Fitness Gadgets & Personal Trainers – Can they work together?
Fitness Gadgets & Personal Trainers – Can they work together?
Wearable fitness gadgets (such as wristbands, watches and clothing clip-ons) have exploded in popularity over the past decade. According to Statista.com the wearable technology market is expected to reach a value of 19 billion US Dollars by the year 2018.
A simple web search for “fitness app” or “fitness gadget” will result in thousands of options and suggestions those consumers who are looking to get in shape while tracking their progress.
But are these fitness apps and wearables gadgets going to affect and perhaps even disadvantage Personal Trainers? It sure doesn’t look that way. In fact, fitness instructors and personal trainers are expressing that they benefiting from these wearable fitness devices by incorporating them into their programs and using their tracking features for client motivation.
Individuals and trainers alike are utilising these devices and seeing the results of their hard work on a daily basis. The real-time tracking available on most fitness devices is key in motivating clients and pushing them further. However, these handy bits of technology are unlikely to completely replace visits to the gym and one-on-one PT sessions with qualified trainers.
This is for a number of reasons:
- Gadgets simply cannot fulfill the need for technique spotting.
- Gadgets cannot make adjustments to workouts based on progress.
- Only a personal trainer can personalise a workout routines to suit a person’s body-type and or injuries.
- Personal trainers will consider many individual factors – including a clients personality – when it comes to exercise and meal plan.
- Most importantly, a gadget cannot replace the personal receiving a high-five or verbal praise from a trained professional in the field.
Gadgets such as the FitBit are unable to accurately identify potential risks of injury due to poor technique, and can inadvertently hinder the progress of the user.
The solution to these potential downfalls of relying purely on fitness gadgets to get into shape is by complimenting the technology with trained experience. Put simply, fitness technology should be used to enhance the ‘gym experience’.
If you are interested in pursuing a professional career in personal training with expert courses that incorporate the latest technology available in the fitness industry, contact one of our Gold Coast campuses today and speak to one of our team about the opportunities available. We also invite you to take a look at our online course list for more information on what NHFA has to offer.
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