Do you struggle to balance your fitness routines with your work, social life, and family life? For busy individuals, finding the time to get to the gym can present challenge enough. But when factoring in the set schedule of a personal trainer, the challenge often becomes a barrier.
That’s where online trainers come in.
The best online personal trainers provide a level of flexibility and convenience catering to even the busiest of individuals through digital training sessions in the comfort of your home.
But first, let’s warm up with some pros and cons of working with a personal trainer in the first place, whether you choose online or IRL.
The Pros and Cons of Working with a Personal Trainer
The Pros of Using a Trainer
So, let’s dive into the pros of using a personal trainer to reach your fitness goals.
With a Trainer, It’s Personal
A personal trainer develops a fitness plan for your body type and specific goal.
Sometimes a personalized fitness plan is all that stands between you and the results you desire, from losing weight to building muscle mass.
Better Results, Safely
Working with a personal trainer also helps ensure proper form while you exercise, preventing injury while producing your desired fitness outcomes.
You’ll Stay on Track
A personal trainer won’t exercise for you. You still need to get your sweat on.
But a standing date with a personal trainer can help you show up and get to work, no excuses. And they’ll help you devise the ideal routine to prepare for your workout.
In short, they help you maintain accountability throughout your fitness journey.
Bottom Line: Using a personal trainer provides an element of camaraderie, while also improving the effectiveness of your workouts and increases the results you will see.
The Cons of Using a Personal Trainer
It’s not all sunshine and upside though.
There are some important potential downsides to consider. Considering both the pros and cons will help you to decide whether a trainer is a good investment for you.
You Shouldn’t Assume They’re Properly Certified
Don’t follow the advice of any trainer without first checking how and by whom the trainer is certified.
Certification standards vary from gym to gym, but there are official and your trainer should be able to give you those details upon request. If they resist this request, it’s a red flag.
Trainers Aren’t Cheap
A good trainer will cost you—there’s no way around it.
And like any industry, the prices vary by quite a large margin. The price of a personal trainer typically represents the demand for that trainer’s services.
This means that oftentimes the best trainers cost the most and have the least amount of flexibility to match your schedule. Which becomes an argument in favor of online trainers, who are able to offer their services to large groups of clients online without the constraints of brick and mortar trainers.
Rigid Schedules
While the strict schedule of sessions will help you with accountability and follow-through, these schedules can make it difficult for busy individuals.
Diet Advice
Fitness is a battle fought on two fronts: exercise and diet.
A personal trainer may not necessarily help with a menu unless they also happen to be a dietitian or nutritionist. In other words, they only provide half of the pieces to the puzzle of fitness.
This is why many fitness enthusiasts look to optimize their diets with great pre workout supplements.
(We’ve ranked the best pre workouts for women as well.)
Should You Pursue Personal Training?
To answer this question, you’ll need to complete and cost-benefit analysis.
How much do you value guidance in working towards better fitness?
In this helpful video, personal finance expert, Bruce Sellery explains how to evaluate the expense:
Bottom Line: While personal training works great for many, there are some clear downsides that might deter some. But online trainers avoid these downsides.
The Flexibility and Convenience of Online Trainers
With an online personal trainer, your workout is as close as your device. Many online trainers offer pre-recorded sessions and live one-on-ones.
You can take your personal trainer on the road with you, or schedule time from home outside the constraints of a gym’s hours of operation.
“But I just graduated from a flip-phone!” you might be saying. “Do I have the computer skills to work with an online personal trainer?”
The answer to this question is yes.
Most personal trainers use common online communication platforms like FaceTime and Zoom.
And with some, you can even check in via email. Pretty simple.
So working with an online personal trainer is as easy as operating a remote—and these days, it’s maybe even easier.
So let’s get started with exploring the best online trainer programs available.
Methodology
While doing our research for the ten best online personal trainers, we queried personal trainers all over the country and evaluated similar rankings from other sources across the internet.
We took consumer reviews into consideration, as well as the following:
- Number of online services offered
- Variety of exercise styles available
- Nutrition coaching options
- Trainer certification
- Free trials or free content
- Areas of specialty
With our methodology, we’re confident in our results, and positive you will be as well. Up next are the ten best online personal trainers.
Good luck with your workout!
The Best Online Personal Trainers
iBodyfit.com
If your personal trainer checklist includes tons of feedback from your trainer, or maybe if you’re also looking for tips on your golf swing, consider the first online personal trainer in our ranking, iBodyFit.
Founded by Franklin Antoian, an ACE-certified trainer and TPI L3 Golf Fitness Specialist, the site offers online personal training services and pre-made workout plans on a proprietary platform as well as Skype or FaceTime.
The available plans include Fat Burner, Muscle Toner, and Beach Bod. Each plan allows you to choose where you work out, and thy are customized for both men and women, ranging from beginner to advanced.
“I work with clients in all age groups and fitness levels,” iBodyFit founder Franklin Antoian tells RAVE Reviews.
Furthermore, all plans include diet advice with vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and organic options, as well as loads of quality feedback directly from Antoian.
Peak Health Consultancy
Next in our ranking of the ten best online personal trainers is Peak Health Consultancy, founded by Amanda Dale.
Dale is an ACE-certified personal trainer, AFAA-certified exercise instructor, Precision Nutrition-certified sports nutritionist, and endurance coach with 13 years of working experience.
Peak Health trains online from the “Trainerize” platform, meaning no matter where you are in the world, you can access a customized fitness and nutrition plan, developed between you and a Peak Health personal trainer.
This versatility makes Peak Health the best choice for anyone who travels a lot, or anyone who prefers to mix up their gym and home workouts.
But no matter where you choose to work out, your Peak Health personal trainer will review your progress and make any necessary tweaks along the way.
Ultimate Performance
For an online personal trainer with global reach and a variety of training options, consider Ultimate Performance, our third best online personal trainer.
Entirely online, this global personal training business offers a proven formula, with results-driven training and nutrition methodologies, says Ultimate Performance Content Editor Ben Kenyon.
Ultimate Performance offers two different online personal training services: one-to-one online personal training and the LiveUP online coaching program, with options for both men and women.
With one-to-one training, you are matched with a dedicated online personal trainer for a full consultation and nutrition audit. And with LiveUP online coaching, you get a new training plan every month, which gradually become more challenging.
Ultimate Performance also offers nutrition guidance, “to create a weight loss meal plan that works for you,” Kenyon says.
Dunnebells
For those seeking a training experience with a strong element of community support, Dunnebells, the next online training website in our ranking, could be for you.
Dunnebells offers an 8-week program developed for women, kicking off at the first of every month.
The community support comes in the form of motivational messages, weekly check-ins, unlimited instant messaging support, Skype meetings, and personalized consultation.
Founder Lucy Dunne got into training after she began documenting her weight loss journey and struggle with an eating disorder on Instagram. Dunne says she never thought it would turn into a thriving business.
Dunnebells programs come in three levels: basic, pro, and premium. With each level of access comes a weekly workout and a custom macronutrient plan with instructions, grocery lists, sample meal plans, workout playlists, and even exclusive access to apparel.
Jill Brown Fitness
Our fifth best online personal trainer, Jill Brown Fitness, is a great option for older individuals.
This site offers HIIT workouts, circuit workouts, pilates, and core classes entirely online. There is also a low back pain relief program and fitness plans for folks 40 and over.
In addition, there are functional fitness programs, available through an easy-to-use professional app. Brown also offers nutrition coaching and even an intermittent fasting program.
If you’re a beginner, Jill Brown has something for you as well with her True Beginner series, available on Amazon Prime.
With Jill Brown, consultations are free, and on Benefitsquad.com, an online meetup platform, you can sample a free 40-minute bodyweight challenge.
Perhaps most of all, anyone struggling with back pain should also consider Jill Brown.
“Aside from having 25+ years of experience working with every body type, I also have an excellent understanding of how to work with and alleviate back pain through exercise,” the Certified Functional Strength & Nutrition Coach tells RAVE Reviews.
Lynn Montoya Fitness
For a workout experience tailored specifically for women, Lynn Montoya Fitness is for you.
While Montoya’s fitness program works for everyone, Montoya’s main focus is on women, she says on her website, “Women like me,” she says, “women in their middle years whose metabolism has slowed down, resulting in weight gain, decreased energy, and diminished cardiovascular health.”
Oh her website, Montoya, a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Expert, offers her “True Grit” targeted HIIT workout and diet programs, available as high-quality digital downloads.
Or instead, head to Montoya’s Youtube channel for a variety of prerecorded workouts, like the “4 Your Abs” ab routine and “Work Dat Body, Baby!” no equipment required.
Corpão Fitness
With Corpão Fitness you can choose between paid coaching directly from the site, or select from any one of the free workouts available on Youtube and Instagram instead.
With Corpão Fitness you get both prerecorded and live workouts, as well as access to an e-fitness library of over 100 prerecorded workouts with new ones added every week, all available to stream on-demand.
“I focus on low-impact but highly effective bodyweight training for women,” Corpão founder and NASM-certified personal trainer Chardét tells RAVE Reviews. “I also provide nutrition coaching,” she says.
Something else notable about Corpão Fitness is the 10-day home gym challenge for women, including a new workout every 10 days, with no jumping or equipment required.
Allison Jackson Fitness
Allison Jackson, founder of Allison Jackson fitness, was a figure competitor for nearly 10 years before founding her business.
People were constantly the athlete for her for diet and workout advice, so about three years ago, Jackson decided to start coaching online.
“My business actually found me,” Jackson says.
Through her website, Jackson offers one-on-one or group coaching via email, Facebook, or directly from the website.
Jackson’s programs include the 8-week “Fit to Lead” via a monthly Zoom or Facebook Live call, as well as support from a community of women in the same program.
There’s also the Meal Prep Ninja Mini Course program with recipes, snack and grocery lists, and a full week meal plan.
“I get how busy working moms are and that they need a simple-to-follow, effective program,” Jackson says.
Tim Liu Fitness
If you’re a little insecure about getting started with a personal trainer, Tim Liu of Tim Liu Fitness assures RAVE he’s all about meeting his clients where they are, teaching them skills and helping them achieve sustainable results for life.
“I help busy men and women lose fat and build muscle without having to live in the gym,” Liu tells RAVE Reviews.
Tim Liu got into training, he says, because he grew up overweight. That, and his mother’s fight against cancer, inspired Liu to improve his own health and help others achieve their fitness goals.
Tim Liu Fitness offers both one-on-one and prerecorded training programs on his own training app, providing support and accountability throughout the entire process.
Tim Liu also offers personalized nutrition plans and a complimentary consultation.
Jeff Watters
The last trainer in our ranking, Jeff Watters, specializes in working with serious athletes, willing to work at a high level in their particular sport of choice.
Before his career as an online personal trainer, Watters was himself an athlete, known for an out-of-the-box training style, he says.
And now in his training service, Watters uses his experience training for specific sports, “to put something together that is truly sport specific,” he says.
From his website, Watters provides subscription training where you can access an updated programming list, and get notified via Mailchimp when there’s a change to the program.
“For one on one, I set up the programming and we have FaceTime several times a week,” he says.
“Subscribers get routines that have been updated no more than one hour earlier,” and one-on-one sessions are live, Watters continues.
“The fact that I’ve put my training philosophies into action as an athlete myself, I know what works because I’ve done it,” he says.
