9 Best Online Personal Trainers (2024): Tested by Experts

When looking at the best online workout programs, people often are looking for some level of guidance, and many workout apps vary to what degree of coaching and personal training is involved. Some will only offer daily workouts, while others offer a one-on-one coaching experience. Still, others rely on artificial intelligence to personalize your training program.

For those looking for the added touch of personalization to their training, our team of certified personal trainers, professional athletes, and lifting coaches have researched and tested the best online personal trainers on the market today, looking at features of each app, including:

• Its ease of use
• The level of instruction
• Accountability and interactive features
• The overall value of the app

After testing each app, we’ve compiled our top picks for the best online personal training apps to help you along your fitness journey.

The 9 Best Online Personal Trainers  

• Best Online Personal Trainer Overall: Future
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Expert-Guided Workouts: iFIT
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Science-Based Training: Caliber
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Beginners: Aaptiv
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Weight Loss: CoPilot
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Women: Obe Fitness
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Live Online Training: FlexIt
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Yoga: Down Dog
• Best Online Personal Trainer for Strength Training: JuggernautAI

Best Online Personal Trainer Overall: Future

Good for: Those wanting personalized coaching and programming, all in the convenience of a fitness app

Best Overall

Future

GGR Score: 4.3

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Product Highlights

• Virtual training from qualified coaches
• Personal plan designed to help reach your goals
• Great interface
• Use our link for 50% off your first month

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Incredible user interface; very well designed and intuitive
• Choose your own coach based on your personal preferences and goals
• Lots of variety in your workouts

Cons

• No real-time coaching from your trainer
• $199 per month membership cost

Bottom Line

An online training program that's staffed by real-life humans, and one of our favorite fitness apps.

Very few online personal training apps compare to our top pick for the best overall: Future. We’ve had several people on our team use Future, including GGR founder Coop Mitchell, who has been using it for over three years now. He says, “I think the biggest evidence of my feelings toward Future is that I’ve used it every week since September 2020. I also pay for my wife to use it, I’m that big of a believer.”

Head of content Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, has used the app as well over the past couple of years. “I admit: I didn’t think I’d still be with Future after doing the initial review, but two years later, and I’m still with it,” she says. “The program has actually helped me after I suffered a weightlifting injury that needed surgery.”

Future recommends a few different coaches for you after asking some basic questions on your workout habits, or you can search for your own coach from the dozens of options. After a video call, your coach will personalize a program tailored to your needs and routine. The equipment needed is based on the fitness equipment you have available.

Future also has great accountability, with daily notifications from your coach and routine check-ins, leading Kate to rate the accountability a 5 out of 5. Instructions during workouts are both visual and auditory, but also includes in-app recording of videos to receive feedback from your coach.

The main drawback is the price. At $199 a month, this is one of the more expensive options for a workout app. However, the features and online coaching are pretty expansive, making it a pretty good value still. You can see more of the team’s thoughts in our Future App review.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Expert-Guided Workouts: iFIT

Good for: Those wanting a personalized experience led by a professional instructor

Best for Expert-Guided Workouts

iFIT

GGR Score: 4.2

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Product Highlights

• Over 16,000 live and on-demand classes
• More than 60 types of workouts
• Immersive experience
• Classes filmed worldwide
• Live races and events
• World-class trainers
• Syncs with Nordictrack and ProForm equipment

Pros & Cons

Pros

• At-home training
• World-class coaches
• Immersive training experience
• Vast library of workouts
• Record and track workout metrics
• Individual and family memberships available
• Free trial

Cons

• Pricey for some
• No true path for progression

Bottom Line

iFIT offers fitness lovers versatility with machine-based classes and classes that do not require anything more than a towel or mat. Anyone looking for a home-exercise program will be hard pressed to find a more technology forward, expansive and inclusive platform than iFIT.

Known as an alternative to the Peloton app, iFIT is a great app for instructor-led workouts. iFIT also integrates with several brands of equipment—NordicTrack, ProForm, Weider, and more—so you can get a more interactive experience using certain treadmills, rowers, ellipticals, and more.

Although the live class feature was discontinued in May 2023, the app still presents expert-guided workouts, and lots of them. Our tester Caroline Lubinsky, CF-L1, says it was overwhelming initially: “The home screen has a slightly overwhelming amount of information that makes me want to look everywhere at once.” Classes range from studio class settings to biking distances around the world.

Because of its integration with the best cardio machines, many consider iFIT for simply cardio workouts. However, the app offers much more than that; strength classes, HIIT, yoga, and Pilates classes are plentiful in the app, as well. Caroline mentions that the recommended weights aren’t going to be a one-size-fits-all plan, and you may have to adjust them depending on your strength levels.

However, the expert-led workouts are where this app shines, with each workout involving a video instructor to help motivate you and giving insightful cues for each exercise. You can read more about this app in our iFIT reviews.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Science-Based Training: Caliber

Good for: Individuals wanting one-on-one coaching from certified personal trainers with research-backed programs

Best for Science-Based Training

Caliber Strength Training

GGR Score: 4.68

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Product Highlights

• Strength training and nutrition app
• Personalized, data-driven workout programs
• Expert habit coaching
• Free and paid versions
• Private 1:1 coaching available
• Weekly lessons, metric tracking, nutrition syncing

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Scientifically-based training plans
• Individualized coaching for both fitness and nutrition with paid subscriptions is reported to be very thorough
• Free version offers a library of curated workout plans
• Reportedly easy-to-use

Cons

• Personalized macronutrient goals only available with paid versions

Bottom Line

Caliber Strength Training is a fitness coaching program grounded in scientific principles designed to increase strength and improve body composition. The app offers both group and individual training plans which are written and modified by a certified coach based on progress.

If you want training that’s backed by research, consider Caliber, a fitness app grounded upon scientific principles to help you with your strength training. The personalized plans and nutrition programming available are data-driven to ensure you’re getting results. Along with this, you can connect with a certified coach for video coaching and weekly lessons.

RELATED: NASM Review

The app can track a lot, including metrics and macronutrients. The app tracks these metrics to show results in an easy-to-read visual format.

Our tester, Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, found the pricing to be worded strangely, as the pricing is explained as about $7 a day, although it’s a monthly payment. She was able to get in touch with a customer service rep, however, who helped clear up the confusion. There are three tiers available:

• A free-forever version that gives you access to a library of prepared workouts
• Caliber Premium Coaching, which connects you with a coach and individualizes workout plans, priced at $200 a month
• An expanded package that’s $266 per month, which includes monthly Zoom calls to talk about live strategy

All paid versions offer coaching across all of their training pillars: strength and conditioning, nutrition, and healthy habits. Amanda used the premium coaching option and found the app easy enough to use, although she wishes there were more options to integrate fitness trackers. Currently, Caliber only offers connectivity with Apple watches. Sending pictures to her trainer could have been streamlined more, as well.

This is a pricey app, but Amanda feels that the price is worth it, giving it a 5 out of 5 on value. As a personal trainer, she says, “One-on-one training isn’t cheap; it just isn’t. But it’s almost always worth it, especially if you are struggling with accountability and consistency.” The amount of interaction and accountability features for this app are pretty expansive, too, making it a great choice even before considering the science-backed data it boasts.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Beginners: Aaptiv

Good for: Those wanting instruction for starting their own fitness journey

Best for Beginners

Aaptiv

GGR Score: 4.14

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Product Highlights

• Audio-guided workout app
• Over 2,500 workouts 
• New workouts each week

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Audio-based classes
• Thousands of workouts
• New classes each week
• Goal-based programs
• Free trial for annual plan

Cons

• Fewer coaches than competitors
• No information on nutrition
• Must sign up for annual plan to get the free trial

Bottom Line

Aaptiv is a great option for people looking for an alternative to video-based workout programs.

Aaptiv can be a great option for those looking to begin their fitness journey, as its cost is fairly low compared to other online personal trainers at $14.99 a month. If you’re new to fitness training or fitness apps, this is a pretty low barrier to entry. Plus, our tester Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, found this app to have high value, giving it a 4.5 out of 5.

This app provides an easy-to-use interface that can navigate through a database of workouts to suit your fitness goals and needs. There’s sufficient expertise in the instructions, as Amanda says, “The trainers who create the workouts are clearly knowledgeable; one of the workouts I did was a completely contralateral session using off-balanced weights, and this is something only a knowledgeable and experienced trainer would likely program.”

RELATED: Unilateral Exercises for Strength, Balance, and Performance

“There is not always an instructor on screen, though,” she continues. “In some of the workouts it’s more like an animation of a person doing the movements and the trainer speaking in the background. This might throw some people off.” If you’re looking for that human interaction in the app, you may not always get it.

The app is great for beginners as there are many features to keep you motivated and accountable, such as push notifications. You can also add workouts to your phone’s calendar, displaying them as appointments. A robust community feed is present as well, where people can share, like, and comment on other people’s workouts. Challenges are even held regularly, keeping new fitness lovers motivated.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Weight Loss: CoPilot

Good for: Fitness lovers who need guidance in creating structured nutrition plans for weight loss and management

Best for Weight Loss

CoPilot Fitness

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Dedicated fitness coaching, personalized workouts, and nutrition guidance
• Easy ongoing communication with a coach through text, video messages, and live calls
• Fitness plans tailored to your individual goals
• Built-in flexibility for home or gym workouts
• Includes a library of exercise demos

Pros & Cons

Pros

• No contract required
• No equipment needed
• Personalized training plans
• Feedback from coach

Cons

• Expensive
• Reports that the rep tracking is inaccurate

Bottom Line

The CoPilot Fitness app provides dedicated coaching, personalized workouts, and nutrition guidance with one-to-one communication with a coach. There is no free version and it does cost $99 per month so it may not be a great choice for those looking to keep costs down.

If you’re looking for an online personal trainer to help manage your weight loss journey, CoPilot is a great option. This app allows you to choose a certified personal trainer who matches your fitness goals and training style, which will help you burn calories. In addition, some trainers are also certified nutritionists and can give you guidance on creating meal plans.

RELATED: NASM Nutrition Certification Review

CoPilot offers unlimited interaction with your personal coach, through messaging, feedback, and video calls. After a short assessment, CoPilot recommends coaches who you can connect with, although the final choice is your own. Your coach will personalize programming based on your needs, along with live feedback during your workouts.

Our product tester and certified personal trainer Lindsay Scheele tested out the CoPilot app on her iPhone and Apple Watch. Her experience was very positive, as she says, “It is a very easy app to follow with, the workouts that were programmed had videos to follow along with, and if you have an iPhone and Apple Watch the experience goes over the moon. I was very impressed with the overall design and simplicity of the app and the integration of the iPhone and Apple Watch.” She notes that beyond a coach, there is not community or other means of accountability.

This is one of the less expensive one-on-one online personal trainers on the market at $99, but it still is a pricey monthly cost. Some Android users complain about some bugs and interface issues with the app, so be mindful if you don’t have an iPhone.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Women: Obe Fitness

Good for: Women looking for a personalized experience for their fitness goals and needs

Best for Women

Obe Fitness

GGR Score: 3.4

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Product Highlights

• Fitness platform designed for women
• Features live and on-demand classes and training programs ranging from 5-60 minutes
• Appropriate for any skill level
• Over 20 types of workout options ranging from kid programs and foam rolling to HIIT and sculpt
• Pre-planned progressive video programs covering a variety of areas including dance, yoga, wellness, and BodyComp

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Over 20 live classes daily
• Huge range of workout types and programs
• Designed for all fitness levels
• Many users appreciate the music choice

Cons

• On the pricier side for a fitness app
• Reports that some videos are not easy to follow

Bottom Line

This women-centric fitness platform offers a huge variety of live and on-demand classes and progressive training programs. Although there is a one-month free trial period, this app requires an ongoing subscription and falls on the expensive side.

Our pick for the best online personal trainer for women is Obe Fitness, an app specially designed for women and their workouts. In addition to recommending workouts after an initial assessment, the app also includes extra features, such as a mood check-in and menstrual cycle insights—with the app then recommending different classes based on your cycle.

One of the strengths of the app is the instruction. GGR editor Frieda Johnson tested out Obe Fitness and says, “The instruction is solid. The instructor does all the moves with you and explains them as you do them. They also give form cues and other tips.” She tried strength classes, a dance HIIT class, and a stretching class, and said coaching was motivating without being obnoxious. She gives the instruction a 4 out of 5.

RELATED: Weight Training for Women

Once the app recommends a workout schedule, you’re still able to add your own workouts, but Frieda had trouble trying to remove or modify the recommended workouts. You’re able to add workouts to your calendar, however, to get notifications and boost accountability in the app. Aside from live classes, though, the app doesn’t have too many interactive features.

At $24.99 per month, this can be a bit pricey for the amount it offers, although Frieda does mention, “I do think it could be great for someone who takes advantage of all of the features, like the live classes, mood tracker, and cycle insights.” But if those features don’t interest you, this may not be the best fitness app for you. Also, buyer beware; you’ll have to call to cancel.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Live Online Training: FlexIt

Good for: Those wanting an online fitness coach to guide them through each session

Best for Live Online Training

FlexIt

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• FlexIt offers live 1-on-1 personal training and nutrition coaching online or via their app
• Take a goals assessment, choose a personal trainer, and customize your training schedule 
• Flexible gym access with participating gyms that eliminates memberships and contracts
• Sessions can be purchased via monthly membership or pay-as-you-go plans
• Sessions are available in 30, 45, and 60 minute increments

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Live virtual coaching
• Individualized
• Variety of membership options
• Convenient
• Comprehensive wellness plan
• Mix-and-match trainers

Cons

• Reports that the app is finicky
• Some users felt the initial assessment lacking

Bottom Line

As an alternative to in-person training, FlexIT offers live virtual coaching. Each training plan is fully customizable and sessions are available in 30, 45, and 60 minute increments.

If you’re looking for an app that provides the closest experience to in-person training as possible, FlexIt is a strong contender. While we haven’t tested this app ourselves yet, the fitness app provides scheduled sessions with an actual trainer through the app between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on your plan.

After taking a brief assessment to determine current fitness levels and goals, you can search and connect with a certified personal trainer or nutritionist to help pursue those goals. You pay in a bundle of sessions, like in-person training, either in four, eight, or 12 sessions at 30, 45, or 60 minutes long. You schedule sessions with your trainer and they’ll be present during your training session.

RELATED: ISSA Certification Review

Customer reviews are mixed, however, as the app seems to have high strengths, but big weaknesses, too. The app has a 3.9 out of 5 stars rating on the Google Play store. Reviews are wildly positive about the coaching and interaction, but the user interface of the app is clunky and not as intuitive as users would like.

One review claims, “Coach and interaction is great. The app is a big fail, and really gets in the way of the workout. Wish they would try to be less fancy (I don’t need to press and hold to complete a set) and just get the basics right—like being able to hit send when trying to message my coach.” 

However, if you can navigate the app, you’ll have access to a great personal trainer, albeit a bit on the pricey side.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Yoga: Down Dog

Good for: Gym enthusiasts of all fitness levels wanting a personalized yoga routine

Best for Yoga

Down Dog

GGR Score: 3.6

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Product Highlights

• Over 60,000 configurations for a personalized yoga practice
• Beginner-friendly with a Beginner 1 Level in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Restorative
• Multiple practice types, including Vinyasa, Cardio Flow, Hatha, Gentle, Restorative, Yin, Ashtanga, Chair, Yoga Nidra, Hot 26, and Sun Salutation
• Available in multiple languages, including six different English-speaking voices and nine other languages.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Auto-generated workouts so it is a different workout every time
• Fits all experience and fitness levels
• Download classes to use offline
• Configuration of poses and practices is immense
• Clear instructions

Cons

• Some reports of the app freezing
• Music is reported to be mediocre
• Pricing is not listed on their website

Bottom Line

For those who prioritize variety in their yoga practice, Down Dog offers over 60,000 ways to personalize your yoga practice, beginner-friendly options and various practice types. The pricing on their website is unclear.

Our pick for a customizable yoga experience is Down Dog, an inexpensive app with a nice user interface and plenty of customization options. GGR editor Frieda Johnson tried out the app and says, “I like how easy Down Dog is to customize based on what you want on any given day. The sessions I’ve done have been challenging but attainable for my experience level and I’ve enjoyed them.”

Although there’s no free trial, Frieda gives the value a 5 out of 5, as the app’s monthly subscription cost is only $7.99 per month; plus, it gives you access to their HIIT, meditation, prenatal yoga, and Barre apps as well. If you’re looking to diversify at-home bodyweight workouts, this is a great, inexpensive way.

Setup is easy, as you fill out a quick questionnaire on preferences, like the length of sessions and type of music. These settings are easy to adjust in individual yoga sessions, too. Frieda gives the ease of use a 5 out of 5, saying about the customization, “You get to pick what you want for an impressive number of categories, including type of music, person leading the flow, length of session, and body-part focus.”

While workouts are audio-guided and include videos and descriptions of the workouts, there are limited interactive features or accountability for those looking for support from a community or from the app. However, for its price, it’s a great app for guided yoga sessions.

Best Online Personal Trainer for Strength Training: JuggernautAI

Good for: Lifters wanting personalized programming for their strength training goals

Best for Strength Training

JuggernautAI

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Use code "GARAGEGYM" for a discount on JuggernautAI training.
• Smart powerlifting and powerbuilding program from Chad Wesley Smith, an accomplished strength athlete and owner of Juggernaut Training Systems.
• Uses information such as your weight, training history, current fitness level and training load, personal records, goals, and ideal training schedule to create strength and hypertrophy blocks to prepare you for powerlifting or bodybuilding meets.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Extremely intuitive app experience
• Super smart and responsive AI
• Offers a two-week free trial to see if you like it

Cons

• Not the same as working with a real coach
• Dashboard is a little confusing at first
• Only for strength training (no cardio workouts)

Bottom Line

JuggernautAI compiles your information to create a personalized powerlifting and powerbuilding workout experience.

If you’re looking for personalized strength training based entirely on your metrics and strength levels, one of our favorite apps is JuggernautAI. Using an in-depth assessment of your current experience—weight, training load, personal records, training schedule, and fitness goals—JuggernautAI makes a program personalized to your specific needs. 

RELATED: The 5/3/1 Workout

Developed by an accomplished powerlifter and coach, Chad Wesley Smith, this app doesn’t have you interact with an online trainer. Instead, an algorithm is used to create and structure a workout program suited for your needs and goals. Each workout will prompt questions on your level of fatigue or soreness and make adjustments to future workouts, as well.

GGR senior staff writer Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, has used JuggernautAI on and off to supplement her fitness training and running over the last year and loves the app. “I’ve felt a notable increase in my work capacity, as in I don’t get fatigued as quickly and feel like I can workout harder for longer,” she says, adding, “The JuggernautAI training has also paid off in my triathlon training, as I’ve improved in all three disciplines: swimming, biking, and running.”

Amanda does note that the training app can be a little overwhelming at first, but after a couple workouts, you should get the hang of it; she rates the ease of use a 4.5 out of 5. While the app goes above and beyond other apps with accountability, you’re essentially working only with the app; users who are looking for an actual coach may find this off-putting. 

You can check out our full thoughts on this strength app in our JuggernautAI Review.

Other Online Personal Training Apps We Researched

There are lots of options for personal training apps. Here are a few other apps we researched or tried, but didn’t quite make our top picks.

• Joggo: Made as a running app, the voice-over option and personalized training plan might be great for beginners who have an interest in running their first race. However, at $33 per month, we think that’s the only subset of people who would really get their money’s worth with this app.
• Fitbod: This app acts as a virtual personal trainer or workout tracker, with a quick questionnaire that can help program workouts for you based on your fitness level and workout equipment available. However, the questionnaire doesn’t ask for personal best lifts, so the working weights it prescribed were wildly off for me, making it difficult to understand the stimulus or purpose of each workout at first.
• Trainiac: Although this is a highly recommended online personal training platform, we haven’t tested it yet. Also, it’s exclusive to Gympass members only.

How We Picked and Tested the Best Online Personal Trainers

The team at Garage Gym Reviews did our due diligence in testing out top fitness apps and training programs, using our fitness experience and knowledge to test out the overall value of each app. After thoroughly researching fitness apps, we narrowed down our count to over 50 apps.

For each of these apps, we had members of our team and expert panel test out the app, taking notes based on our testing methodology. We looked at aspects such as:

• Trial length: Does the app offer a trial or free version, and for how long?
• Value: How much does the app cost? Does the price match the features it offers?
• Setup and ease of use: How easy is the app to set up and begin? Is the app easy and intuitive to use?
• Accountability and interactive features: An app can have push notifications, check-ins from a coach, or a community and social media presence to help keep users motivated. What features does the app use?
• Instruction: Does the app clearly communicate instructions for programming, workouts, and exercises with written and visual instructions?
• Workout variety: Does the online personal training app offer enough workout variety to suit your needs?
• Equipment demands: Does the fitness program offered require any specific equipment?
• Customer service: How helpful is customer service, and how easy is it to get in contact with them? How easy is it to cancel or edit your subscription?

We gave each factor a score from 1 to 5, and then averaged them out to give each personal training app a score. Top programs were given superlatives and made our list of the best online personal trainers.

Benefits of Online Personal Trainers

There are many reasons a personal trainer or coach could be beneficial to your fitness plan—like customized workouts tailored to your goals, motivation at each session, and assessments to adjust your training sessions as needed. Personal training apps can offer these features (in varying levels), but here are some benefits that are mostly exclusive to online personal trainers.

Convenience

Most training sessions done face-to-face with a personal trainer are done in a gym, which can take up a chunk of time in your day when you include the commute time. Like having a home gym, an online personal trainer gets you the coaching expertise of an in-person trainer, but at the convenience of on your own time and at your own home.

RELATED: Home Gym vs Gym Membership

Saving Money

The best online personal trainers can be expensive. The cost can vary depending on the expansiveness of the features and involvement of an online coach, but personal training apps can cost as much as $200 each month, and in some cases even more. 

However, the cost of an in-person certified personal trainer can be more expensive. Typically, a training session with an in-person trainer will cost between $35 to $100. That’s just one session. If you’re training with a personal trainer even just once a week, that’ll cost you up to a few hundred dollars in one month.

Looking at the cost of the two, an online personal trainer can provide you with the guidance of in-person training while costing significantly less in many cases.

Online Support

In addition to providing workout plans customized to your fitness goals, an online personal training app can provide you with a great support system, and not just through video calls with or messaging your coach—although that’s a great feature. 

Some apps provide robust online communities, where app users can share workouts and progress with each other, providing a great level of support for users beyond that of the trainer. Other apps even provide in-app badges and push notifications to help encourage you to continue logging your workouts and training plans.

Expert Guidance

Online personal training programs tend to get the experts involved. If the app has one-on-one coaching, most apps make sure that the coaches on their platform have a personal training certification, along with other coaching certifications. Most screen their coaches to find some of the best in the fitness industry.

If the app offers virtual training that uses an algorithm to create workout programs, the developers typically will talk to expert fitness trainers in the industry as well, to make sure the programs follow standard practices of programming, like progressive overload.

What to Look for in Online Personal Trainers

If you’re interested in an online personal training app, then there are several factors to consider.

Type of Workouts

What modes of training are you looking for? In many circumstances, apps will offer quite a few training options, although maybe not all of them. Common types of workouts include:

• Strength training
• Powerlifting
• Olympic weightlifting
• Bodybuilding
• Cardio
• HIIT
• Functional fitness
• Yoga
• Pilates 
• Circuit training

This doesn’t even cover all types of workouts or training methods. However, if you’re looking for an online personal trainer, make sure it covers the type of training you’re interested in.

Instruction

What’s the level of instruction like? The type of instruction you get in a personal training app can vary a lot, including real-time coaching during your workout, weekly video calls and check-ins, or messages on a daily basis. Furthermore, some apps use expert-made algorithms that create training programs based on your fitness levels, goals, and personal records.

Certifications

Another important aspect to consider is the level of expertise from the trainers you’re working with. Most apps require their trainers to be a certified personal trainer, usually through the best personal training certifications on the market.

Common top certifications can be done through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), or the American Council on Exercise (ACE). There are more trainer certifications, as well as nutrition certifications and strength and conditioning certifications, too.

Price

The price needs to fit your budget, too. Personal training apps can vary wildly on their pricing, but their features and interactivity also tend to vary with the price. Prices can be as low as $8 to $20 a month, but feature limited personalization to workout plans. On the other hand, some online personal trainers cost $200 a month, but also connect you with a personal coach that creates personalized programming and checks in with you on a regular basis.

In addition, be on the lookout for any free trial offers to get a feel for the app. This can help you get a better feel on if the app is right for you and your needs.

Ease of Use

Like any app, the user interface can make or break the user’s experience. So typically, we want a quick setup in the app along with an easy-to-use format. How easy is the app to navigate through features? During your trial session, make sure that navigating the app is intuitive and that you can navigate to the app’s different features easily. 

Best Online Personal Trainer: FAQs

Caine Wilkes, OLY, USAW-L1

Caine Wilkes is an Olympian, placing 9th in weightlifting at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A former gym owner, he also has more than 15 years of experience coaching other athletes in weightlifting, CrossFit, and functional fitness.

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