Online vs In-Person Personal Training: Which One Do You Need?

Online personal training vs in person isn't a question of which one is better. It's a question of who can see your technique while you train, and whether you can see it yourself yet.

I coach both: in person in Chicago, and online for clients across 10+ countries. Same coach, same standards, different format. You'll read that online works just as well. Whether it works for you depends on where you're starting from.

Online personal training vs in person: what changes

Two things change.

When your technique gets corrected. In person, I fix it while it's happening. I can show you where the movement should go, tell you which muscle should be doing the work when I see you using a different one, and catch it when momentum starts doing the lifting. Knowing the theory isn't the hard part. Seeing the mistake while you're making it, and fixing it on the next rep, is what 17 years of coaching is for.

Online, I see only what you send me, mostly after the fact. If you film a set, I review it and the fix comes back by message. Until it lands, you keep practicing the version you filmed.

Who makes the call on a bad day. In person, if you walk in flat, I see it and adjust the session. Online, nobody sees it but you. You make the call on whether to train when you're tired, and you tell me when the week goes off schedule.

Here's how online personal training works with me:

• The plan comes by email, written for you.
• Video is optional. When you want a form check, film a set and send it through a messaging app or by text, and I'll tell you what to fix.
• We check in every two weeks, and you can ask for feedback weekly.
• No contract.

The plan is the easy part. The coaching happens in the check-ins and in any video you send.

Who should start in person

Beginners, and people coming back after a long break.

What online clients most often get wrong is technique. If you're new, you can't fix what you can't see yet, and between check-ins you're on your own with it. If you're coming back, it's a different version of the same problem: you remember how the lift used to feel, and that's the lift you think you're doing.

So if you can, start in person. What I always tell people: a coach isn't just handing you a program. Next to you, I control the session: the pace, the technique above all, and the small details and tips that never make it into a written plan. Here's what a first in-person session looks like.

If you're in Chicago and comparing coaches, use my checklist on how to find a personal trainer in Chicago. It works whoever you hire.

Can't train with me in person? Online is still possible. I can make more time to talk it through, on a Sunday for example, and you can ask me whatever you need.

If you're coming back from an injury or surgery, or something hurts now, see a doctor or physical therapist before you start in either format. I'm a trainer, not a doctor.

When online fits, and how to move between them

Online suits you when you can already see and correct your own form, and you'll do the work between check-ins. It's up to you to follow the plan. It also suits people who travel a lot, because coaching online means your training travels with you. Here's how to keep training on the road.

So is online personal training worth it? Yes, if you can see your own form and you'll report honestly. If you can't see it yet, it's the wrong place to start. Whether a personal trainer is worth it at all is a separate question.

You don't have to pick one forever. The path I'd suggest: in person first, then online once you can correct yourself.

It runs the other way too. One client started with me online, then asked for one in-person session a week, then switched to training with me in person for every session. The workouts felt different with me there: I watched every rep, showed the right technique, set the timing and the pace, and kept the motivation up.

Pick the one that fits where you are now. You can switch later.

To check where you stand this week:

1. Film one set of squats or push-ups from the side and watch it back. Does it look the way it felt? Can you tell your good reps from your bad ones?
2. Will you follow the plan and tell your coach when a week goes sideways, with nobody waiting for you at the gym?

Yes across the board, and online can work. A no anywhere, and start in person if you can.

Start in person or online

In person, I train clients in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs at a gym we agree on. Online, wherever you are, tell me what you're training for and I'll write your plan. Either way, we start with a free 30-minute call, and there's no contract.

Send me a message to start either one. Not sure which fits? Ask. And if I'm not the right coach for you, I'll tell you that too.