We’ve put together a series of insightful articles to help you navigate this challenging season and to help your fitness professionals feel confident as they shape or reshape their future in fitness. Our third article will give you an idea of how to educate and prepare your fitness professionals so they are set up for success amid the changes of pandemic.

No one can predict how COVID-19 will impact the fitness industry in the future, but it is certain that the pandemic has highlighted the value of maintaining fitness and minimizing health risk factors. This realization must bid well for our fitness professionals and businesses. As an operator, your role is guiding them to educate and prepare for what the future may hold.

Education

In the current timeframe, you may refer to and share information from major industry sources, such as IHRSA, Idea Health and Fitness Association, or Club Solutions. There are multiple opportunities now for complimentary webinars regarding training content; every major organization and/or presenter has been gracious enough to share services or provide discounts for continuing education. This actually is an excellent time to encourage your fitness professionals to invest in their education and mental well-being.

Certification

With the current dangers associated with health risk factors (diabetes and obesity) and COVID, a special populations or wellness coaching certification may hold more value in the future. However, it may be difficult for a fitness professional or facility to make a major investment in education at this time.

Encourage your fit pro to take advantage of complimentary educational resources, such as podcasts, webinars, and online articles; your facility also may have partnerships that could support educational efforts or provide additional access to educational content. With the surge of online offerings, they are sure to find stimulating information. For those fitness professionals who are trying to reimagine himself/herself or are seeking an additional niche in the industry: inspire their dreaming, but be there to guide the process. You may see an immediate need and be able to enlist their help to service a new demographic or program.

Virtual Training

There is no doubt that virtual training cemented itself as a viable option while many facilities were closed. In fact, even though facilities have reopened, this continues to be a relevant and necessary option for trainers and clients. You can guarantee this will continue to live.

It is important to help your trainers continue to navigate this new world, as well as take some specific steps to manage the “virtual performance” to ensure a high quality client experience. Here are several things to be mindful of when entering into and navigating the virtual experience:

• Offer a private facility space for them to conduct virtual sessions. Ensure it is free of clutter and has good lighting or interesting lighting options, such as candles or spotlights. With only a few hundred dollars, you can invest in a tripod and spotlight that will make an amazing difference in video quality.
• Provide small equipment items. Items such as resistance tubing and a mat, stability ball, kettlebell, and a set of dumbbells, from the fitness floor. Ensure equipment is stored in an organized fashion so the screen setting remains professional.
• Distinguish between virtual personal training and a virtual class-like experience:
  • Virtual personal training – Emphasize the personal nature of the session and individualized programming with slow and clear technique demonstration. You may encourage your fitness professional to schedule an initial “test” session so that he/she can help the client with their technology, camera positioning, and workout area.
  • Virtual class-like experience – This is extremely different than personal training. It is a performance! Consider examples like Spinning or Peloton. Every workout is led by an enthusiastic, sweaty, fit-looking professional.  If you are seeking to offer additional remote programming outside of personal training, you may hire for this position. Not every one-on-one trainer is the right fit for this role! By positioning the right personality, appearance and skill set, you can develop another value-add service or revenue stream.
• Brainstorm exercise selection and patterning for minimal or no equipment workouts. This way your fit pro can easily transition to this demand and maintain an engaging client experience.

Here are few additional tips for creating awesome videos:

Your fitness professionals will thrive on your interest in their professional growth and the new information they will gain in the process. The education of your fit pro team also will set your facility apart as you continue to navigate the landscape of the fitness industry. With the reality of slower client schedules during this time, it is the best time for them to invest in their knowledge and skill sets.

Stay well-informed and help your fitness professionals adapt to the changing climate brought on by COVID. Read our other articles in this series:

Supporting Fitness Professionals During COVID: Mindset

Supporting Fitness Professionals During COVID: Skills

Supporting Fitness Professionals During COVID: Staff