In-person VS Online Training
Written by Jaclyn | 9 min read
Online coaching is often viewed as a lesser-than, inferior service compared to in-person coaching, and in some cases rightfully so! But in others, not so much. Like many things in life… IT DEPENDS!
With the recent explosion of online fitness coaching available these days, we wanted to clear the air on some confusion
Disclaimer: when we use the term “online coaching”, we are NOT talking about a one-hour long, 1-on-1 virtual training session over Zoom
I was listening to a podcast once and heard the analogy of online coaching being compared to buying a new cell phone.
You could either buy your phone at an actual brick-and-mortar store, OR you could order it online. The end goal is the same, is it not? You get a sweet new phone and an awesome new plan, regardless of if you bought it in-person or online.
Well, the same goes for coaching!
Combined, both Greg and I have 25 years of coaching experience. From what we’ve seen, and with how we do things around here, we’re going to weigh the pro’s/con’s of each.
But first, realize this:
both can help you achieve your goals
both offer custom programming and coaching
both address lifestyle & nutrition needs (but in different ways)
both can get you RESULTS!
It’s important to point out that online coaching programs are divided into two sub-categories: HIGH-TICKET and LOW-TICKET. What we’re talking about here is high-ticket coaching. Typically with high-ticket, you get more in-depth coaching (we explain this in more detail below)
What is high-ticket vs. low-ticket coaching?
Low-ticket typically a non-individualized workout program with very minimal coaching feedback (usually delivered on an app), where everyone who joins follows along on the same program, at the same time. The program is not tailored to you, and depending on the coach, they may (or may not) offer some remote assistance and coaching to help you make adjustments when necessary. It’s 100% self-led and the coach is not heavily involved. It allows for a great amount of independence from the client (which can be a pro or a con, depending on the person). This is something similar to what your favourite fitness influencer is doing – leveraging their large following with low-ticket programming that costs anywhere from $10-$40/month. It’s a “set it and forget it” type approach where you get virtually no hand-holding from your coach because the scale is so large it’s impossible to provide deep, personalized coaching solutions to such a high volume of clients. (Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this approach, and for some people, it’s all they need and want from an online program)
High ticket, on the other hand, includes MUCH more actual COACHING, guidance and support on things like nutrition, lifestyle, exercise substitutions & adjustments, working through injuries and focused on making real, deep, lifelong changes. People who sign up for high-ticket coaching are looking for MORE than just a program. It’s not just “here’s your program and off you go!” Excellent high-ticket coaching is exactly that – it’s COACHING to get you to where you want and need to be. It’s not “hey! go do your your program, and I’ll talk to ya in 4 weeks”. High-ticket coaching gives you more face-to-face time with your coach and access to things like group calls & chats, educational content, instructional videos, accountability and individual monitoring to help you stay on track. Simply put your coach is much more accessible to you (compared to low-ticket coaching).
Understand that for both low AND high-ticket online coaching, you will be expected to hit the gym on you own. It doesn’t change the fact that your coach is NOT at the gym with you telling you what to do.
Here are some pros & cons of high-ticket online coaching VS in-person 1-on-1 coaching in the gym
In-Person Coaching
PRO:
More ‘hand-holding’ – for some clients this is what makes them feel most comfortable and confident in the gym
Immediate, real-time coaching feedback and adjustments on the spot
Someone to set up your equipment (load the bar, hand you dumbbell’s, tell you exactly what to do)
Appointment accountability - someone is literally waiting for you at the gym
Someone to count your reps and call the shots on weight
As the client you don’t have to think about anything, you just show up, ‘do the thing’, and leave (…some clients appreciate this, while others want to learn more and do more themselves)
The gym and/or client community (could be a pro or con depending on the gym culture and how it vibes with you)
You get to spend a literal hour with your coach (this could be a pro OR a con, depending on how much you enjoy their company)
A reliable spotter for heavy lifts
CON:
More expensive, compared to online! (typically speaking)
Not always enough time to dig deep, focus and discuss topics outside of your lifting, such as nutrition/lifestyle (it’s difficult to do this effectively during a focused lifting session and may require booking an extra session, or it will cut into your lifting time)
Dealing with a disengaged, burnt out, exhausted trainer who’s just grinding out hours
You have to plan your workout schedule to fit both your trainers and your own
You might not actually LIKE your trainer or enjoy being around them (…maybe a sign to find a new one?)
Some trainers only commit to the 1-hour they have with you and will not/DO NOT do any extra work outside your session to help you
Trainers that cancel last minute, or show up late - it’s unprofessional and annoying
Online Coaching
PRO:
You have more independence (could be a pro or a con, depending on your needs)
A deeper learning experience – more educational, you will be forced to do some things on your own (“give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time”)
You can plan your workouts around your OWN schedule and not have to worry about fitting it into your trainers
More time allotted for lifestyle/nutrition coaching and feedback (our signature program, Brave the Barbell, includes a ton of educational resources inside our online portal, which is a great supplement to our face-to-face coaching)
Group chats and a private Facebook community – you’ll see Q&A’s from other clients which may have had similar struggles to you!
Group coaching calls (more Q&A)
Online community + your gym’s community (once again, culture depending, may or may not be a good fit)
Often more affordable than in-person
CON:
No appointment accountability – no immediate financial sting for cancelling your session or showing up late. I will note, if you do not put in the work that your online coach expects of you, you will feel the “financial sting” later when you’re not getting the results you want
No immediate coaching feedback – i.e. your coach won’t be able to tell you how much weight to lift in real time (coaching feedback is delayed) or make adjustments on the spot
No direct hand-holding IN the gym compared to 1-on-1 in-person coaching (you will be on your own, and will have to load you own bar, set up your own equipment, select your own weights, etc.)
No reliable coach to spot heavy lifts
You might not push yourself as hard in the gym (but I’d argue, not every lifting session needs to be max effort to get results!)
In-person personal training is perfectly clear to 99.9% of the population…
You go to the gym, you meet with your trainer, they take you through your workout, (tell you what to do, how much to lift, chat a little about lifestyle/nutrition, correct your technique) and then the hour is up, and it’s over. You meet again later that week. Rinse, repeat.
It’s pretty fucking straight forward.
So how does online training & coaching actually work?!
We’ve seen clients get incredible results online, and barely any results in person … and we’ve also seen the opposite!
It takes two to tango, coaching is a two-way street. Your coach must be good, but you also must be coachable. If you are someone who knows you will absolutely NEVER EVER go to the gym unless you have a coach there waiting for you, then online training is NOT a good fit for you. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to be tied up to someone else’s schedule and you itch for freedom and independence to learn your way around, but need some guidance, then online coaching could be perfect for you! It all depends on what TYPE of service you want, but just know that both have the potential to get you results (…or NOT get you results)
Your goals are what’s most important to us, and probably to you to!
As long as you achieved the goals you’re after in a sustainable way, does it really matter HOW you were coached to get there?
Some clients want some autonomy to go out on their own and follow the guidance of a pro, and don’t want their coach breathing down their neck, whereas other clients want to come in and be told exactly what to do and don’t give a flying fuck about anything else.
If one of your goals is to challenge yourself to feel more confident in the gym, yet maintain some level of independence, online coaching may be a better learning experience for you instead of being spoon-fed and supervised by your in-person coach.
At the end of the day, you gotta weigh the pros and cons of each service and decide what is a better fit for YOU!
The clients who buy in-person training are NOT always the same clients that buy online training, and vise versa. But sometimes there is overlap (we’ve trained clients that like a little of both; an online program plus a once-a-month in-person session, more of what we would call “hybrid”)
You have to pick what’s right for YOU and YOUR goals! So explore your options.
Thank you for making it this far. I wanted to clear up some confusion on what online coaching really is, the pros and cons and explain our approach to things.
Some words from clients:
“Online coaching is more accessible & convenient, but in-person wins for technique coaching and depth”
“Online is beneficial if the coach gives a shit, but can also be used as a way to not put in effort”
“Online coaching helped me gain gainz! It was more affordable than in-person and so I trained more with a program”
Share this with someone who’s confused about online coaching! :)
Want to learn more about our 90-day starter program, Built for BJJ?
Email us info@kaliberhealthonline.com or send us a DM on Instagram to determine if you’re a good fit
