What to Look for in an Online Personal Trainer Personal trainers are no longer a luxury for the wealthy. As the importance for health and fitness increases, personal training has become more and more popular with the public as a whole. With the inception of online personal training, these services are more accessible and affordable than ever. Even with all the benefits of working with a qualified online personal trainer, it is recommended that clients acquire occasional sessions with a personal training in a face-to-face setting. Face-to-face training sessions will ensure the exercises are performed properly to prevent injury and increase overall fitness and health benefits. Making an educated decision There are at least a hundred online personal trainers on the internet with more and more being added everyday. So, in order to help you find the trainer that’s right for you, the following is a list of considerations when ‘shopping around’ for an online personal trainer. You can also see the review we have of each online personal training service with many of these topics listed here. Education and experience: Your trainer must have some degree of education in order to be providing a legitimate service. A profile or mini-biography about the online trainer(s) should describe in detail the trainer’s experience, certifications and a degree in kinesiology, exercise science, P.E. or another exercise-related field. Personally, as a certified personal trainer with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology, I find that the knowledge I gained from the certification process was a thorough summary of what I learned in school. With that, I rely on my college degree over the certification. A combination of both a degree and a certification is ideal. Specialization: Many trainers claim to “specialize” in a list of health challenges that can look more like a summary of the whole fitness industry in a paragraph. Be sure to make a list of your own health issues and needs (diabetes, weight management, strength gains, balance improvement, older population issues, sport specific, corrective exercises for old injuries, etc.) Then, prioritize your top three. After checking out a few websites from the list we provided, contact them with your specific concerns. If the site has a team of trainers, there is a good chance someone has direct experience with your health and fitness needs. Be weary of the trainers that claim to “do it all”. Even though the concepts come from a basic foundation of science, there are enough trainers to choose from that it’s best to take the time to find the best match for your needs. And always remember it is you who is doing the workout with your energy and determination, so watch out for the “guaranteed to make you fit and trim!” claims. Guarantee it to yourself. Website design: Make sure to tour the site before signing up. Try to find examples of the exercises they prescribe. Are they videos, photos or cartoons? You want the visual tools to be clear, simple and enjoyable to look at. If the visual graphics and website navigation itself does not appeal to you, you may be unmotivated to sign-on which can in turn hinder your motivation for getting your workout done. Exercise plan: Viewing a sample exercise plan can be helpful in order to see if the layout is easy to read. The exercises should include the weight, repetitions, pace, number of sets and any notes that help to keep your posture correct and safe. As was mentioned earlier, the type of visual media of each exercise is important in order for clarity and proper technique to be facilitated. Forum/blog service: A forum or blog feature provided by the online personal training service may prove effective in order to gain support from fellow exercisers. Sometimes the best “tricks” to staying on your exercise is from the advice of someone with a similar issue that just simply makes sense to you personally. Although we here at the Agilis Fitness Network do not have a forum, we would love to hear from you in regards to your experience with an online personal trainer by contacting us. Contact and communication: Communication is the key to any effective exercise coaching. Most sites use email as their primary correspondence, but some also include phone contact. Ask yourself if you would be motivated by words on a computer screen alone, or by hearing the sound of your trainer’s voice. Some sites even provide an 800 number with direct access to a trainer for immediate answers. Whatever the mode of communication you prefer or that the site provides, make sure you are responded to your email or phone call in a short and reasonable period of time (within 6-24 hours). Nutrition: Nutritional supplementation products endorsed on a website is out of the scope of practice for personal trainers. Registered dietitians are the only professionals you should be listening to for specific nutritional advice. A personal trainer can give you advice on macro-nutrient intake, such as protein, carbohydrate, fat intake and proper serving sizes. Trainers cannot prescribe nutritional supplements, but they can advise you on anything related to the Food Guide Pyramid basics. If a trainer is trying to sell you on a “magic bullet” of powder sealed in a plastic capsule, be weary. Assessing your online personal trainer Health history: To start off, you should immediately be instructed to fill out a health-history questionnaire in order for the trainer to know about your specific health needs. This questionnaire should ask about your exercise history, family health history, and current or past injuries, your goals, your available schedule of workouts per week and any other concerns you might want to have addressed. It is in your best interest to be truthful as any misinformation will only hinder your progress toward your goals through either injury or having your trainer write you exercise plans that take you on a circuitous route to your goals. Updates toward goals: The update for your program should be done every two to four weeks and should also reflect advancement toward your goals. Sometimes it is difficult to tell where the trainer is taking you and you should feel comfortable enough to ask questions. Half of the personal training experience is for you to learn and grow as a person gaining lifelong skills, knowledge and habits for fitness and health. The other half is doing the workouts! It is your responsibility to be engaged, willing to ask and inspired to learn and apply what you are learning to your lifestyle changes one step at a time. There should also be a measurable means of keeping track of your progress through emails, record tracking software or online postings. Exercise plans: Ideally, plans should be generated by a human, not a computer. If you want a generic exercise program, know that you are buying one. I can only recommend a personally designed plan based off your goals and health issues. If a site advertises a customized program, but you receive it within seconds or minutes of placing your order then the exercise program is probably a generic exercise plan. Please let us know here at the Agilis Fitness Network if this happens as we would like to add that to our review and contact the website regarding their false advertising. Furthermore, the site should refund your money! Information services: If there is anything about the services you are receiving that you do not like, you should feel comfortable addressing this with your trainer or the site’s support contact. In short, you can always request a refund and search for another online personal trainer that has a more appropriate fit to your liking. Again, we would love to hear from you by writing us an email to let us know what you thought of your experience with that online personal training service. The more information we all share, the better off we all are in attaining our health and fitness goals. To experience the benefits of a personal trainer, virtual or otherwise, you must feel completely comfortable and confident in his or her ability to help you reach your health and fitness goals. Fees for services Face-to-face personal trainer rates range between $35 and on up to $300 per hour, depending on the local market, if the session is in your home or at a gym and, the reputation of the personal trainer. Online personal training is available with rates well below that, with ranges as minimal as $10 per month and on up to $150 per month. One important amenity with online personal training is phone coaching which tends to have a wide variety of fees. In conclusion, there are many advantages to online personal training which can be viewed here. It is also highly advised that if you are new to working out, you schedule a few sessions with an in-person trainer. A few face-to-face sessions can show you how to perform new exercises sent by your online personal trainer and can give you another opinion on attaining your goals. An occasional face-to-face session with a personal trainer is advised no matter what your skill level for the same reasons listed above. Please make note that even with all the scientific evidence out there for the best exercise techniques, everyone’s body is different and so, too, is every personal trainer’s opinion. Education level, past experience, a personal trainer’s ability to keep up with the latest current science reports and a trainer’s willingness to learn from their clients will all greatly affect a personal trainer’s opinion. All opinions and advice should be considered with a little discretion as should anything affecting the health of your body.