What Is Online Coaching? (How I Can Help You) | E9

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Hello, team, and welcome back to Train Like a Girl. My name is Abby, and this is still a relatively new podcast. So if you're still with me, uh thank you for staying. But if you've just joined me, welcome. Um, today's episode, I actually wanted to just talk about online coaching and basically what it is that I offer, how I might be able to help you, and just kind of introduce what, yeah, online coaching entails, really. Because I do get questions about it, um, especially those who are maybe new to online coaching or have never done it before. Um, and really, I guess, like the differences between online coaching and personal training, uh, because for years I was a personal trainer, um, for a decade actually. And whilst I do see a lot of value in personal training, what is actually really, I think, misunderstood is that personal training, depending on the client, it can often get a client only so far. So the difference with online coaching, in my experience so far, is that there's just so much more depth there. There's so much more accountability, ironically, given that it's all remote, but it just allows for a much deeper dive into everything. Um, and as such, it also creates way better results, generally speaking. Um, so how do we begin? So, to uh to apply for online coaching, I guess, we'll start from the very beginning of how it would work. If you were interested in online coaching, you would message me, uh, fill out a little form of interest, which will give me a little bit of a background about you and your history with training and that kind of thing. And then from there, I will send you a bunch of details on when we can start and little bits and bobs for you to do to kind of set up the process. So, what that would look like is I would ask you to, for example, there's a three-day food log. Um, so you would sort of fill that out across a three-day period, send it to me so that I can review like your current nutrition habits. Um, you'd also fill out an extensive form about how many sessions per week you want, how what your goal is, um, what your training history is like, what your current training is like, whether you've got a gym membership or if you just want to train from home, whether you want to do strength training or running or a marathon or a 5K or whether you don't want to exercise at all and actually you just want the nutrition side of things. Like we know stone goes unturned, but basically that very beginning of the process is all of that. So it's kind of like a get to know you. Um, and because of the nature of it, it can all be done completely remote. So I'm currently living in Australia, but most of my clients are in the UK, given that that's where I'm from and that's where most of my audience is. Um, but it means that I can then review everything that you've written. Um, all of these things, by the way, are prompted by a form that I will send you. So it's not like just a guesswork. You will have a guide on what information is needed. And no payment is taken at this stage. It is just kind of like a get-to-know. And then once you have done all of that and completed all of that, if you agree to start with me, I will send you a start date. Obviously, I need time to program for you and all of that kind of stuff. So we'll have a little bit of a uh short turnaround, it's usually around a week, but it depends. Um, so we'll have a start date in place. And ahead of that start date, so let's say you started on the 10th of a month, um, usually on by the 8th or 9th, I will send you an in-depth welcome video, which you can watch in your own time, which is like a presentation that talks you through exactly what I've programmed for you. So um I will program, I'll basically design your training program. So everything gets delivered via an app. So inside that app, because sometimes people get confused, especially since COVID, when there was a lot of like Zoom personal training and Skype personal training. Some people think that online coaching is like sessions online in real time, but that's not what it is. So, what it is is an app. And when you start, what would happen is you'd obviously in this time frame of kind of like setting up your welcome email and welcome presentation, I will also program you. So, based on the information that I've received, I will go away and through an app, I will write down your training plan. So for some people, that's like if it's a running program, for example, let's say you were running, for instance, I've got somebody that's running the London Marathon this year. So I'm programming her. So in the app, she has four runs a week, and each run it tells her how much distance to cover, what paces, all of that kind of thing and warm-ups and all of that. With most of my clients, it is strength training. So some clients I've got doing strength training just from home, some clients from the gym. So, you know, again, completely tinkered and tailored and personalized to you based on the equipment that you've got available and all of that kind of thing. But your program usually obviously typically I program strength training. So it's a lot of gym-based stuff or as I say, sometimes home-based stuff, but you'll have your program written out. So let's say, for example, you were doing two full-body sessions in the gym each week. You'd go into the app. Once I've programmed it for you, you'd go into the app, you press start on the workout, and you'd it would tell you exactly what you were doing that day. So essentially, you get a program that is completely tailored to you. With that program are video video tutorials of each exercise. It gives you uh how much rest you need, it gives you the tempo of each exercise, it gives you how many sets, reps, etc. And sorry if this sounds really pedantic. I know some of you will know what online coaching is, but you'd be surprised that lots of people don't really understand how it works. So essentially, you'd get your whole program, and you know, the length of that program will differ according to your goals and that kind of thing. But alongside that training program, as I said, you'd get your welcome presentation, which would introduce you to everything that you need to do, everything to expect, um, how to download the app, and then you'd set up set up payment for the day that we start. So I don't take payment until day one of the program. Um, and then yeah, you receive everything. So you sign in, you can probably sign in ahead of time before day one starts, so you can get used to and familiarize yourself with the program that you've got coming up. Um, and the idea is that you work your way through that program. Now, the great thing about the app is that you can also have a large amount of flexibility with. So, for instance, I will always suggest what I think is optimal for you and also achievable around your lifestyle. You know, if you've got kids, if you've got a full-time job or whatever, I will always program based on you. So it's never like a copy and paste generic plan. And it's also based on what you currently know, what you don't know. If you don't know how to, if you've never been in a gym before before, for example, that's going to look very different to somebody that's been going to the gym for two or three years. So it's completely customized. And that welcome email is sorry, welcome presentation is really a chance for us to delve delve into the depths of what it takes, um, not just with training, but with all aspects around your goal. So that's, I think I've given you a good idea of how to what to expect with training. But the the great thing about the app, as I was going to say just then, is you can with the training, I will say, let's, for example, say you've got three sessions a week. The three sessions will be there, but it's up to you to schedule them into your calendar. But the great thing about this is it's like, okay, I know I need to do all three sessions, but the glory is you can place them on the days that you wish. So it doesn't need to be, it's not like you log in and it's glued to a Monday, and you know, if you don't make the Monday, you miss the session. It's not like that. It's you can work it into your schedule. Um, so you've got that degree of flexibility to make it work around your life. Um, on top of that, what I also do, and this is where we differ from personal training, right? Because with personal training, you the great thing about PT is if you're maybe like a complete beginner, having a PT session or a few PT sessions can be really, really beneficial for like understanding the exercises that have been programmed, form and technique and that kind of thing. I get that. But what personal training lacks, and what I found through my 10 years of personal training is that you have a client, the client, you you sort of rock up to your PT session and you see them for that 45 minutes or 60 minutes, and then you leave, and then you don't see them for a whole week. And the problem with that is you're not getting the education that you need in order to actually hit the goals that you want to hit, i.e., lifestyle, nutrition, sleep, stress management, like all of the stuff that is actually really incredibly important to your goals. And a lot of people, and the women that I've worked with in particular, do have there is a bit of a disconnect between what they want to achieve and what they think it takes to get there. Like I know that there's a large conversation online about like, you know what to do, but you're just not doing it. But I'd actually argue that a lot of us are really, really confused about what we need to do because there's such a plethora of confusing information out there. So what I do and what the job of an online coach should be, and and you know what I offer is debunking all of that and telling you exactly what to do day to day, week to week. So it's like having a permanent coach in your pocket. Unlike PT, which of course is just like that one hour or maybe two hours a week, if you're lucky enough to be able to afford two hours of PT sessions per week, you're there for the hour and then you're gone. Unfortunately, uh weight loss or muscle building or um strength building, they aren't things that just happen across a one hour of a week. They are happening. If you want to optimize this and you want you're serious about goals, your goals, they will take more than just a PT session. It takes, and a nutrition is a huge, huge part of that. And that is what personal training lacks. And I think people misunderstand, they think like, oh, but I'm seeing a PT in person, therefore, that's probably the most optimal way to get to get the results. But what I've found is actually the people that do online coaching, not only does it work out cheaper, it's actually probably the equivalent of two PT sessions in a whole month. A whole month. And you get with that all of your training. So not just one session a week, but however many sessions it takes, and however many sessions you want, and what we think, what we agree is the right amount of sessions for you. So you get all of your sessions in a month. But on top of that, we get a thorough check-in every single week. Every Monday, we do a check-in. So on a Sunday, you would send in a check-in form. And on a Monday, I come back with in-depth feedback on everything. No stone goes unturned. We talk about habits, lifestyle, what you've got coming up this week. Like, let's, for example, say you've got three dinners coming up this week, but you've got a fat loss goal. We'd I talk you through and, you know, like guide you through all of these processes. So we have a thorough check-in every single week. You have all your program, you have your nutrition targets, you have your step targets. There are so many different nuances, and obviously it differs person to person depending on the goal, all that kind of stuff. But on top of that as well, you can text me whenever you want via WhatsApp through the week. Obviously, I would say I'm available 24-7, but I do sleep. But it's very rare that I don't get back it back within a day. Um, and so anything that you've got coming up, or any hurdles or any wins or anything that you've got through the week that you're like, I'm not sure how to navigate this, I will help you with that. So rather than just a session a week, I'm literally with you for the whole process, for your whole lifestyle. It's like a lifestyle overhaul for the price of maybe two PT sessions in a month. So honestly, and I'm not just tooting my own horn, it is seriously good value because I'm getting people bet better results than I ever have in the last 10 years of personal training. Truly, because we're talking about the things that matter. And so when I when I say that, I should probably rewind a little bit and say from the off, along with your training program, what's arguably even more important is the nutrition. And so we will have constant nutrition education, but I will give you your personal nutrition goals, targets. Some people, like let's say weight loss is the goal. I've got some clients that track calories. So I will give them their calorie targets, I'll give them their protein targets, you know, and then they might be like, How do I make sure I get enough protein? I will guide them through meal suggestions. I will guide basically guide you in every corner of health and fitness that you can imagine. So it's like a personalized touch on everything that you need to achieve, what you need to do to get there. But then I've got other clients, for instance, this is why it's so hard to advertise, right? Because it is so personalized that it's not just like a two-minute chat about what it entails. Because then I've got other clients that want to lose weight, but they don't want to track calories. And in that case, we have a different sort of set of um steps and we've got a plan of action. And I'll talk you through again at the very start with your welcome presentation. We'll talk through what that entails and we'll have deadlines, we'll have weigh-ins, we'll have all sorts of different things. Some people don't like to weigh in. Some people prefer to measure, some people don't want to do any measurements, some people are simply doing it for health, some people want to maintain their current physique. There's so many different nuances here, but the the overarching message is that online coaching is a custom service that with that dives into everything, leaving no stone unturned. So I hope that gives you a bit of a wrap-up of what online coaching, how it works. Typically, I will suggest that you stay with me for two months minimum, not because I want to lock you in, but because in my experience, two months or kind of eight, nine weeks is going to be the optimal time to like at least get somebody started or, you know, have gotten somewhere with their goal. Because if there's something I'm not, it's a kind of like, I don't want to promise the world in eight weeks because realistically it the people that I work with, I'd rather educate them on how to keep the results for life. But that being said, you know, some people stay with me for a shorter time. Some people, you know, I've I've had people that come to me when they've got a wedding and so they've got a goal in a relatively short period of time and they'll stay with me for that period. I've got others that will stay with me for years. So that is how online coaching works. You're not tied in, but it's a monthly subscription, essentially, and things change as well. So, like, for instance, you might be on a program for we'll agree for like eight weeks. I will teach you how to progress with your lifts, I'll teach you how to improve your speed, like whatever it is that the goal is around training, whatever it is the goal is with your body, I will teach you everything that you need to know. And of course, some people come to me already thinking they know what to do, or some people do know what to do. Some people, they're complete beginners. So there's never any judgment. I'm a complete open book. Um, and that's why we have that sort of discovery starting point with the couple of forms that you need to fill out. But as you can tell, all of this is done completely remotely. So it means that you never have to have like a certain time that you need to come and sit down and have a call with me or anything like that. It's flexible, but it offers the most personalized touch. So if that sounds of interest, you can find some um links and stuff in the show notes. And if you've got any other questions, you can probably find me on Instagram. I'll put my Instagram link below as well. So you can find me on there if you've got any more questions and you want anything answered. As you can tell, I'm a chat box, so I will always come back to you with a thorough answer. But I think for today that's it, and I look forward to hearing from you.