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Everyone’s talking about...: PT vs technology
Technology is moving at a dizzying pace. With advanced robots coming to the UK this year and exercise apps increasingly widely used, is technology set to push personal trainers out of a job?
The membership base of cycling app Strava is growing so fast the company can’t put a figure on it. Meanwhile a wide array of apps such as Motiontraxx, FitStar and Kiqplan are motivating and educating people, empowering them to take their fitness into their own hands: download a programme and watch the stats to see how you’re progressing.
So where does this leave personal trainers, who offer a less flexible service at a much higher price? Is there a danger that people will no longer wish to pay for the knowledge of a middle man when they can now use technology to secure the same knowledge for themselves at a fraction of the cost?
Or does personal training appeal to a different market – one that’s less likely to be seduced by technology? People who find apps confusing, or who don’t have the time or inclination to trawl about online but who prefer a dialogue with a real person and like the commitment a PT appointment gives them?
And is there in fact the chance of a backlash against tracking technology, because people find it too Big Brotherish that a company can hold information about them which they can then aggregate and sell on? According to Maneesh Juneja, data will become currency and there’s already an emerging group of people wanting to retain and sell their own data. In the future they might even make their fitness choices based on the data collection policy of fitness providers.
The flip side of the technology threat is the opportunity it presents to savvy PTs who are able to figure out how to use it. So what should PTs be doing to make the most of technology? How can they use it to grow their businesses and make their services even more effective? What skills do they need to emphasise to stay ahead of the tech? And is there a future for those who decide not to embrace it?
Will PTs be able to upskill even further to complement tech rather than compete – becoming specialists in particular sports, for example, or disciplines such as motivational interviewing, so they can take people to a place beyond technology?
Do you have experience of merging PT and technology?
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Maneesh Juneja,
Independent Digital Health Futurist
,
“With austerity likely to continue until 2020, consumer choices will be influenced by economic circumstances. Apps and sensors are cheap and offer support 24/7, whereas PTs are relatively expensive and less accessible.
Even the older, affluent markets might start using personal robots instead of PTs. This year sees the emergence of household companion robots, powered by cloud-based artificial intelligence, which will be able to undertake many functions such as engaging in conversation or even ordering a takeaway. If these household robots are adopted by the masses, they could impact the niche PTs have. Also, the NHS has said it plans to roll out wearable technology to monitor health, so we could soon start seeing GPs prescribing apps.
However, the technology also offers an opportunity to redefine PT, so PTs need to be able to understand emerging technologies and piggyback on what’s happening. For example, virtual reality headsets could allow PTs to connect with people over a wider geographical area. And wearable technology, including smart fabrics, will generate a huge amount of data that people will want analysed, which provides an opportunity for the fitness sector to respond to clients with new insights.”
Sean Maguire,
COO ,
Legend
“Technology poses more of a threat for those PTs who don’t move with the times, but even old-fashioned PTs won’t become obsolete. People pay for a PT to have a personal motivator, expertise on-hand, a tailored programme and to be kept accountable, all of which are very human qualities.
However, PT hasn’t changed much in 30 years and technology will allow it to evolve to benefit both the trainer and the consumer. PTs are constrained by the one-to-one model, whereas technology will allow them to work with more people at once – for example, by streaming classes online. They will also be able to offer, and charge for, a more holistic service, by taking data from tracking devices and applying it to the client’s programme. Technology will allow them to find out what their clients are eating and their activity levels beyond their session – better data which should lead to better results.
There is a need for the traditional model and it’s effective. But PTs could use technology to build bigger brands, reaching out to a broader audience with specialised online programmes and services. The end result will be greater benefits for the consumer, and the fitness industry, with more people getting better results.”
Andy Jackson,
Owner,
AJ Scot LLC
“Nothing has changed. The threat of cutting out the middle man has always been there: it used to be by using programmes from magazines or copying other people. Garmins and heart rate monitors have been around for a long time.
The big advantages PTs have is that they can coach and connect with the person and motivate in a way that technology cannot. They can also ensure people avoid injury by not doing things before they’re ready, or with bad technique. PTs have been criticised for just standing next to treadmills and talking to people, but 50 per cent of what they do is to support and motivate and simply be there.
Clever personal trainers are already using the technology to enhance what they’re doing and are using it to their advantage – for example, by providing an online service and using online programming to create more specific, targeted training.
If I were a PT, I’d be using trackers to prove what I was doing with clients was having a positive impact, and I’d be advising them to make use of apps such as MotionTraxx. PTs shouldn’t fear their clients using technology, or working out without them, because working out more is a good thing. Not keeping up with their education is more of a threat to PTs than technology.”
Gareth Nettleton,
Marketing director,
Strava
“PTs should absolutely be seeing technology as one way in which they can validate the effectiveness of their services. When harnessed correctly, technology can be a huge enabler for PTs in various facets of their business, from helping athletes train smarter and more effectively, to facilitating the growth of a wider personal network for fitness professionals.
From a performance measurement and analysis point of view, technology makes fitness quantifiable. Whether that be through heart rate training or simply comparing times for similar run routes, technology allows for deeper analysis and therefore insight. Any training aid that allows athletes to recognise progress will only lead to improved motivation.
Additionally, there’s the network potential that technology brings. At Strava we talk about connecting athletes, both to each other but also to forward-thinking trainers, coaches and businesses. It’s a community with shared goals, motivations and athlete DNA at its core.
Personal trainers who can tap into such a community can find themselves not only directly connected to an array of athletes, but also granted access to their entire training history and performance data. That’s a huge opportunity.”
