Is it a good idea to train with ChatGPT?

Over the past year, the growth of Artificial Intelligence systems and their use in various fields has been unprecedented. From those who only use it to draft an email to accelerating information processing and drawing conclusions in scientific research. As could be expected, sports have not been immune to the AI revolution.

Turn ChatGPT into Your Personal Trainer

The use of Artificial Intelligence in general and tools like ChatGPT in particular has skyrocketed over the past year. Among these uses, surely more than one person has wondered why not ask ChatGPT to become our personal trainer and create a training plan for us?

The first thing we need to keep in mind is that ChatGPT is, after all, a tool that can be used well or poorly. A tool that feeds on and learns from the information it gathers from the internet and the questions and feedback provided by users.

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For some time now, in various applications, such as Garmin Connect or virtual cycling apps like Zwift or MyWhoosh, it has been possible to set up a training plan to follow guidelines based on the goals we set and some data about our fitness level, such as our FTP or availability to train.

However, these are generic plans that do not take into account the peculiarities of the cyclist, following one of the principles of sports training, which is individualization. It is true that, as is often said, a bad plan is almost always better than no plan at all; however, using a copy-paste approach for our training can lead to either not achieving the desired progress or, worse, the plan being beyond our capabilities, resulting in overtraining, injury, or simply fatigue preventing us from sticking to the schedule.

In this regard, Artificial Intelligence can add an extra layer of flexibility when planning training, but even so, the data sources it relies on will continue to be what is published on the internet and, therefore, will follow the manual. In any case, the versatility that tools like ChatGPT allow when entering information and requesting a training plan is significant.

Obviously, if we only ask ChatGPT for something like "Prepare a training plan for me," we might get anything. However, if we are meticulous and detail as much as possible what we want, something like "I need a training plan. I can train 4 days a week: Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, on weekends for up to 4 hours and no more than 2 during the week. My weight is XX, and my FTP is XXX. I want to be in peak shape by such dates for an event with such characteristics..."—that is, the same information we would explain to a flesh-and-blood coach—the starting information regarding training techniques and capabilities as AI can provide us with a well-structured plan.

Is it optimal for improving our performance? Probably not, but it will be more refined than a generic plan we find out there, allowing us to ask ChatGPT for adjustments on the fly. However, to realize the need for those adjustments, it is beneficial for us to have some knowledge of training, which will also help us identify any errors in the programming that the AI might make.

In any case, as in other fields, the bias in the source data—let's not forget that ChatGPT feeds on what it finds on the internet, which is not always accurate information—and the relative infancy of Artificial Intelligence systems mean that, for now, they cannot compete with the experience and dedication of a personal trainer to whom we can express our concerns, explain our feelings, and who will be able to interpret them to determine if adjustments to the plan are necessary, as well as provide feedback based on the results of the training sessions. Something that, today, is still far from the capabilities of ChatGPT.