How Does Online Personal Training Work?

Online personal training… easy money, right? Not quite. It’s not as simple as creating an Instagram account and DM’ing people cookie-cutter push-pull-legs programs for 500 bucks a pop – if it was, I’d be writing this from my yacht while being fed grapes like an Egyptian king, not from a 400-square-foot studio snacking on stale popcorn.

Working as a trainer in the personal space is a tough job that not many succeed at. But the few who do are rewarded with a business they can scale, less time in the gym, and more clients to reach. So, how do we get there?

Technology and Logistics: The Nuts and Bolts of Online Training

First, let’s understand what online personal training actually is. Here’s what a typical setup looks like:

1. Customized Workout Programs: Based on each client’s fitness level and goals, trainers create workout programs that include specific exercises for strength, endurance, or flexibility. These programs evolve as clients make progress or their goals change.
2. Form Assessments: Trainers might assess videos of clients performing exercises. They then provide feedback to ensure correct form, either through scheduled video calls or through app-based messaging.
3. Progress Tracking and Adjustments: Through fitness apps or online tools, trainers track metrics like weight changes, reps, and other performance data. Based on this, they adjust workouts to match the client’s progress and prevent plateaus.
4. Guided Progressions and Goal Setting: Trainers help clients set realistic goals and guide them through step-by-step progressions. This not only keeps workouts challenging but also ensures that clients are consistently working toward their fitness targets.

All of these steps create a structured, hands-on experience, even without the face-to-face setting of a gym.

Communication and Experience: The Foundation of Effective Online Training

Without being physically present, trainers depend on clients to accurately communicate issues, progress, or challenges they encounter during workouts. This makes clear communication a top priority.

But how do we ensure good communication? Online trainers must provide regular check-ins — often through video calls — to assess form, answer questions, and provide ongoing support. These conversations build trust and accountability, helping clients stay engaged and motivated even from a distance. This is your opportunity to build a bond with your client and become more than just a floating head on their computer screen.

Engagement and Interaction: How Trainers Guide Clients Virtually

Since trainers can’t make real-time corrections in person, they have to find creative ways to keep clients on track. Detailed exercise demonstrations, live calls, and photo or video assessments are common tools. Trainers also use these tools to ensure clients understand proper form and can perform exercises safely.

Some platforms and apps support real-time interaction, allowing trainers to give instant feedback on form or adjust workouts as needed. This interactive element is key for keeping clients accountable and simulating an in-person coaching experience as closely as possible.

The Role of Market Growth: Staying Ahead in the Expanding Online Fitness World

Online personal training is growing fast, fueled by lifestyle shifts and rapid advances in tech. This growth presents an opportunity but also a challenge. Trainers who thrive in the online world are quick to adopt new tech — from apps to VR — that enhances the training experience and meets the diverse needs of their clients. Staying ahead in this expanding market requires trainers to blend fitness expertise with a tech-savvy approach, offering clients the best of both worlds.

The Most Important Part

Being open minded and willing to adapt is a common trait of every successful online trainer. You have to be willing to step outside the box and kick it over. Because let’s be real, there’s nothing traditional about training someone in New York while you’re at the DMV in Washington. It’s a new and strange occupation, and you have to be willing to lean into that quirkiness and see where it takes you.

Remember, there are no rules to online training. It’s up to you to decide how to structure your business to best help your clients. Some clients are self-motivated. You can send them a program and check-up on them in a month and see great results. Other clients will need to text you three times a day. A good online personal trainer is able to navigate both extremes and everything in-between.