I Exchanged My Own Personal Trainer for AI – And It's Working.
Leah Walsh
After a holiday period filled with rich foods and downtime, numerous individuals enter January looking to regain their fitness momentum.
However, could AI be changing the world of exercise by providing an alternative to human coaches?
Personalized Plans and Flexible Timelines
One fitness enthusiast employed an artificial intelligence application for last-minute preparation for the a major running event.
The 21-year-old from a town in Wales said she liked the freedom to pose queries at all hours – a feature she felt was unavailable with a personal trainer.
Leah used an AI-powered fitness application that gave her personalised plans with audio coaching and speed targets for her first long-distance race in 2024.
She said she asked it to design a regimen merging running and the weight training, and it produced an 11-week programme tailored to her race date and objectives.
Leah then tweaked the schedule to suit her lifestyle, which she described was highly practical.
Subsequently, she opted for a different tool because it was cheaper and she could ask it questions whenever she wanted. She finished a minute faster than her target finish.
She said she wanted to avoid the pressure from a human personal trainer.
"Using artificial intelligence you have to find your own drive, which I quite like," she added.
A weightlifter
Significant Fitness Gains
Meanwhile, Richard Gallimore, 23, from Swansea, has been using artificial intelligence for his fitness and diet plans, and reported he has never felt stronger, increasing his bench press from a lower weight to 110kg.
He resorted to a AI assistant for assistance after being unable to run a running event.
"I realized I had to get myself in shape," he said.
The free tool constructed a workout and diet plan personalized to his aims, and established structured routines.
"I train for about 120 minutes a day and I've seen a noticeable change," he said.
The Expense Comparison: Technology vs. Traditional Training
A recent survey in the previous year analyzed prices for 17 of the largest fitness chains and found the average membership cost was approximately forty pounds per month, based on standard full-access plans.
Prices ranged from a lower price at the cheapest chain to £132 at the most expensive.
According to further data, personal trainers determine their own fees, usually a range of thirty to sixty-five pounds per hour-long appointment in most areas and about a similar range in London.
Customers typically use a trainer one or two times a week and work with them for a short period, however these arrangements are often adaptable.
Dafydd Judd
The Essential Personal Touch
Personal trainer Dafydd Judd, from the Welsh capital, said artificial intelligence can be useful to speed up progress, but believes it will never replace the human connection and accountability that live training offers.
This expert, who has over a decade of experience as a trainer, focuses on senior clients and injury rehabilitation. He said some of his trainees also use AI.
"I think it's extremely useful, additional information is good," he stated.
"I think the more that people are connected digitally the more they'll want personal contact because they crave the empathy from the comprehension that is absent from a computer," he continued.
The trainer said AI can educate users and make coaching more effective.
However, he argued true dedication comes when people show up in person for training.
"No matter how helpful as it is at 2am, a computer cannot ensure you show up at early morning before work," he concluded.
For many, he said, the gym is a place to leave phones behind and take a break from technology.
