Most people, golfers included, who seek out a fitness coach tend to look for trainers in their own communities.
However, there is a growing trend toward online coaching, even within the strength training community.
Online strength coaching can actually prove to be more effective than in person coaching, particularly for experienced trainees.
Here are some benefits of online golf fitness coaching.
Benefit #1 – Price
If you are receiving specialized personal training, rather than the run-of-the-mill training you will find at a typical gym, you are going to pay big bucks.
A typical hourly rate for a good strength coach will be at least $75 per hour.
If you are going to see that coach in person just twice each week, you will spend $600 per month.
When you consider a strength focused gym, a monthly membership will cost upwards of $400 per month, and you will typically be involved with semi-private coaching, rather than one-to-one coaching.
However, online strength coaching will often start at $200 per month, and it is completely personalized.
The price difference is due to less interaction between coach and client.
A typical in person session will last an hour, but how much interaction is actually needed?
While a new lifter will obviously need some help learning the lifts, after a couple months of training, they won’t need as much critique.
By then, the focus is more on programming, and only minimal communication is needed.
The fact is, a new lifter can learn how to execute the lifts properly with online coaching by submitting video of themselves performing the lifts.
The coach and trainee can communicate several times each week with email and the coach will provide guidance and programming for each workout.
All of that can be done at a fraction of the cost of in person training.
Benefit #2 – Access
If you don’t live near a gym or a coach you want to work with, online coaching is the natural solution.
With online coaching, you train when you want, and the coach will provide you feedback and programming on their own schedule.
For instance, I provide commentary on your workouts within 24 hours, and then you will know exactly what to work on for your next session.
There is no need for us to get on a Zoom call either.
You simply take video of the last working set for each of your lifts once each week, and then I provide any needed corrections.
For your other sessions during the week, you provide the data for each of the sets, and comments about how the workout felt, how you felt going in, and after the workout.
Based on that information, I respond with commentary and programming for your next session.
Benefit #3 – Freedom
Pressing in my garage
Another significant benefit to online coaching is that the trainee can work out when and where they want to.
There is no need to meet at a gym or at a certain time online.
If you need help with a lift, you submit video for critique, and you’ll get feedback within 24 hours.
Along with that feedback, you’ll also get the details of your next workout… which lifts, sets, reps, weight on the bar, etc.
Benefit #4 – Better Service
In person coaching clearly has its advantages, particularly in the early stages of training with a new lifter.
However, online coaching provides the coach with better tools to actually help the lifter.
An online coach can review current and past videos of a client to identify their most common form issues.
Once the coach has made a suggestion to help correct the form error, the client also has the ability to see the changes in their form over time by reviewing their past videos.
An online coach can check the lifter’s recent training history that will include sets, reps, weights and commentary from the client.
This provides excellent data or the coach to better understand how to help the client continue to make progress.
Online coaching also prevents over coaching that can occur during in person sessions.
With a typical one-hour session or longer, a coach may feel the need to talk more than is needed or point out a form issue as soon as they see it, rather than let the lifter correct the error on their own.
An online coach can focus on the major issues to help a client progress with less communication.
Final thoughts – online fitness coaching for golfers
Because golf is a hobby that takes a lot of time, golf fitness clients will want to train on their own schedule.
Working with an online coach makes that easier, as coach and client don’t have to meet in person or even for online sessions.
Golf is also an expensive pursuit, so paying for in person training may not be financially feasible.
At the same time, a golfer can potentially get far better service online than they would in person, given the technology available to the coach.
If you are now thinking about hiring an online fitness coach to help you reach your full golf potential, you’ve come to the right place.
Learn more about my Online Coaching offer here… Online Fitness Coaching.
