The Undervalued Role of Live Mentors in Personal Training Education

Think you can become the next fitness guru with just an online course?

The rise of online education has been a double-edged sword, especially in the field of personal training. While it has democratized access to knowledge, it has also led to a decline in the quality of education. The convenience of "do-it-yourself" (DIY) online courses has overshadowed the irreplaceable value of real-time mentorship.

When you are under the tutelage of a mentor and they can watch you coach and provide real-time feedback your skills dramatically improve quickly.   

Can you imagine a nurse or doctor doing DYI courses?

Here are three compelling reasons why personal training education has become lazy and why DIY online courses can never replace the guidance of a live mentor.

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1. The Absence of Real-Time Feedback and Guidance

The Problem with DIY Courses

The internet is flooded with DIY fitness education courses that promise you the world.  “Download our course and you'll have everything you need to become successful," they claim. But what if you're a new personal trainer? What if you're venturing into a new area of fitness and have no idea how to apply what you're learning?

The Importance of Real-Time Mentorship

A real-time mentor can answer your questions as you learn, test new methods, apply them, and grow. They provide immediate feedback, helping you understand what you're doing right and where you need to improve. This is something an online course can never offer and those that did pre-COVID, have yet to return to this format.

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2. The Lack of Community and Collective Learning

The Shift to Online Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed almost everything online, including education. While this was necessary, it led to the industry forgetting the value of hands-on learning and community engagement.

The Power of Collective Learning

At Next Level Neuro, for example, concepts are introduced weekly through live sessions with instructors who are available to answer your questions. The community learns and grows together, something that isolated online courses can never achieve.

And then every quarter, the students and course instructors get together, online and /or in person to go through case studies and test your knowledge in real time.

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3. The Accountability Factor

The Pitfall of Online Courses

Let's be honest: how many online courses have you purchased but never completed? The lack of accountability in online courses often leads to poor course completion rates.

How Mentorship Fills the Gap

A real-time mentor holds you accountable. They push you beyond your limits and ensure that you're not just consuming content but actually applying it. This level of accountability is virtually impossible to achieve with a DIY online course.

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Questions to Ask Yourself

Before enrolling in an online course, consider the following:

1. How will you improve without real-time feedback?

2. Can you truly learn in isolation, without a community?

3. Who will hold you accountable for your learning and growth?

4. Do you have regular access to the course instructors for Q+A as you learn the material?

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While online courses offer convenience, they lack the personal touch, real-time feedback, and accountability that come with a live mentor. The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one. If you're serious about your personal training education and want to be the person in your community, it's time to seek out real mentorship. After all, isn't that what you offer your clients as a personal trainer? The standard needs to be raised. It's time to bring back the value of real-time mentorship in education.

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Interested in learning more? Your next step is simple: talk to a real person.  Click here to reach out.