Zoom fitness training, is it as effective? PerformancePro director Dan Boullé shares his thoughts and insights, including an example of online training in action.
In Spring last year, Dan wasn’t convinced,
“As a coach with 20 years’ experience, I have to admit I had my reservations about training via Zoom. Would I be able to ensure safety? Would I be able to spot mistakes and make corrections? In short, would I really be able to coach effectively?”
18 months later,
“I can confidently report that our clients have given a resounding ‘thumbs up’ to PerformancePro’s approach to Zoom fitness. Over the past 18 months, many clients have discovered just how unbelievably effective Zoom fitness training sessions are!”
If you are looking to make large strength gains then there are limitations with Zoom training, unless you have a fully equipped home gym. BUT with a mat, a couple of kettlebells and some power bands, you can ensure the intensity and variation of training required to achieve significant results.
In fact, we found that clients are hitting higher intensities with greater frequency. It’s fantastic and we’re proud to confirm that many are exiting lockdown with improved strength, body composition and aerobic capacity.
ZOOM FITNESS WITH PERFORMANCEPRO – KEY FACTORS AND OUTCOMES
Let’s review the key factors that contribute to these fantastic outcomes and look at a great example,
- FLEXIBILITY – in every way! Training via Zoom offers great flexibility as you can train whenever you want and from wherever you are. Many clients are now combining gym work here with Zoom sessions elsewhere, all with their PerformancePro coach.
- FREQUENCY – you can train more often and many of you are, with less or zero commuting time and access to your PerformancePro coach wherever and whenever you need it. Our clients are achieving superior consistency and are starting to harvest the gains from extra training. And this trend is continuing.
- FOCUS – with the flexibility and frequency comes increased focus so you have more time to prioritise other health factors too eg. eating well, completing 8000-10000 steps per day and creating the magic 8 hour window for sleep. All of which help drive the gains.
AND…
Before the pandemic and lockdowns, some of our clients only exercised when with their coach at the PerformancePro gym. Now access to Zoom training helps them maintain a level of activity and mobility training that would otherwise have been lost.
In addition, clients who had long term rehab to complete were able to keep going into advanced rehab and back to fully fit. In some cases, our coaches were the only people our clients interacted with on a regular basis, strengthening this key relationship and therefore boosting capacity to really go the extra mile.
Of course the success of PerformancePro’s Zoom fitness training is built upon our ethos and credentials. Whether online or in person, we deliver world class training underpinned by our knowledge and track record in sports science, nutrition, rehabilitation, physiology and biomechanics (aka your body).
PERFORMANCEPRO ZOOM FITNESS IN ACTION – MEET DAN HAMILTON
Dan Hamilton has been a PerformancePro client since 2005.
Before the pandemic, Dan had been training with some consistency for some time. He wasn’t without his bumps and breaks over the years, suffering with lumbar degeneration and a couple of nasty shoulder injuries from skiing.
When the first lockdown came into force, Dan was locked away in his house on his own with nothing more than a roller, a mat and two power bands. As the weeks went by and when we could finally get one delivered, we sent Dan a 10kg slam ball.
Dan had time to focus on his training, but was and still is surprised by what he was able to achieve with PerformancePro via Zoom, using this limited equipment.
Over the course of 8 months, we focused on building Dan’s lower limb power, rebuilding a robust shoulder girdle, improving overall upper body strength and increasing his anaerobic endurance. Here’s a breakdown of how we achieved this from Dan’s sitting room!
LOWER LIMB POWER – this involved simple strength exercises where, due to lack of load, we used time under tension coupled with a simple plyometric carryover drill,
A1 – Squat with band x 8, tempo 3-2-1.
A2 – CMJ x 8
Alternatively, we also employed unilateral drills,
A1- Lunge holding slam ball (10kg) x 6, tempo 3-2-1
A2 – Ice skaters x 8
None of the above is rocket science but executed with good discipline and regularly, there was a noticeable increase in Dan’s vertical jump, his ability to buffer fatigue and, when out running, Dan’s standard 5km simply got easier and faster. Dan also noticed a difference when out on his bike.
SHOULDER GIRDLE STRENGTH – for Dan’s shoulders, we executed an ongoing prehab programme using the bands which utilised:
- banded external rotations
- side lying forward flexion
- band pull apart
- band scapular retractions
- banded row
- banded wall slides
- propping exercises.
Day to day, Dan is now pain free in his shoulders!
UPPER BODY STRENGTH – to improve Dan’s overall upper body strength we started by attacking his trunk with the following:
- Side planks
- Front planks
- Dead bugs
- Walk outs to plank from standing
- Banded Pallof press
- Anti rotation planks
Then to improve his primary push and pull we kept it simple and built up to:
- Seated row with band
- Bent over row with band
- Press ups with band
- Shoulder press with band
Whilst we had worked on these movement patterns in the gym before the pandemic, the extra focus we now had enabled Dan to push through some glass ceilings. For example, he went from performing clusters of 3-4 press ups under body weight to pushing 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps. His trunk strength enabled him to complete super extended walk outs with strong 5 second holds. Back in the gym, Dan’s improved shoulder strength was evident when we jumped straight to 10kg single arm dumbbell presses from one knee; previously he had only managed 6-7kg.
ANAEROBIC FITNESS – Dan’s anaerobic fitness, which cascaded into improvements in his aerobic fitness, were gained through variations in work rest ratios of:
- Ball slams
- Counter movement jumps
- Ice skaters
- Mountain climbers
- High knees sprints on the spot
We often coupled these with an isometric trunk exercise eg. plank or Pallof hold
In amongst all of this, we were also employing plenty of assistance exercises including split squats, RDLs with a band, glute work, and an extensive mobility programme. ALL delivered online using Zoom!
Here’s what Dan Hamilton has to say:
“Being able to train on Zoom during lockdown was beneficial for body and mind. Dan added variety to my exercise routine and helped stave off the worst effects of the enforced sedentary nature of confinement in the house. Seeing a friendly face on the screen for something other than work or social drinks was also a welcome change.”
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS WITH PERFORMANCEPRO
Dan Hamilton is just one of the many PerformancePro clients who are now fitter and stronger having taken full advantage of our Zoom fitness training services. What’s more, he’s now getting the best of both worlds with a combination of in person and online training.
Any of PerformancePro’s Online Personal Training and Remote Coaching Services can be combined with each other, or with in person sessions here at PerformancePro’s state-of-the-art training studio.
We will create a well-rounded training programme that’s perfect for you, train you in the gym, over Zoom, give you your own sessions to do when you’re not with us, and an extra Check-In day to go through anything we may have missed during the week, and set up your training for the coming week as well.
All designed with your day-to-day life in mind, to optimise your quality of life.
COME TRAIN WITH US
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