{"id":380088,"date":"2026-04-03T14:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/380088\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T14:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:20:09","slug":"i-asked-ai-for-a-training-plan-but-my-human-coach-saved-me-from-a-back-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/380088\/","title":{"rendered":"I asked AI for a training plan \u2014 but my human coach saved me from a back injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chatbots are quickly becoming tools we use to outsource everyday tasks. And I\u2019ve often wished I could outsource my fitness routine.<\/p>\n

I am not a gym bunny, but when an email landed in my inbox, inviting me to form a team for a Hyrox-style fitness challenge to raise money for Irish cancer charities, I was intrigued. It was billed as beginner-friendly, but I wasn\u2019t convinced I could do it.<\/p>\n

Almost immediately after committing to the challenge and assembling a team of colleagues, I started to worry about my ability to complete it.<\/p>\n

Despite being a regular Spin-goer and the odd Pilates class attendee, I couldn\u2019t do some of the most basic movements \u2014 push-ups and burpees, a mash-up of a squat, plank, push-up, and jump \u2014 and was concerned about lifting weights.<\/p>\n

I pasted the workout into an AI chatbot and typed in my concern: How realistic was this challenge for someone starting from my fitness level, with just eight weeks to prepare?<\/p>\n

The answer was a relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is absolutely achievable,\u201d the bot told me brightly. It provided me with a \u201cstation-by-station honest assessment\u201d, most of which lined up with my own evaluation. It told me the push-ups would be my \u201cbiggest challenge\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have eight weeks to get from zero push-ups to sustained reps under fatigue. This is tight, but achievable, if you prioritise it,\u201d it advised.<\/p>\n

The weights section was less intimidating, the bot said. The 12.5kg dumbbell for the devil\u2019s press (a burpee with a dumbbell lift) was described as \u201clight\u201d, the 35kg deadlift as \u201clight-to-moderate\u201d, and the sandbag squats as \u201cvery achievable\u201d.<\/p>\n

It was exactly what I wanted to hear.<\/p>\n

I asked the bot to build a programme around my schedule: I have a membership at Dublin\u2019s Saint Studios and knew I could commit to one of its Hyrox-style classes on Mondays and a hybrid strength-and-conditioning class on Tuesdays. I wanted to keep my yoga class, or other recovery activity, on a Thursday, and reserve a day at the weekend for a 5k.<\/p>\n

\" Nicole Glennon before her session in Saint Studios. Picture: Moya Nolan<\/p>\n

Given my difficulty with push-ups and burpees, I also asked it to give me a plan to work up to both exercises, something I could do two to three times a week, in addition to my fitness classes.<\/p>\n

Within minutes, the chatbot produced an eight-week plan, built around those constraints, along with a five-week progression for push-ups and burpees.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe five-week knee-push up and burpee plan the AI chatbot provided Nicole Glennon<\/p>\n

Now, it was time to knuckle down and do the hard part.<\/p>\n

What worked and what didn\u2019t<\/p>\n

The plan to prepare me for push-ups and burpees was the most useful part of the AI assistance. With exercises like incline push-ups, high planks, chair squats, and standing burpees, it felt low-effort and, because it didn\u2019t require any gym equipment, was easy to slot in, even on busy days.<\/p>\n

\" Nicole Glennon using a chatbot to help her keep fit Picture: Moya Nolan<\/p>\n

I did extra incline push-ups while waiting for the kettle to boil during work or did chair squats while watching Netflix in the evenings. By the time of the competition, I felt confident with both movements.<\/p>\n

The weights, however, were another matter. A week out from the event, I was only lifting 10kg in the devil\u2019s press, and while the AI bot had advised me that squatting with a 20kg sandbag would be \u201cvery achievable\u201d, the reality was different.<\/p>\n

Every time I tried to go beyond 8kg, I felt pain in my lower back. My coach at Saint Studios, Ryan Baronet, spotted that something was amiss. He kept me back after class one evening and walked me through my squat technique in detail. He quickly identified the problem: I wasn\u2019t engaging the right muscles.<\/p>\n

\"RyanRyan Baronet, co-founder SAINT Studios<\/p>\n

Once I corrected my form, I couldn\u2019t even lift the lighter weight, as the muscles involved were untrained novices.<\/p>\n

If I had been relying solely on AI, it\u2019s likely I would have kept trying to push through the discomfort and potentially could have got a back injury.<\/p>\n

For Baronet, this is one of the main issues he has with AI chatbots.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it stands today, it can\u2019t correct someone\u2019s form,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can read coaching tips, \u2018weight in the heels, chest up…\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut that still doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re doing it right,\u201d I say, finishing his sentence which, in my case, was exactly the problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are nuances attached to mobility and injury history,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

When I show him the AI-generated five-week push-up\/burpee plan, he concedes there is nothing wrong with it, but that I didn\u2019t need an AI chatbot to provide it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am 16 years coaching, and that sort of stuff you would have found 10, 15 years ago on the internet,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

At least, I say, it\u2019s probably pulling from routines built by other personal trainers, so it should be safe enough for anyone to follow, right?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know what it\u2019s pulling from,\u201d Baronet counters, and, more concerningly, \u201cit doesn\u2019t have an opinion on what a good squad or push-up should look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

One study I read highlighted the sycophantic nature of AI chatbots: They reinforce what they think we want to hear.<\/p>\n

In my case, I wondered whether it might have been overly enthusiastic about my ability to take on this challenge and reach the required weights with just eight weeks of training.<\/p>\n

\u201c100%,\u201d Baronet says, adding that this is one area where the use of AI could be concerning for the inexperienced.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany times over the years, I\u2019ve had to say to clients or potential clients, we\u2019ve got to be realistic here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Gary McGowan, a fitness coach, medical doctor, and physiotherapist, agrees that AI\u2019s sycophantic nature is a worry.<\/p>\n

\"FitnessFitness coach Dr Gary McGowan<\/p>\n

\u201cThe information provided is biased on the basis of the prompt provided. For example, if you want to justify that a given exercise or specific food is optimal for you, then you can craft a prompt in such a way that you get the answer you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

The accountability gap<\/p>\n

By far the biggest issue I found with using an AI chatbot was my lack of accountability to it.<\/p>\n

Over the eight weeks, I consistently attended my classes at Saint and pushed my limits, encouraged by the Whoop on my wrist, which repeatedly recorded my highest \u2018strain\u2019 or perceived effort during those group classes.<\/p>\n

Other days, when I was supposed to do a 5k run by myself or fit in a home strength session that AI offered to craft for me, I often made excuses, not completing the full workout or bailing altogether.<\/p>\n

A 2025 systematic review by the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at Dublin\u2019s Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland found that while engagement and retention were generally high across AI, human, and hybrid AI-human methods, satisfaction was typically higher with human-delivered coaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cParticipants reported a stronger sense of connection with human-delivered coaching, including within hybrid interventions,\u201d the authors stated.<\/p>\n

McGowan says, \u201cMost of the difficulty people have with nutrition and exercise stems not from a knowledge deficit, but difficulty in implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI always conceptualise personal fitness coaching as being about support, guidance, and accountability, not just knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community is another key factor, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why people will often choose a less-personalised exercise class over a personalised fitness programme \u2014 cost aside \u2014 as the community aspect of fitness is irreplaceable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gym community<\/p>\n

While training for this challenge, my fitness wearable, Whoop, introduced an AI chatbot, which offered training suggestions and recovery advice in the lead-up to the event.<\/p>\n

A week out, it encouraged me to taper out my effort, prioritise sleep, and provided a \u201cred flag list\u201d of things I should avoid the day prior: New foods, new shoes, new supplements, and \u201clong sitting without breaks: Stand\/walk every hour or so\u201d.<\/p>\n

Happily, on the day itself, it looks like my push-up-to-burpee plan paid off, as I completed over 50 reps in both challenges. As for the weights, the adrenaline of the day helped me push my limits with the 12.5kg devil\u2019s press and 35kg deadlifts. And the squats? I took Baronet\u2019s advice and sat out that section (my knees still bear the reminders of my attempts to overcompensate with kneeling push-ups\/burpees).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the challenge over and my muscles still aching, I ask my coach if he sees a role for AI in fitness training in the future: \u201cDoes it do some heavy lifting for people? Probably. Does it give people quicker, cheaper, faster access to advice? Probably. But I think, at the core of it, people want people, always will, always have.\u201d<\/p>\n

An AI chatbot can never replace the accountability and community I\u2019ve found in a physical studio. But what it can do is help with planning and provide a bit of encouragement, even if it isn\u2019t as good as the high-five from my fellow gym sufferer at the end of another demanding Hyrox class.<\/p>\n

\"EllenEllen O’Donoghue, Nicole Glennon, Muireann Duffy and Saoirse Hanley after completing Battle Cancer. Picture: Aislinn McGinn Photography
\n Nicole Glennon competed in Dublin\u2019s Battle Cancer with Celsius\u2019 media team. She had a complimentary membership to Dublin\u2019s Saint Studios for the duration of her training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chatbots are quickly becoming tools we use to outsource everyday tasks. And I\u2019ve often wished I could outsource…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[33970,499,103,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-380088","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-health-body","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}