to say than that, I think we all know about how useful the internet is-- I'm not about to divulge my thoughts about the internet through the internet.
As for the last response in this article, I'm going to make a new post about it because there is so much I'd like to say regarding it and I'd rather not turn this blog into a novel. So, for my next blog I plan on going into more about the new technology that the trainer in the article was talking about and some technology that I have heard about regarding a similar subject.
You know the deal-- Truckin', Keep On
Souhlaris OUT!!
Lex, I completely agree with you! This is kind of a cool idea being able to communicate with people while they are on vacation or being able to e-mail people their work outs. However how do you know if that person is really doing the work outs if you never see them? I mean how do you know they are honestly getting better? Should you have them come in once a week? The podcasts would be cool to use if you wanted to show your client how to do a new exercise.
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