Episode Summary

Your online clients are not quitting because of the screen. They are quitting because somewhere in the move to virtual, you stopped coaching them and started sending them files.

In this episode of THIRST For More, we take apart the most comfortable excuse in the fitness industry: "online coaching just is not the same."

A 2025 randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research finally ran the comparison our industry has been arguing about for five years. Same ten week program. Three delivery models. In-person supervision. Remote app-guided coaching. And a self-guided PDF.

Session adherence came in at roughly 88 percent, 81 percent, and 52 percent.

Now look at where the cliff actually is. The gap between having a coach in the room and having a coach on a screen is about seven points. The gap between having a coach on a screen and having no coach at all is nearly thirty. We have spent five years fighting over the wrong gap.

This episode is not a pitch for online coaching. It is an honest look at what you genuinely lose when you go remote, what you do not lose, and what you were never actually doing on purpose in the first place.

WHAT WE YOU WILL LEARN

• What the supervision literature actually says, and why the mechanism behind it is almost entirely transmissible over a screen
• Why Mazzetti 2000 is the most misread study in this entire debate
• The meta-analytic effect size for supervision, and why it is smaller than you think
• The 52 percent cliff, and why your real competition is not the trainer down the street
• What the telehealth therapeutic alliance research proves about human connection at a distance
• Why self-determination theory suggests your in-person client may actually be the weaker coaching outcome
• The five pillar Virtual Connection System, built to install this week
• The business math nobody runs, and two pricing rules worth dying on
• An honest segment on where this argument could be wrong

RESEARCH REFERENCED

• Gavanda S, Held S, Schrey S, et al. Optimizing Resistance Training Outcomes: Comparing In-Person Supervision, Online Coaching, and Self-Guided Approaches: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2025; 39(11): 1129-1137.
• Mazzetti SA, Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, et al. The Influence of Direct Supervision of Resistance Training on Strength Performance. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2000; 32(6): 1175-1184.
• Gentil P, Bottaro M. Influence of Supervision Ratio on Muscle Adaptations to Resistance Training in Nontrained Subjects. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2010; 24(3): 639-643.
• Lacroix A, Hortobagyi T, Beurskens R, et al. Effects of Supervised vs. Unsupervised Training Programs on Balance and Muscle Strength in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2017; 47(11): 2341-2361.
• Fisher JP, et al. Supervised versus unsupervised resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

DISCLAIMER

This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical, fitness, or professional advice. Always consult with qualified healthcare and fitness professionals before making changes to your training, supplementation, nutrition, or health practices. Individual results may vary. The host and producers are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of any information, suggestions, or procedures discussed in this podcast.

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About Brandon Smitley

Instagram: @bsmitley @team.thirst

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Website: THIRSTgym.com

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Brandon Smitley is a world renowned strength coach and athlete for over a decade. He and his wife, Adrian, own Terre Haute Intensity Resistance and Sports Training (THIRST) where they work with youth athletes and personal training clients of all ages. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in Health and Fitness, and his Master’s degree from Indiana State University in Physical Education and Coaching. Brandon has been awarded Personal Trainer of the Year Awards from Purdue University and Indiana State University as well is the 2020 Reader's Choice for Best Personal Trainer in Terre Haute, IN and the Wabash Valley.

Brandon is a sponsored athlete with Elitefts and NutraBio where as a competitive powerlifter he currently holds the all-time world record squat in the 132 pound weight class, with a 567 pound squat. He also holds a 330 pound bench press, and 510 pound deadlift in that weight class, totaling 1377 pounds, ranking 4th all-time. He provides online coaching and programming around the world, and has personally worked with over 200 athletes in the US, UK, France, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and other countries. Brandon’s been published at Elitefts, Muscle and Performance, and Muscle and Fitness magazine.

He holds his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Level One Sports Performance (USAW), Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) certifications, and is educated in PRI for Fitness and Performance.