From swimming to marathons, Gurgaon goes online for personal fitness lessons

Saying that fitness activities are popular in Gurgaon is akin to saying water is wet. The sheer number of running and cycling groups here and fitness events that take place in the city are testament to it. The concept of personal trainers began in Gurgaon over a decade ago, but of late, even that has transformed radically. In the age of smartwatches, fitness apps, and video calling, even fitness training has gone digital. Now, you can have a personal trainer who coaches you five times a week, but only meets you once a month. All the coaching and feedback is done digitally. And like most fitness fads, Gurgaon has been a front runner in adopting this trend.


(BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam)

Fitness experts from the city tell us that the trend started with coaches giving video modules for group fitness sessions in corporate houses instead of going there personally. That soon graduated to personal training too. Viren Barman, Peter England Mr India 2016 1st runner-up and fitness trainer, tells us, "Earlier, I used to go for group fitness training sessions for corporates. But then I realised that it is time-consuming, and also, it did not require personal supervision all the time. Now, I simply create video modules that the trainees can follow whenever it suits them. They can pause, rewind, and workout however they want. I monitor the progress with one-on-one visits only once a month."

Abhishek Mishra, a city-based athlete and fitness coach, elaborates on why Gurgaon has been an early adopter of this model. He says, "Firstly, there are more tech-savvy people here. Secondly, the number of people opting for fitness training or going for newer challenges is extremely high in Gurgaon. Hence, coaches have had to come up with newer ways to accommodate all these new entrants."

Fitness trainees say that this model is perfect for Gurgaon's corporate lifestyle - where people want personal trainers, but the work schedule and traffic means they can hardly spare time for it. Pierre Fitter, a Sector 51 resident, says, "It is next to impossible to hold a full-time job and train for 14 hours a week. On top of that, in personal training, you'd have to ensure that you and your coach have the same two-hour time slot free every day. In Gurgaon, where commuting and work is so hectic, that can't be done."


(BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam )

Ashutosh Kashyap, a Golf Course Road resident, adds, "I started going to the gym because I wanted to work out according to my free time, but in a gym, you don't get personal guidance. If you want a personal trainer, you have to fit your workouts according to their schedules. With these video-based modules and communication through Skype and WhatsApp, I get personal training without having to meet the coach."




But it's not just running and weight training that have gone online. Even something as technical as swimming is finding takers for the online training module. City-based swim coach Manisha Khungar explains, "I first noticed that people wanted video-based feedback for their swimming training about a year-and-a-half ago. So far, it is only prevalent in people from outside NCR, who cannot physically travel to meet the coach. But gradually, I am seeing this in Gurgaon-Delhi residents as well. Based on this need, I am even starting a WhatsApp and video-based training module, wherein I'll have to meet the trainees only once a week."


Gaurav Makkar (BCCL/ Ajay Kumar Gautam )

Apart from amateur fitness buffs, even athletes training for specialized and advanced challenges like triathlons and ultra-marathons are using technology to train. Mukul Nagpal, who is training for Ironman through a video and app-based training programme, explains how it works, "I have a smartwatch that is linked to an app. The app has a trainee account and a trainer account and through it, my coach can assign me workouts. I do those workouts and all the data about my performance - heart rate, speed, other vitals - is transferred to the coach via the app, and he can then give me feedback. Any correction can be done through video sessions, and face-to-face interaction is actually minimal."




Trainers say that for several clients, economic viability also plays a vital role in choosing this option. "Most coaches charge less for video or online sessions as compared to face-to-face training, because the effort and time invested is less. That works for a lot of people who aren't looking to spend a lot but still want personal training for an advanced goal like Ironman," explains Manisha Khungar, who trains several Ironman-aspirants through video coaching.

The video and app-based training model also benefits the coaches as it frees up their time, during which they can train other people, or in some cases, even train themselves. Gaurav Makkar, a city-based Ironman finisher and fitness coach, says, "Most of us coaches are athletes ourselves. For instance, I'm training for the Ultraman Challenge next year. Training through technology frees up our time, which means I can utilize that in my own training. Also, it means that in the same two hours, I can give personalized feedback to multiple trainees. With the fitness fad so high in Gurgaon, there are more people coming for training now and we can't give individual time to all of them. That's where technology is such a big help."