DUBAI // Amru Abbas is based in Abu Dhabi but receives fitness coaching online from Scandinavian Health and Performance (SHP) in Dubai.
He has been using online coaching for the past four months. Prior to that the 29-year-old Iraqi-Canadian was part of a group that was doing an online training programme.
“The online coaching is centred around an app that I downloaded that connects me to a programme uploaded by SHP Dubai,” he said.
“There were different workout phases, each phase lasting four weeks and consisting of four different training days a week.
“Each workout day had the workouts laid out in a format allowing for any relevant data [such as the number of repetitions, sets and weight] to be added. The app stored all that data and allowed me to track my progress.
“SHP had worked on the app and instructed us to download it, which allowed my designated trainer to keep tabs on my work and make sure I was getting the workouts done.
“In addition, if I had any questions or concerns about my training, I could send a message to my designated trainer who would normally respond to me within a couple of hours.”
Mr Abbas said this facility was particularly useful when he needed a question answered outside regular working or training hours.
Overall, he said the experience had been a positive one.
“It’s been very rewarding, actually. I go to the gym with a better understanding of why I train in a specific way instead of just lifting aimlessly and without guidance. That’s led to some fairly positive changes in my body shape and size.
“It has also helped me better understand what to eat and how much to eat, which I’m now convinced is even more important than the actual strength training.
“Understanding why something needs to be done, be it on the training side or on the lifestyle side also means that I am more likely to stick to it instead of simply doing it because somebody told me to.”
Mr Abbas said it was a compromise between buying a workout plan, which might not even be customised, and having a personal trainer. But it alaso meant that the returns, potentially, were high, while the costs were significantly lower.
“Bridging that gap makes training more attractive and so yes, I do think it will become more popular. While I don’t think it is critically necessary, I do think that it’s very important for the owner of the online coaching tool [the trainers] to be based locally.
“If I am struggling with a workout and need some specific one-to-one time, I can meet with them and have a better understanding of how to train.”
mswan@thenational.ae
