Financial Times - 'How to Spend It'
5.8.2000

"An urgent business trip or even relocation to another hemisphere no longer means losing touch with your personal trainer. Stephan von Schilling, who set up Sterling Fitness three years ago with the aim of providing clients with a service in their own homes, is another trainer who is excited by the internet.

His virtual clients include MPs, QCs, designers, bankers, actors and international business men and women. 'Our clients are high flyers and they expect us to offer that little bit extra,' he says. 'The service works best for those who travel frequently but don't want to give up their workouts.' Once Schilling has carried out screening and fitness assessments in person, he can stay in touch with clients via email, attaching audio and visual files with demonstrations of personalised exercises. Clients in turn can log on to the Sterling Fitness website in the privacy of their hotel rooms or even hotel gyms. 'One of our clients trained in London three times a week, and now that she's in New York she requests one e-training session from us per week, and supplements this with her own jogging two to three times per week,' he says.

Schilling also offers 'live' video conferencing, and has his eye on the development of WAP technology. 'In the future, we will be able to train clients even when there is no land line or power source available'."