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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