I have been coaching clients for over twelve years now, the last nine at Equinox clubs in Boston and New York City. Through this period of time I’ve been introduced to new technologies in software and hardware that have been marketed as necessities for fitness clients and personal trainers alike. The access to this new wave of artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT and Bard, is now the first time I’ve been impressed enough to drastically reconsider the way I can do my job. I mean this in the most optimistic way possible. The irony of this, is that AI software is not fitness software, it’s everything software.
In theory, individuals will now have access to an infinitely patient health coach and trainer in their pocket at all times. Any fitness or health question someone has can now be answered in less than 15 seconds thanks to AI. An elaborate fitness program could be distributed to any individual on the planet at any moment. This is excellent for humanity and equally excellent for personal trainers and coaches in the fitness industry.
You see, access to world class training programs and fitness content has been available for over a decade now on the internet. However, the IP of a trainer or coach isn’t the program or the content, it’s the execution of the program, and execution of the variables that improve someone’s health. It’s meeting someone where they are and helping them learn new ideas and execute those ideas with high-skill. Key word: high-skill. On any given day, I am trying to work through a series of lifestyle factors with my clients to help improve their health outcomes. A list of those variables:
• Structured activity (the actual training program)
- Resistance training
- Aerobic training
- Anaerobic training
• Unstructured activity
• Nutrition
• Sleep/ Mental health practices
• Regeneration
• Social health
• Respiration training
• Soft tissue work
Many of my clients have not considered this entire list of factors that go into their health. That’s ok, as once we create awareness around a topic, we can start to make improvements. AI will be able to provide my clients with some of the questions they want answered, but I’d argue that the value in a great trainer or coach is not just answering questions, but rather executing a plan and creating awareness around the success of the plan or the missing variables.
People have had access to world class fitness content since the dawn of the internet. Even with this access, people struggle to get meaningful results from fitness programs or develop enough awareness around the idea that improving their health is well within their scope of reality, and not only a product of their genetics.
Just as my clients will have access to AI to seek answers, I also look forward to using AI to help me become a more efficient and complete coach. I look forward to having an AI personal assistant for a number of reasons:
• Analyze data and develop graphs and charts to be able to turn my training programs into easily viewable progress roadmaps for clients. Imagery is great for helping clients understand more easily.
• Create templates of training programs I can then tweak and customize, so I can spend less time on the computer and more time one on one with the people I enjoy working with.
• A research assistant to help me find resources and scientific studies to help guide my decision making and solve problems.
• When text to video improves, I look forward to being able to physically show clients what certain muscle actions look like instead of having them envision what it might look like.
• My clients will also have access to improve their efficiency in sending me their activity and nutrition logs on days they aren’t seeing me. I train busy individuals, it’s not always so easy for them to log every minute detail of their life.
I believe AI will help drastically improve the fitness industry as more people will be able to access and fact check things they see on social media or read on the internet. This access to education in fitness and health should only increase interest in pursuing great outcomes for any individual who wants it. This should also raise the bar for trainers and coaches seeking out new science and research to better serve their clients.
Just as many other industries will utilize AI to create more efficient, happier humans, I believe AI will elevate the skills of trainers and coaches in the fitness industry who wish to enhance their education and careers. In today’s world, my job requires me to meet my clients where they are at. In an AI-enhanced world, that starting point will be in a much better place.