When you’re initially starting up an exercise routine, it can be very helpful to have some guidance from a personal trainer.
There are many reasons for this, such as having someone to help you iron out any issues with your exercise form, and also to provide a source of accountability until you’ve properly developed long-lasting fitness habits.
But there is one major problem with traditional personal trainers: they can be very expensive.
The price for personal training varies depending on where you are in the world, but you’ll typically be looking at spending at least $60 per hour, if not more.
In fact, in major cities in the US, it is not uncommon to pay more than $100 for each hour that you spend with a personal trainer – and considering that you’ll often be working out with them 2 or 3 times per week, this can add up very quickly.
The reality is that most people don’t have an extra $500-1000 to spend on personal training each month, in addition to their gym memberships.
As a result of this, online personal training has been gaining a lot of popularity in recent years, as a more affordable alternative to traditional personal training.
With online personal training, you’ll typically be working directly with an actual personal trainer; however, instead of training you in person, they’ll be working with you either over email or through a fitness coaching app.
As you might expect, the cost is a lot cheaper – and while this varies, you’ll generally end up paying only $50-200 per month for online personal training, which is a significantly less expensive.
This innovation has opened up personal training to many more people, who can now benefit from working with someone directly as they strive to reach their fitness goals.
However, you might be wondering whether or not personal training online is actually effective, compared to working with someone in person. The short answer to this is that it can be very effective, but it’s not the best fit for everyone – so it really depends on what it is you’re looking for, along with your specific preferences.
Cases Where Personal Training Isn’t Effective Online
If you are very new to working out, and really want someone to be able to demonstrate proper exercise form to you in person, then working with an online personal trainer might not be the best option for you.
While most good online personal training companies will provide you with instructional videos for each exercise, this is of course not the same as having someone there to show you the exercises in person – and help to adjust your form when you’re doing something incorrectly.
This is simply an inherent limitation of the online format, so if you feel like you really need that type of in-person support, as you’re learning how to do each exercise, then a regular person trainer might be a better fit.
Also, while online personal training can definitely help significantly with accountability, you won’t have someone that you have to physically meet up with at the gym.
For people that really struggle with the motivation to work out, it can sometimes be helpful to have someone there with you in person, since it’s much more difficult to make excuses that way.
Cases Where Personal Training Is Effective Online
On the other hand, there are many situations where working with an online personal trainer is a great fit – and sometimes even a better fit than a more traditional trainer.
If you’re someone that is already comfortable with exercise form, and are just looking for an expert to put together a tailored program for you to follow, while making periodic changes to your routine, then you’ll likely get a lot of value from working with a personal trainer online.
In addition, if you are generally confident with your form, but would like the occasional form review, various online personal trainers, like Caliber Fitness, offer their clients form reviews as part of the service – where you can send a video of yourself performing an exercise to your trainer for feedback.
And if you’re someone that doesn’t have a significant issue with workout motivation, but still values the personal accountability that working with someone directly provides, then online personal training might also be a good option to consider.
Also, for people that travel a lot, working with an online trainer can be a lot more flexible. You’ll still be able to train with them while you’re on the road, as long as you have an internet connection.
Finally, as we mentioned before, the price difference between online personal training and in-person training is huge – so if you’re on more of a budget, or just don’t feel justified in spending so much money to work with a personal trainer, then the online approach would be far more suitable for you.
Will Personal Training Online Be Effective For You?
If you’ve read through this article, you’ll see that there are various pros and cons to both traditional personal training and online personal training.
Some people will do better with an in-person approach, and other people will do better with an online approach. When it comes to fitness, there is truly no one-size-fits-all approach that will work for everyone.
So, if it does sound like personal training online might be a good option for you, we’d suggest that you give it a try for a month or two and see what you think.
Worst comes to worst, you’ll find that it’s not for you, and can then either try out working with a local personal trainer, or even potentially just working out on your own.
