WHY AI (CURRENTLY) REALLY SUCKS FOR HEALTH & FITNESS

Alright, let me tell you why AI (currently) sucks for the fitness industry!

And theres so many angles to come at this from…

1 Social media captions are devoid of personality!

Every time i hear “The truth is…” my eyes roll.

I wouldnt mind so much if most of them didnt sound like it was completely written by ChatGPT, but more often than not, it sounds like its a straight copy and paste and im not listening to the real thoughts and opinions of someone.

2 Programming workouts with AI is a mess

I actually tested it. It was a nightmare.

I gave good prompts and asked for reasoning so i could understand and learn.

Its explanations seemed really weak and often didn’t match what id asked for.

When i challenged it, it would say “You’re absolutely right. Let me fix hat”

So i dropped that experiment like a brick.

3 It doesnt really care

It sounds like it does, and its convincing too!

But real coaching is asking the right questions, noticing patterns & picking up on things people dont even realise themselves.

It works a lot from ‘standard’ and ‘averages’. But no one is really average.

Everyone has quirks, imbalances, habits, blind spots and tendancies that you only really see when you spend time with them.

As much as it tries, and algorithm cant spot that. Thats why its called PERSONAL training.

4 It bad for business

Lets just say it.

When people just use an AI app, the money usually goes to big tech companies, or at least people sat in a far away office somewhere… not the people actually trying to make an impact in their community.

5 It relies on misleading input

Most apps and AI tech relies on self reporting.

But research shows that self reported data is wildy inaccurate.

People are people… we forget, misjudge, underestimate, overestimate etc.

But a good coach can hear hesitation, see your body language, read between the lines, even notice when something hasnt really sunk in.

Apps cant.

6 Best practice isnt always best for you

AI will use ‘standards’ and lean heavily on consensus.

But fitness and nutrition evolve all the time, and our understanding of things change.

So good coaches often trailblaze and think outside the box.

They might experiment or focus more on feeling than result for a person. Or tweak the way something is done very slightly or specifically because even though its not the standard best practice, its just the thing a person really needs.

7 The think I worry about most: Loss of connection

I had a conversation with another coach recently about this.

We hope the rise of AI pushes people towards human coaching because connection becomes more important and valuable to people.

But, like social media, the worry is people can be mislead to thinking that they can find connection with something artificial…

If history repeats social media, we might see people fall into the same trap and become even more depressed and lonely as a result.

Im hoping optimism, but only time will tell!

Let me say this though…

I think that developed and used well, AI could genuinely help people build healthier lifestyles and make coaching tools more powerful than ever.

Id happily jump on that bandwagon and use it to keep making Tough Cookie Gym a leader in fitness coaching.

I hope though - like social media - it doesnt become something that leads to loneliness, comparison and distorted views of life…

It could go either way

Right now at Tough Cookie were doing what we do best.

Using our brains to think, connect, ask the right questions and learn about our clients and how to make a positive impact to each person and also more generally in the industry.

Were not perfect - were humans.

Were meant to be resilient to imperfection, even embrace it because its who we are!

We want people who like to train in a way that feels real!

Gets real results!

And comes with a community of people who laugh, cry, take the mick, roll their eyes, call me names for the workouts i create, and deal with real life!

Are you a Tough Cookie and you dont even know it yet?

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