How Fitness Coaches Can Incorporate Wearable Technology into Routines

A fiercely traditional cadre of professionals, some personal trainers have shunned wearable technology as a gimmick. Many fitness coaches feel the systems and routines they currently employ have been proven to work over time. If you lift weights with the proper form and gradually push yourself to work heavier you will see a measurable result—period.

However, this overlooks all of the benefits of having the capability of tracking an individual’s progress in real time—including improving risk management outlooks. While business insurance for fitness instructors is a necessary safety net against liability, anything that can reduce physical risk up front is worth exploring.

Here’s how fitness coaches can incorporate wearable technology into routines.

Coaches Can Know Exactly When to Push

Because they directly measure the state of the physiological systems fitness routines call into play, wearable tech can help a coach determine precisely when it is appropriate to push a person to do more, which could otherwise result in injury if the client tries too hard too soon to please the coach. In another example, incorporating heart rate monitors into group fitness classes enables the instructor to monitor each person individually and give them tailored instruction. This can elevate the traditional group exercise class into a more results-oriented experience for each of the participants singularly.

Wearables Can Help Focus the Client

Using data supplied by the wearable device, coaches can help clients achieve a desired result more readily by giving them a metric to monitor when they’re exercising on their own between sessions. Let’s say a client needs to walk a certain number of steps a day to help improve their stamina to engage in more strenuous routines. The coach can instruct the client to use the device to focus upon that stat to hit the target. This is far more accurate than simply telling someone to walk a certain amount of time each day. The device counts steps accurately, which gives the user a much better idea of their proximity to the goal.

The Perfect Assistant Coach

Incorporating wearable devices in this manner effectively enlists the tech as an assistant coach. After all, the apparatus can be there to provide motivation between sessions in the gym when the trainer isn’t around to push the client. Activity is recorded too, so the fitness professional can review the user’s data and make suggestions for improvement. The coach can also determine when their charge is actually working too hard between sessions and advise them to dial it back before injury becomes a factor.

Bolsters Risk Management

Because the benefits are so many and the drawbacks are nearly nonexistent, fitness coaches can incorporate wearable technology into routines to great effect. Another plus: helping a coach keep a watchful eye on clients greatly reduces their exposure to injury claims, which can nicely complement the fitness professional’s risk management strategy.

Speaking of risk management, CoverHound helps trainers and coaches find business insurance for fitness every day. Try our free online comparison tool for yourself!