Thinking about hiring a Certified Fitness Professional to help you achieve your goals? Can't decide whether or not you should get guidance via an online or in-person coach? Well by the end of this article, you'll gain the knowledge to help you make the best possible decision!
Key Questions
What's my background in both In-Person & Online Coaching?
What are the pros and cons of In-Person Coaching?
What are the pros and cons of Online Coaching?
Which is the best option for you?
My Experience
My Training career began in 2012 as freelance trainer specializing in program design and certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association as a Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT). I started off working with both men & women college students for fat loss or muscle building where I would design customized training programs that would include daily macronutrient goals.
In 2016, I started Walt Workout and launched my first online and mobile training application. I had the opportunity to be a coach to a number of incredible people that I wouldn't otherwise be able to work with if I didn't have the right tools to effectively connect with them hundreds of miles away.
In 2017, I began training more in-person clients at Crunch Fitness and started doing Group Classes that incorporated Powerlifting, Bodybuilding, Calisthenics, Plyometrics, Martial Arts, and Strongman training. I stepped out of my comfort zone by expanding my knowledge base beyond basic fitness goals by working with clients with specific needs like improving athletic performance, strengthening torn ligaments, enhancing conditioning, and optimizing performance/recovery with nutrition.
In 2018 I became a Master Trainer at 24 Hour Fitness where I began fully implementing a hybrid training approach that consisted of both in-person and online coaching. I redesigned my training programs by creating progression systems to accommodate more towards individuals fitness level, body type, experience, and limitations rather than just fitness goals.
In July 2020, I began coaching 100% online by providing 1:1 Coaching via my mobile application and through customized online training programs based on Warrior avatars that mimic specific training styles, goals, and levels.
Now that you've received a brief overview of my experience as a coach, what are the pros and cons from a client perspective?
In-Person Coaching
Pros
Fast Learning Curve: Working with a coach in person is the fastest and most efficient way to go from knowledge to application. The more knowledge that you can apply, the faster the results you can achieve.
Direct Feedback on Technique: When you're learning from a coach about technique, feedback is crucial for progression and injury prevention. Having your coach there to provide you with feedback on whether or not you perform a movement effectively can improve your progress towards your goals in the long term.
Instant Communication During Sessions: Got any questions, concerns, or immediate feedback during the session? Well you can instantly get them answered because your coach is right next to you!
Strict Rest Times: The more you heavily emphasize rest times in between sets, the higher the quality of your training session becomes in the from of higher intensity and less total time to complete the training session.
Stronger Relationship: Your bond with your coach can become much stronger when you interact and communicate in person. It's human nature.
Cons
Expensive: A standard training package to hire a Master Trainer on average is $800+/month for 8 sessions and goes up even more if you want to do more sessions. More sessions means more time, more time means more knowledge, more knowledge means more money.
Limited Accountability Outside of Sessions: A great coach will provide you with a comprehensive plan when you're not training together and check in from time to time, but that coach may not always be available when you need accountability. If they’re a great coach, then others are seeking the same accountability as you.
Limited Time: Most trainers only offer 50 min sessions, so that they can properly prepare for their next client. An average workout takes between 60-90 minutes which means that part of your workout may have to be done on your own.
Strict Schedule: Your coaches availability may be restricted to certain times on certain days which means you won't have too much flexibility to choose when you want to train. If you show up late to a session or something comes up and you have to cancel last minute, then that’s money, time, and knowledge lost.
Online Coaching
Pros
Training Tools: There are a number of training tools that can enhance your training experience and improve your results. Having things like weekly schedules, exercise tracking, nutrition tracking, habit tracking, direct messaging, and even groups all at the palm of your hands can be extremely beneficial if you use it.
Exercise Demonstrations: Getting visual guidance on exercise form/technique during your workouts can be crucial in effectively performing movements, preventing injury, and optimizing skills. This is something an in-person coach can’t always provide outside of your training sessions.
More Accountability Outside of Sessions: Checking in to your own workouts and logging nutrition in your mobile training app is the best tool for accountability. Knowing that your coach can see what your doing daily can be a powerful method to improve your compliance and consistency.
Progress Tracking: Being able to have measurements and progress photos all in one place is extremely convenient. You and your coach can easily keep track of your progress without the hassle of keeping papers or sending files.
More Affordable: There are much more flexible options to choose from when hiring an online trainer. Instead of investing in a bunch of 50 min sessions, you can invest in months of training guidance for a fraction of the cost.
Less Cost/Day: Online coaching is 7 days a week compared to in-person coaching which is only 2 days on average. If you break the total cost down per day, then you get more training for your buck!
Cons
Slow Learning Curve: Self-education becomes the forefront when you can’t tune into an in-person lecture from your coach. Your coach should provide you with the principles, strategies, and tactics to achieve your goals, but the learning process can take much longer if you're not a daily learner.
Delayed Feedback on Technique: In most cases, when you ask for feedback on form or technique during your workout, you won't immediately get a response while doing your workout. You may not be able to apply that feedback until the next workout which means improving performance skills can take much longer.
Delayed Communication: Having a back and forth conversation like in-person is just not possible via messaging. You won't have your coaches complete and undivided attention because they most likely have a number of messages to respond to from other clients like yourself.
Limited Accountability Inside of Sessions: Not having a Coach there to push you and keep you accountable during training sessions can be demoralizing, especially on days when you're feeling unmotivated. A certain level of self motivation is required for the moments when your coach isn’t available to bring you up.
Which Should You Choose?
From my professional experience, when I was a Master Trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, the Hybrid training approach resulted in the best training experience for clients. They were able to get the direct feedback they needed to improve technique, they were safely able to push past their physical/mental limitations, they were able to stay accountable outside of our training sessions with their nutrition, workouts, and communication.
However, adding in another training method on top of already expensive in-person training sessions, is not an affordable way to train for most. Not to mention there are very few trainers out there that offer a hybrid training approach in the first place while also implementing them synergistically with another. In other words, it's difficult for most coaches to implement both methods equally and effectively to produce better results than just focusing on one method.
If you found a coach that offers hybrid training and you have the funds to invest, then I believe that's the best option regardless of your goals, if the coach can execute properly. Otherwise, I would base your decision making on your personal goals by choosing the best option that fits your specific needs.
If you'd like some more help with developing a training strategy to achieve the vision that you have of your future self, then book a free 15 min consultation where we can help you select the best option for you to get the coach you need for achieving your goals.
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