These day’s I’m seeing a lot of requests from known and unknown people regarding online coaching. Why? Because they see it everywhere, and they want the right person to coach/ teach them. Every so-called Instagram fitness icon/ public figure puts it in their bio. ONLINE COACHING. Little do I see any credentials about what certifications they have done to up their knowledge to educate themselves about fitness and nutritional sciences, just their photographs in minimal clothing with a fair body composition gives them the license to practice ONLINE COACHING.

So why are trainers these days so inclined towards giving online coaching?

The answer is Easy Money!

When I did some maths, I figured out I can increase my income by 30% per month if I start online coaching. 30% is humongous. My traveling time will reduce, I don’t need to pay a commission to any gym where I go and coach people. What I need is a good fully charged laptop and to be at a place where the internet connectivity is good and I’m done. I don’t even need to step out of my house. I won’t be needing a separate office of my own. I can do everything from my home, from my room. Ain’t these just too many cherries on the cake?

So why am I not choosing this easy life and minting more money? It’s simple. I don’t find a connect.

Technology definitely brings people closer. But not so close that we can feel each other’s energy, aura, chi, psyche, attitude, approach and other abstract yet important attributes which is the basic essence of coaching. TJ Dillashaw, one of my favourite UFC fighter rightly said and I quote “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their growth”.

So let me ask you guys something.. what was the last time you saw a swimming coach, volleyball coach, cricket coach, football coach conducting an Online Coaching session for their students/ athletes? I don’t recall such events happening.

So why is coaching for weight training or general fitness is being carried through computer monitors? Its because it doesn’t require any brains to train people online. Just give them a routine to follow, make sure they are sweating and panting after the session, let those endorphins fool them and the job is done. People will believe you because hey, you look good and you have so many followers. This applies to those 15 minutes online/ TV workout videos too which are getting unnecessary popularity these days. There is absolutely no pattern of learning a skill set, executing an exercise with proper form technique to maximize your performance potentially injury free.

I need to be there with my client when he/she is working out. I have to give them verbal, mental and physical cues to get that exercise right. I need to be the client’s Leonidas to charge them up for the upcoming battle with the task at hand and to make them an overall stronger individual. A coach’s sheer physical presence does wonders to athletic tasks. I have to be present in their aura so I can understand them better and subsequently modify my method of coaching. Mimicking a client’s mistake is one of the hardest tasks for a coach so that the client fully understands their mistake and would improve themselves. There are times that occasionally my client’s would carry out 1RM [ 1 repetition max, a weight which allows you to do no more than one repetition in one set ] lifts to test their zenith of strength in the truest sense. For that, they need some out of the world motivation or a few mental and physical hacks which will help them achieve their goal. Ladies and gentlemen, I can’t do this sitting behind a computer! For me, it's All-In or None-In. And I can’t be All-In via a computer!

This blog is an answer to why I refused to coach some of you all for Online Training/ Coaching. Personally coaching /teaching/ training you guys is something which I love and is close to my heart and I can’t let the quality of it go down even though I can earn some big extra bucks.