Online Personal Training-is it for you?

You can get anything you want on the internet, I mean ANYTHING. If you need to rent a house in the Bahamas, you can get it on the internet. If you need to order hubcaps for a 1972 Volkswagen, you bet, right here on the internet, and if you need to track down the kid you used to cheat off of in the 3rd grade, boom, there he is, right on the internet. There are plenty of resources on the web to make your life easier, but, there plenty that can be a drain on your time and money as well. Let’s take online coaching for instance.

Now, I am not talking about a virtual baseball coach, I am talking about someone who helps coach you through a process or help you to support your endeavors in a variety of ways. Just last week I saw an ad for a service that provides online personal training. Online personal training, really? The internet is pretty powerful, but I just can’t see bringing a laptop with me to the gym while some knucklehead shouts at me through video connection to PUSH HARDER and JUST ONE MORE REP. Ok, maybe I am joking a bit here, but I just couldn’t see how hiring an online personal trainer would be a good use of your money. So, is online personal training worth it, or is it just a way for greedy marketers to suck money from gullible folks who want to lose some weight?

After doing some checking around, it seems, like just about everything else in the world that some of the people providing these services are legit, and some are just out for the buck. It is your job to do the research and make the decision that is right for you. Now, if you haven’t asked yourself this before, you may be thinking right now, “What in the heck can an online personal trainer do anyways?”

Actually, an online personal trainer can do much of what a regular one can:

-Design an effective exercise program

-Create nutritionally sound menus for the client

-Educate the client on different exercise programs and weight loss techniques

-Work to keep the client safe while working out

While the lack of an actual face to face presence can make the last item a little harder, all of the other items are actually benefited by having the relationship be online. The online process lends itself to keeping more accurate records of all conversations, or in this case emails, that occur between the trainer and the client. It can be extremely handy to have files created for you that will break down an effective workout program, a personalized diet for you, and records of current innovative weight loss techniques. Another benefit of an online service is the cost. Today, most personal trainers charge upwards of $50 per hour for their services. Online trainers may only charge $50 per month for theirs. Now, they are not getting same exact level of personal service with an online trainer as you might with a face to face one, but the info provided can be very similar.

All in all, it seems that it is possible to establish a relationship with an effective, communicative, and knowledgeable online personal trainer. If you have the motivation and drive to do the work necessary to reach your fitness goals and online personal trainer can be a cost effective and efficient way to help support your efforts.