Virtual Workout Partner: The Benefits and Challenges

A workout is a session where you perform physical exercises or, in some cases, do vigorous training. It keeps your body active and fit. It also makes your body ready for any physical challenges you might be aiming for. If you are part of any sports, it becomes vital for you to work out every day. It keeps your body flexible and strong and also improves your stamina. Working out is still very important if you have nothing to do with physical strength and a desk job. It is more critical for you to exercise every day since you are not giving enough physical movement to your body. It is crucial to understand the importance of workouts in our everyday life.

Having a daily workout session is very important. It doesn’t matter how long or where you do the workout. What matters is whether you are consistent with your exercises or not. It is imperative to stay motivated to work out every single day. It sometimes becomes difficult to wake your body up if you are alone, but with a buddy, we know it becomes way easier. The motivation we get from a friend is something we cannot give to ourselves. That’s where virtual workouts come in handy. 

For a virtual workout to be the most beneficial, tracking your progress and having proper guidance are necessary. HealthifyMe Weight Loss Coach can help you track your progress much better. You can also connect with internationally certified coaches in real-time and get suggestions on exercises you should include in your workout. It will provide you with the proper guidance required to get faster results.

Interesting Research on Virtual Workout Partners

There has been a lot of study and research regarding the effect of virtual workout sessions. During the pandemic and confinement to our homes, one understood the importance of physical well-being. We realised that fitness is all about immunity and strength. As a result, there was a rise in workouts and yoga at home. One can undertake a successful workout session with improved virtual connectivity in India. 

According to the research, after the covid times, there was more than a 300% increase in purchase of home fitness products. People converted the extra space in  homes to personal gyms and workout places to maintain mental and physical health. The pandemic also increased the popularity of virtual workouts. 

Working out at home through virtual exercises provided the required convenience. It offers the same experience as traditional in-person workouts, as they receive tips and guidance from a personal trainer while interacting and working alongside others virtually. This major transformation in the exercises has been due to advancements in technology. 

Another study suggests an increase in motivation due to virtual connectivity. Researchers also noticed that people exercise longer at a strength task in virtually partnered exercises. As a result of the study, change in intensity (75% and 90% maximum heart rate) was the primary variable reflecting motivational effort. You can see an increase in performance over baseline without significant difference in conditions. Self-efficacy and enjoyment significantly lead to an increased effort in the more intense interval sessions.

There has been a drastic increase in virtual workout sessions even after the critical pandemic. The personalised nature of the workouts, doing it at home and the advantages of virtual connectivity have made it a new way of exercising. We can also look at the role of digital‐physical activity during the UK COVID‐19 lockdown study. 

Apart from the performance-related data we saw, many personal benefits make people choose virtual workout sessions over physical presence. Such benefits include convenience, flexibility, constant motivation, proper attention, confidence building, available options, cost-effectiveness, and comfort. We will discuss these advantages in detail in the next section.

The HealthifyMe Note: 

There has a growing tendency towards virtual workouts over physical gym workouts. The purchase of gym equipments increased manifolds in the wake of COVID-19. People discovered the benefits of virtual workout and have thus held on to it even after the Pandemic is receding. There are various benefits of virtual workout sessions which such as flexibility, safety, cost-effectiveness among others. Everything has its benefits and challenges as the two sides of the same coin. The difference in benefits makes us choose one from the other.

Benefits of a Virtual Workout Partner

Convenience and Flexibility

A busy schedule sometimes doesn’t allow us to get to the gym. Instead, we get caught up in our daily lives, and it is here that virtual workout becomes super convenient. With a virtual workout, you can work out from the convenience of home without wasting any travel time. 

Constant Motivation

A virtual workout is good for motivation. The coaches ensure you stay on track and have enough room to chat with them. Therefore, if a particular activity or the tempo is not working, you can customise it to stay motivated and on track. 

Proper Attention

In the gym, there is a large crowd present for the workout. Therefore, the gym instructor cannot give sufficient focus to a single person. In virtual training, your gym instructor can closely observe your exercise and give you valuable tips to improve your technique.

Comfort and Confidence

It is imperative to feel comfortable, and only then can you give your best. If you are someone who doesn’t feel comfortable working out in front of other people, virtual workouts can be an ideal solution for you. It gives a sense of security as you are at your place.

Insecurities about our body shape and image can sometimes prevent us from opening up in a gym scenario. Therefore, working out in your own space is sometimes easier than going out to the gym. One can easily plan a one-on-one consultation to get the best out of a scheduled workout.  

Variety of Options

In a virtual workout, using an app can give you many more options than choosing your activity in a gym. For example, a health portal or an app has a pool of trainers. You can choose which exercise is best and attracts you the most from the available list of activities. The coach even may suggest a mix of various exercises. 

Cost-Effectiveness

An app or a virtual training provider is far more cost-effective than a gym membership. The cost that real-estate adds get removed from the price. Also, online resources are available on various platforms to help you get the essence of a workout. For example, you may see free videos on HIIT before signing up for it. 

Challenges of a Virtual Workout Partner

Connectivity Issues

A significant concern with virtual workouts is that we depend on network connectivity. No matter how motivated we wake up, internet issues can crumble it down due to bad network. A full intensity workout can be suddenly interrupted by bad weather we cannot do anything about it. 

Lack of Proper Space

Space may be an issue if your place is crowded, making proper movements difficult. A quiet place is required to exercise with your virtual partner and stay appropriately focused. Disturbance at any one end can affect the workout routine of both partners and create a sense of demotivation.

Lack of Discipline

Home is a place to relax; sometimes, we make excuses not to do a workout. You may be feeling lazy and keep postponing your workout session. 

The HealthifyMe Note: 

Virtual partners can help improve individual performance and motivation. A virtual coach can inspire and emotionally support you to stay committed to the task. The advantages are the same as a physical coaching session. However, there is a convenience that comes with virtual workouts. Virtual coaching is easier to fit in during a busy schedule. One way to stay committed to a virtual workout session is to fix a particular time in the day and not deviate from that. 

Tips for a Better Virtual Workout

Warm-up Sessions

Warm-up is the preparation for a workout. Warming up prepares our heart, lungs, and muscles for aerobic and anaerobic activities. It is the critical factor of any workout to activate the body’s healing mechanism. Warming up before an exercise plays a significant role in raising body temperature. The warm-up should last 10 to 15 minutes and involve cardiovascular and stretching exercises.

Jumping into an exercise directly without any warm-up sessions can lead to injuries. Also, warm-up exercises help in awakening the body from a passive state and make the muscles contract. In addition, it improves muscle elasticity and reduces the chances of muscle pull or soreness.

Start with Basics

If you are new to workouts, engaging in complex exercises at the onset can increase the risk of injuries. Any workout routine is challenging at first. You must practice with the help of an expert. Also, enrolling yourself directly into complex training and not achieving the desired results will demotivate you and may even make you quit. Thus,  it’s essential to start with the basics.

To avoid mistakes and burnout, you can start with short workout sessions as part of your lifestyle. Motivation increases when you plan the workout with a partner. Consistency is another crucial factor when it comes to discipline. Body-related goals need proper consistency. 

Cool Down Exercises

Cooling down is critical after working out to speed up recovery and reduce soreness and fatigue. In addition, cooling down significantly reduces breathing unevenness, dizziness, and problems like lactic acid buildup. It also helps prevent injuries such as strains and muscle pulls as it helps relax the body and mind.  

Cool down exercises include stretching, hip flexor, thigh stretch, upper body stretch, arms cross shoulder stretch, jogging, and brisk walking. Just a 3 to 10 minutes cooldown can provide relaxation benefits and can help boost mental and physical strength. 

Good Internet Connection 

Virtual exercise is only possible with a good internet connection. One can discuss goals, ideas, and exercising techniques with your workout partner and work on a shared outcome but unstable internet can make it all go waste. Slow internet can automatically slow down the workout. Freezing or lagging in the middle of the training is very demotivating for the trainee and the trainer. Therefore it’s imperative to upgrade your speed when doing virtual workouts. 

Making Online Partners Work for You

For many of us, performing in our comfort zone is easier. There is no better comfort than it is at our home. Therefore, it is vital to understand how to plan a virtual workout session. In cases where you do not have enough space in your home, or you do not feel motivated at your house, it might be better for you to go to the gym physically. 

Making your online partners work for you is essential. Communication is the key. Assess your fitness levels. Talk to your coach or fitness buddy and be goal-oriented.  

Easier to Connect

Virtual makes it possible to connect with several coaches. You may try out two or three different forms of exercise. Once you do that, you may narrow down on one and understand what works for you. 

No Geographical Limitations

On choosing a gym, it becomes essential to select a gym within a certain distance. When choosing a trainer online, there are no geographic boundaries. Therefore, you can choose the best trainers even if they are not in the same country. 

Furthermore, a busy schedule sometimes forces us to move to a particular place for some time. In a physical gym, it breaks the cycle of the workout. In case of virtual workouts, you are connected to your trainer and can continue your training even from a different location. Therefore, this helps you maintain the regularity of the workout session.

Summary

The difficult pandemic times showed us the power of virtual connectivity. A study by NCBI explains the role of exercise and fitness in the age of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just like work from home became popular, you can perform workouts with virtual workout partners. It is beneficial as it offers many benefits. Many personal benefits make people choose virtual workout sessions over a physical gym membership. Such benefits include convenience, flexibility, motivation, proper attention, confidence, multiple options, cost-effectiveness, and comfort. There are a few disadvantages of virtual workout too like lack of proper space, network connectivity and accountability issues. However, it is one’s dedication that becomes the decisive agent here. Where there is a will, there’s a way!