Online Coaching vs Personal Training: Which Is Right for You?
Ep. 05

Online Coaching vs Personal Training: Which Is Right for You?

Episode description

In this episode of The Outlifting Lounge, Alan and Derec dive into one of the biggest questions in fitness: Should you hire an online coach or an in-person personal trainer? We break down the pros and cons of each, from cost and convenience to personalisation and accountability. Plus, we share 10 red flags to watch out for when choosing a coach, so you don’t waste time or money.

Before that, we catch up on our week, share our thoughts on Wicked For Good (spoiler-free!), and reveal an exclusive Black Friday offer for listeners. If you’re planning your fitness goals for the new year, this episode will help you make the right choice for your lifestyle.

Tune in now and find out which approach gets better results for YOU.

Chapters

00:00:00 - Intro & What’s Coming Up

00:00:36 - Recording Mishaps

00:01:07 - Weekly Recap & Routine Reset

00:02:11 - Wicked For Good: Spoiler-Free Review

00:05:56 - Fitness Section

00:06:03 - Online Coaching & Personal Training defined

00:08:25 - Key Differences

00:11:37 - Which Coaching Is Right for You?

00:13:38 - LGBTQ Considerations When Choosing a Coach

00:14:48 - 10 Red Flags to Watch Out For

00:30:03 - Exclusive Black Friday Offer

00:31:19 - Wrap-Up & Where to Find Us

🌈 What is Outlifting?

We’re Alan & Derec - husbands who are passionate about health and fitness. We set up Outlifting together as a community exclusively for gay, bi & trans men who want to hit their fitness goals. With personal workout plans accountability coaching, nutrition planning, new healthy recipes weekly, wellness and mindset coaching, and more, Outlifting is not just another online personal training platform. We’re here to set you up for success so that this time, you can’t fail.

➡️ Work with Us: Ready to transform your body and build unstoppable confidence? Book a free, no obligation video consultation: calendly.com/outlift/discoverycall

➡️ Follow us on socials: Instagram - instagram.com/outlift.ing/ TikTok - tiktok.com/@outlift.ing

➡️ Visit our website: outlift.ing

Download transcript (.srt)
0:00

Welcome to The Outlifting Lounge, the show about

0:02

pride, fitness and everything in between. I'm Alan.

0:06

And I'm Derec. In today's episode, we'll have

0:08

a quick catch up on our week. We'll

0:10

have a spoiler free chat about the film

0:12

that everybody's been talking about, Wicked For Good.

0:15

And by the end of this episode, you'll

0:17

have a really good idea of which fitness

0:19

coaching style fits your goals, lifestyle and budget.

0:23

And we'll give you some red flags to

0:25

watch out for so you don't waste time

0:26

or money.

0:27

Oh, and stick around until the end because

0:29

we have an exclusive Black Friday offer just

0:32

for our listeners.

0:36

We're back, episode five, and this is actually

0:39

the third attempt at recording this.

0:41

So episode eight then?

0:43

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong

0:46

in the previous two attempts.

0:48

Yeah, it was lighting issues, recording issues.

0:52

Yeah, it's been a bit of a nightmare,

0:54

but hopefully this is the last edit or

0:56

the last take.

0:57

It needs to be. It needs to be

0:59

because I'm going insane.

1:00

We do say that it's released on a

1:01

Sunday, but this episode might be released at

1:03

23:59 tonight.

1:05

Oh, well. Anyway, how's your week been?

1:07

It's been good. Winter Pride is officially over,

1:10

which is nice because we're back into proper

1:13

routine again and structure, which I've touched on

1:15

before.

1:16

For me, routine and structure is like super

1:18

important.

1:19

So it's been nice just to get back

1:20

into things.

1:21

How have you been? You've got your voice back!

1:23

Aye, Stella's got her groove back.

1:25

I have got my voice back, which is

1:27

a good thing because it completely went, which

1:29

I think you were quite happy about.

1:30

No comment.

1:32

We actually took it quite easy over Winter

1:35

Pride.

1:35

It was kind of a working holiday for

1:37

us.

1:37

We were still working.

1:38

We were going out doing some things.

1:40

So we weren't really drinking.

1:42

You were too ill.

1:42

I was way too ill, but I think

1:44

shouting over loud music, trying to talk to

1:46

people really just made it worse.

1:48

And it completely went.

1:50

And then I was floored for days afterwards.

1:52

Yeah.

1:53

At one point you were like Phoebe from

1:54

Friends, My Sticky Shoes, and then you just became

1:58

ill.

1:58

I was like, oh, no, don't come

1:59

near me.

2:01

None of it was sexy, trust me.

2:03

None of it was sexy.

2:04

Thanks.

2:05

You're welcome.

2:06

Am I sexy again?

2:07

Yeah, you getting there.

2:09

Yeah, it's been nice getting back into routine

2:11

again.

2:11

And Friday we had a really chilled night because

2:14

we went to the pictures to see Wicked

2:15

For Good.

2:16

Why are you laughing?

2:17

The pictures?

2:19

Aye, all right, granddad.

2:21

The talkies.

2:21

We went to see a talkie.

2:23

What the hell?

2:23

Who calls it the pictures?

2:25

Anybody from Glasgow calls it the pictures.

2:27

Anybody of a certain age from Glasgow!

2:29

It's the pictures.

2:30

Cinema.

2:31

No, I'm going to talk to the camera

2:31

here.

2:33

Anybody that's from Glasgow, or the West of

2:35

Scotland,

2:36

please back me up here that it's the

2:37

pictures.

2:37

Leave a comment.

2:38

Let me know.

2:39

And when you leave in the comment, perhaps

2:41

say what age you are.

2:43

Because I have a theory.

2:45

I'm 44.

2:46

Alan and I are an age gap relationship.

2:50

A year and a half.

2:51

That's like dog years in gay years.

2:54

It's a year and a half.

2:55

I'm 44, Derec's 43.

2:58

I will sue.

3:01

Anyway, back to the pictures.

3:02

What did we go and see?

3:03

We went to see Wicked For Good.

3:05

We did, with our friend Nik, who was

3:07

super excited to see it.

3:08

Right, this is going to be spoiler free but

3:10

what I will say is I really enjoyed

3:11

it.

3:12

I thought it was a very good movie.

3:13

It was good, but I think I prefer

3:14

the first one to the second one.

3:16

Yes, I agree with you.

3:17

The second film is a bit darker,

3:22

and it doesn't really have all the kind

3:25

of tunes that you would leave the cinema

3:26

singing.

3:27

Is the word you're looking for camp?

3:29

Yes, it's not as camp.

3:30

Yes, that's what it is.

3:32

I've been struggling to put my finger on

3:34

what it is, yes.

3:35

The first one is definitely camper.

3:36

The second one, it is a bit darker and

3:40

grittier,

3:41

and it brings the storylines together to a

3:43

conclusion.

3:44

And it's good.

3:46

It is good in its own right.

3:47

I think if you go into the second

3:48

one, comparing it to the first and expecting

3:50

something very

3:51

similar, you might set yourself up for disappointment.

3:54

But if you go in without expectations, I

3:56

think that's the best way to approach it.

3:58

Yeah.

3:59

Yeah.

3:59

I mean, the production was amazing, costume design

4:02

amazing, storyline.

4:04

Yeah, it was good.

4:05

But I just, I wasn't as engaged with

4:08

this one as I was with the first

4:09

one.

4:10

Yeah.

4:11

Still good though.

4:12

I think there were quite a lot of

4:14

reviews of this that were bad.

4:17

I don't really agree.

4:18

I don't get it.

4:19

I think those are super fans who went

4:21

in with high expectations.

4:22

They wanted specific things from the film.

4:24

Exactly.

4:25

Exactly.

4:25

However, obviously Jonathan Bailey.

4:28

Jonathan Bailey.

4:29

Sexy Jonathan Bailey.

4:31

Sexiest man alive, Jonathan Bailey.

4:33

What was the conversation you had with Nik

4:36

before you went in?

4:39

So obviously, Nick is, he's going to kill

4:41

us.

4:42

Nik is a super fan.

4:44

And just before we went into the cinema,

4:46

I said to him, oh, are you excited

4:48

to see

4:49

Wicked For Good?

4:50

I know you've been looking forward to this

4:51

for a while.

4:52

And he reached into his pocket and he

4:53

took a little pack of tissues.

4:54

And he showed me, he said, I brought

4:57

some tissues.

4:59

I said, are you going to have a

5:01

w***?

5:03

But then there's a point in the film

5:05

where, and this isn't a spoiler, but there is

5:07

a point

5:07

in the film where you see a little

5:08

bit of Jonathan Bailey's chest and his chest

5:10

hair.

5:11

And that was a highlight.

5:12

It was a highlight.

5:13

He's looking mighty fine.

5:14

So I just leaned over to Nik and

5:15

said, hankies at the ready.

5:19

What did he say?

5:20

He just laughed.

5:21

And then I decided I wanted to get

5:23

a better laugh out of him.

5:24

So I leaned over to him and went,

5:26

toss toss.

5:28

Then the people in front of us turned

5:30

around and went, shhhh!

5:30

They weren't happy.

5:34

So, yeah, it's a pretty good film.

5:36

Jonathan Bailey's quite good in it.

5:37

Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, phenomenal.

5:41

Like their voices are just something else.

5:43

I ended up in a Wicked reel hole

5:45

last night, just before bed.

5:47

I ended up in the Jonathan Bailey hole.

5:49

In my dreams.

5:51

You wish.

5:54

Yeah.

5:55

So I think we've talked about our week.

5:56

We've talked about Wicked.

5:57

Shall we move on to the fitness section?

5:59

Let's do it.

6:03

So we have reached the regular fitness section

6:06

of the podcast.

6:06

And this week we thought it would be

6:08

good to do something around fitness coaching.

6:11

This is the time of year when people

6:13

start to turn their thoughts towards fitness goals,

6:17

New Year's resolutions, all those kind of things.

6:19

And quite a lot of people reach out

6:21

to personal trainers and online fitness coaches

6:23

for support in that.

6:25

So what we are going to do today

6:27

is have a little chat about coaching.

6:29

We're going to discuss the differences between

6:31

an online fitness coach and an in-person

6:34

personal trainer.

6:35

So that people know what each does.

6:37

They have a better idea of which gets

6:40

better results.

6:41

And we'll also point out some red flags

6:44

as well.

6:44

So things to watch out for if you

6:46

are shopping around for a coach or a

6:48

trainer,

6:49

what to look out for that's going to

6:50

set the alarm bells ringing.

6:51

Yeah.

6:52

And I think it's good because people can

6:53

then make an informed choice.

6:54

You know, they can look at what is

6:55

best for them, like you said,

6:57

make the decision based on that.

6:59

Totally.

7:00

And what we probably should preface this with

7:03

is a...

7:04

Disclaimer.

7:05

Yes, because we are online fitness coaches.

7:08

We run Outlifting, which is our own service.

7:10

But this section is not really to push

7:14

our specific service.

7:15

It is to just give people a bit

7:17

of an overview so that they can make

7:19

an informed decision.

7:20

And that said, if they do want to

7:21

go with our service,

7:22

we do have a special offer at the

7:24

end so they can stick around for that.

7:25

So Alan, do you want to kick us

7:27

off and maybe just give a brief outline

7:29

of what each is?

7:30

Yeah, definitely.

7:31

So in person, personal trainer, generally you pay

7:35

them by the hour.

7:37

They deliver the session within that hour and

7:40

they might give you a little bit of

7:42

extra

7:42

in terms of like a little bit of

7:43

nutrition coaching,

7:44

but generally it's just for that hour that

7:45

you're paying for.

7:47

Whereas with an online coach, it's more of

7:49

a holistic approach.

7:50

I would say, you know, you get your

7:52

full workout program,

7:53

you get nutrition advice, you get mindset advice,

7:56

and you get access to them a lot

7:59

more than what you would with an

8:01

in-person personal trainer.

8:02

Obviously, online fitness coaching is pretty new.

8:05

In the last few years, it has exploded

8:07

and a lot more people

8:08

are moving to that and away from

8:11

in-person personal training.

8:13

However, it isn't for everybody.

8:14

So what we've done is we've prepared a

8:17

list here of a few different points

8:19

just to demonstrate what the differences are between

8:22

the two,

8:22

so that people can make that decision.

8:25

So the first one up we've got is

8:27

cost.

8:28

So for an in-person personal trainer, traditionally,

8:31

you pay per session,

8:32

which is normally an hour.

8:35

So you've got your trainer for that hour

8:37

in the gym, they're with you,

8:39

they go through your workout program with you.

8:40

For an online fitness coach, you are paying

8:43

a fixed monthly fee

8:45

and that kind of covers everything.

8:47

It's a fixed cost.

8:48

So obviously, depending on how many sessions you

8:50

have with an in-person trainer per month,

8:51

that can work out more expensive than the

8:54

fixed cost online.

8:56

So the next one up is location.

8:58

Traditionally, an in-person personal trainer will be

9:00

gym-based in that one specific gym,

9:02

whereas an online coach, they can be accessed

9:05

from anywhere.

9:06

So that can be particularly good for someone,

9:08

for instance, who travels with work

9:10

or when you go on holiday, you've still

9:11

got access to your coach.

9:14

In terms of support, generally, an in-person

9:17

personal trainer

9:18

gives you support during those sessions in the

9:21

gym and it's usually restricted to that,

9:23

whereas an online coach is structured.

9:27

You get chat, you get calls and they

9:30

are more available to you around the clock.

9:33

In terms of personalization, online, I think, tends

9:37

to be more tailored to you

9:39

and a personal trainer, an in-person personal

9:42

trainer can be less so.

9:43

And the reason for that is because the

9:46

personal... the in-person personal trainer

9:49

is when they are on the clock, they

9:51

are actually physically training you

9:53

and that's what you're paying them to do.

9:56

Whereas with the online coach, they are, well,

9:58

they should be spending the time

10:00

making sure that your programming is right, you're

10:03

getting the support that you need,

10:04

that your nutrition is right and things like

10:06

that.

10:07

In terms of feedback, with an online coach,

10:10

generally, you've got them during a chat

10:13

and you would have regular check-ins with

10:15

them.

10:16

If you need support with your form, so

10:20

how you're performing exercises,

10:21

generally, how they do that is you would

10:24

record a video of yourself in the gym

10:26

performing the exercise, you send it to your

10:28

online coach and then they give you

10:29

feedback about what you need to change in

10:32

your setup and your execution.

10:34

With an in-person personal trainer, the feedback

10:37

is really immediate.

10:39

It's while you're in that session, you've got

10:40

them, they can give you the feedback then.

10:42

And with form as well, that maybe is

10:45

an advantage for an in-person personal trainer

10:47

because they can tell you then and there,

10:50

this is what you need to correct.

10:51

Do this differently.

10:52

And then the last point that we have

10:54

is education.

10:55

So an in-person personal trainer, most of

10:58

the education that you receive from them

11:00

will be workout focused and during your session,

11:03

so they can impart wisdom

11:05

and teach you things while they are face

11:07

-to-face with you, coaching you.

11:10

With an online coach, perhaps I should preface

11:13

this with saying with a good online coach,

11:15

they should have resources available to you and

11:18

they can educate you during

11:19

check-ins and via chat and also there

11:22

should be an element of habit tracking in

11:24

there as well

11:25

to help you build what you need to

11:27

be able to succeed.

11:28

So that is a very brief overview of

11:30

the main differences between the two.

11:32

So shall we get to the crux of

11:34

it and what most people will be asking?

11:37

Which one's better?

11:38

I think actually the real question is, it's

11:40

not about which one is better,

11:42

but which one is better for you?

11:43

You know, everybody's individual in terms of the

11:46

support that they need.

11:49

So I think with an in-person PT,

11:50

if you're someone that needs that extra push

11:53

in the moment

11:53

and you don't think that you have the

11:56

motivation or the drive to do that on

11:59

your own,

11:59

then an in-person PT is going to

12:01

be ideal for you

12:02

because they're going to give you that motivation

12:04

in the moment.

12:05

If you need someone to stand over you

12:06

in the gym and push you, perfect.

12:10

Yeah, no, I agree.

12:11

And I think with online coaching, it's more

12:12

of a holistic approach.

12:14

You're going to be getting workouts, nutrition, mindset

12:17

coaching and accountability.

12:19

If you're someone that needs help working on

12:22

your physical health in tandem with mindset,

12:25

then online coaching is probably a really good

12:27

approach for you.

12:28

There are people out there who definitely gravitate

12:33

more towards an in-person trainer.

12:35

There are people who actually, when they start

12:38

looking into it,

12:38

they realise what they need is an online

12:40

coach

12:40

because I think an online coach is more

12:42

of a, it's a hand-holding and it's

12:45

not forever.

12:46

It's, I think the good thing about online

12:49

coaching

12:50

is that really you take it on for

12:52

as long as you need it.

12:54

So you come on for an initial period.

12:55

It's almost like having somebody holding your hand

12:57

through that bit.

12:58

You can ask them questions whenever you need

13:00

it.

13:01

And our aim anyway, as online coaches,

13:03

is to bring people to the point where

13:05

they don't need us anymore.

13:06

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

13:08

And I think as well, if you're in

13:09

the market for an in-person PT or

13:11

an online coach,

13:12

you need to make sure that they're a

13:14

good fit for you as well.

13:17

We have had calls before and I've said

13:20

to people,

13:20

I don't think we're right for you.

13:22

I think you need an in-person personal

13:24

trainer

13:24

because you need that support in the moment,

13:27

you know?

13:28

So you need to really kind of make

13:29

that decision and say,

13:30

okay, do I need an in-person PT

13:32

that's going to do this

13:33

or do I need an online coach which

13:34

is going to do this?

13:36

Yeah, absolutely. It is about that.

13:38

And I would also say there is an

13:40

angle

13:40

because obviously we are a coaching service for

13:43

gay, bi and trans men.

13:44

And coming at this from an LGBTQ angle,

13:48

I think picking the right trainer is really

13:50

crucial as well.

13:52

What really underlined that for me as well,

13:53

we know of some fitness coaches out there

13:56

through social media

13:58

who we have actually un-followed because when

14:01

you look at who they follow,

14:03

or you sometimes you see what they're sharing

14:04

in the stories,

14:05

there's been times that they've shared really awful

14:08

stuff

14:08

from the likes of Andrew Tate and the

14:10

rest.

14:11

And if people are going to them for

14:13

support as a member of the LGBT community,

14:15

they might not really be aware of this.

14:18

They might not be aware of their trainer's

14:20

views

14:20

and it might only come up a little

14:22

later on.

14:22

I think that's why it's really important, especially

14:25

if you're LGBTQ,

14:27

to maybe vet your coach or your trainer

14:29

a little closer.

14:30

Absolutely. Do some research on them, find out,

14:33

really do a deep dive into their social

14:36

media

14:36

because that's where you're going to get a

14:37

feel for who they are.

14:39

So I think we've covered online coaching versus

14:42

in-person personal training.

14:43

We have got one segment left of this

14:46

section and that is the red flags.

14:48

So we have prepared 10 red flags to

14:52

look out for when you're choosing a coach.

14:55

Obviously, in every industry,

14:56

there's people that are offering good service and

14:58

bad service

14:59

and the fitness industry is no different.

15:01

So I think this section is super important

15:03

to highlight the red flags and the green

15:05

flags.

15:06

And I think we've already given a bonus

15:07

one,

15:07

which is if they follow Andrew Tate.

15:11

Red flag!

15:11

Red flag.

15:12

So the first one that we have got

15:13

on our list,

15:14

red flag number one is that the workout

15:17

plan that they supply to you

15:19

is just a scrap of paper or an

15:23

Apple Note

15:23

or a Google spreadsheet or something like that.

15:27

Really, what you should be expecting in 2025

15:29

is an app where you have got your

15:32

workouts

15:32

and you can track your progress.

15:34

We spoke to someone recently and they said

15:35

they were getting their workouts through Apple Notes.

15:38

Honestly, I don't even know what to say

15:39

to that.

15:40

It's just crazy.

15:41

I mean, it's 2025, almost 2026.

15:45

If you're not using an app to track

15:47

your workouts,

15:48

then I don't know what you're doing.

15:50

And leading on from that, red flag number

15:52

two,

15:53

your workout program isn't customized to you.

15:57

In-person PTs and online coaches

15:59

potentially could be giving you cookie cutter programs,

16:02

which means they're giving everybody the same program

16:05

and you should be getting a tailored assessment

16:08

for your goals, your ability, and where you

16:11

are right now.

16:12

Yeah, we've heard that from our clients before

16:14

quite a few times

16:15

where they've been with a previous coach or

16:17

trainer

16:18

and they have been forced to use the

16:20

treadmill for a set period of time,

16:22

even though they've told their trainer multiple times

16:24

they do not like running.

16:26

Absolutely. I hate running.

16:27

See, if someone told me to run, I'd

16:28

be like, nah.

16:29

As we always say, the best cardio is...

16:32

The one that you enjoy doing.

16:33

Yes.

16:34

So we work with our clients on that

16:36

and I think any coach worth their salt

16:38

does the same.

16:39

Yeah, absolutely.

16:40

So red flag number three is that there

16:42

is no clear onboarding process.

16:44

So when a coach or a trainer brings

16:46

on a new client,

16:47

they really should onboard them.

16:48

And what that essentially means is

16:50

they tell them all of the essential information

16:53

that they need to know at the start,

16:54

they get them up and running,

16:56

they get the information from them that is

16:58

needed

16:58

and it's clear to you so that you

17:01

do not feel lost in the process

17:03

when you start working with a coach or

17:06

a trainer.

17:07

Yeah, an onboarding process is so important at

17:10

the start.

17:10

Think about it, even if you're experienced or if

17:13

you're someone new,

17:14

starting a new fitness journey can be really

17:16

overwhelming.

17:17

It can be really scary.

17:18

You're going to be nervous.

17:19

There's lots of information to take on.

17:21

You want to make sure that you're getting

17:22

it right.

17:23

So having a simple onboarding process really makes

17:26

that a lot easier.

17:28

It lays out everything that you need to

17:29

do in the first couple of weeks.

17:31

Absolutely, absolutely.

17:32

And I mean, there's no sort of industry

17:34

standard for what it looks like,

17:35

but I will give our service purely as

17:37

an example.

17:38

So when a new client signs up with

17:40

us,

17:41

we trigger a series of timed emails

17:43

so that they don't get information overload.

17:45

So they're getting one clear actionable step

17:48

or one clear piece of information per email

17:51

and it's spread out over a series of

17:53

days.

17:53

So it brings them up to speed gradually.

17:56

Most important information first.

17:58

We also have, for instance,

18:00

a handbook that we have designed ourselves

18:02

it's 32 pages long and it's got all of

18:05

the basic information that they need

18:07

that they can ingest in their own time.

18:10

And if they have specific questions for us,

18:13

sometimes we can use that as a reference

18:15

tool as well

18:16

to help guide them through.

18:18

So I think that is basically what you're

18:20

looking for.

18:21

Any sort of trainer or coach should have

18:23

a clear onboarding process.

18:25

Yeah.

18:25

And if you're in the market for an

18:26

in-person PT or an online coach,

18:29

when you're speaking to them,

18:30

ask them what their onboarding process is,

18:33

and then you'll get a good idea

18:34

of what you're going to get in the

18:35

first couple of weeks.

18:35

Absolutely. That's a really good tip.

18:38

So red flag number four is the personal

18:41

trainer

18:41

gives you unrealistic expectations for you to work

18:45

towards.

18:45

And this is both in-person PT and

18:48

online coaches.

18:49

They might be expecting you to achieve

18:52

what their other clients have achieved,

18:55

but again, they need to meet you where

18:57

you are at the minute.

18:58

So if someone's expecting you to lose 10

19:00

kg in two weeks,

19:01

that's a definite, definite red flag.

19:03

Yeah. The trainer or coach should not be

19:07

giving you unrealistic expectations.

19:08

What they should be doing is setting your

19:11

expectations realistically.

19:14

So if you come along and you want

19:15

to achieve a certain goal,

19:16

it is up to the trainer to say,

19:18

we can do that within the confines of

19:22

whatever restrictions you've told me you have.

19:24

This is when this would be realistically achievable

19:27

by.

19:28

Yeah. And if anyone's telling you that you

19:29

can lose 10 kg in two weeks,

19:32

just sack them straight away.

19:33

Absolutely. Red flag number five is that the

19:37

trainer or coach

19:38

just tells you to keep adding weights in

19:40

order to progress.

19:42

Now, the reason that this is a red

19:44

flag is because when they program your workout

19:47

schedule,

19:48

that should include structured phases and progressive overload

19:52

built in,

19:53

and it should also be open to change

19:55

and adapt as you progress.

19:57

Yeah. Totally agree with you. We always do

19:59

our programs in four week stages

20:00

so that you're getting that progressive overload.

20:03

It's super important to make sure that that

20:06

is programmed within the whole program.

20:08

Yeah, definitely.

20:09

Red flag number six, and this is specific

20:12

to in-person personal trainers,

20:14

they frequently cancel sessions.

20:16

So if you are looking for an

20:19

in-person PT,

20:19

ask them how many sessions they've cancelled in

20:22

the last month,

20:22

and that'll give you a good idea of

20:24

how committed they are to their clients.

20:26

Absolutely. Life happens, things get in the way.

20:30

We're not saying that the cancellation rate should

20:32

be absolutely zero,

20:33

because that's not realistic.

20:35

But what we are saying is if you

20:37

are paying for a professional service,

20:40

you should expect that professional service.

20:42

And somebody who frequently cancels is not going

20:45

to deliver that.

20:47

Yeah, I agree.

20:47

So the last four red flags that we've

20:49

got are specific to online fitness coaches.

20:52

And red flag number seven is that they

20:54

get you to do your check-in

20:56

by filling in a form, and then they

20:58

send you written feedback.

21:00

Now, the reason that this is a red

21:03

flag is because as we've said already,

21:05

it is 2025, it's almost 2026,

21:08

and there is no excuse to not be

21:10

having that face time with your client on

21:12

a video call.

21:13

In my personal opinion, it's just lazy not

21:16

to.

21:16

Yeah, I agree.

21:18

Like you don't get a feel for someone

21:20

over a form.

21:20

And we've said this in a previous episode

21:22

as well.

21:23

Like we've always done face-to-face

21:25

check-ins

21:26

because you get to see that person and

21:28

actually see how they're doing.

21:30

Filling in a form just doesn't cut it

21:32

in 2025.

21:33

Yeah, and I think one of the really

21:35

important differences

21:36

between an in-person personal trainer and an

21:38

online coach

21:39

is that an in-person personal trainer is

21:40

really good for spotting you in the gym

21:42

when you're lifting weights.

21:43

But an online fitness coach is really good

21:46

at spotting excuses.

21:48

And really, the only way you're going to

21:49

do that

21:50

is by talking face-to-face over a

21:52

video chat with the client.

21:54

You can't do that.

21:55

If they fill in a form, they're not

21:56

going to be totally honest with you.

21:58

They're going to give a glossy overview of

22:01

the way things are.

22:02

They'll rewrite it.

22:03

And that's just the nature of people.

22:05

They're going to tell you what you want

22:06

to hear.

22:07

Exactly, exactly.

22:08

Well, I'm hitting on my goals.

22:09

I'm hitting on my nutrition.

22:10

I'm doing 12,000 steps a day.

22:12

Yeah.

22:12

Okay, but you're not reaching your goal.

22:13

So what's going on?

22:15

Exactly, exactly.

22:16

We need to be there to call them

22:17

out.

22:17

And the only way you can really do

22:19

that is by talking to them.

22:20

It's the only way it works.

22:22

I am going to say something controversial here.

22:24

And I think the reason that so many

22:26

online fitness coaches

22:29

do their check-ins by form is because

22:32

of these mentorship programs.

22:34

So there are these mentorship programs that exist

22:36

that advertise to online coaches and they promise,

22:40

oh, we will triple your monthly revenue.

22:43

You'll bring this in.

22:44

And when you join these programs, the advice

22:45

that they normally give is

22:47

don't do video check-ins.

22:48

It takes up too much of your time.

22:50

You should be doing form check-ins so

22:52

that you can bring in more clients

22:53

and make more money.

22:55

And none of the focus is on the

22:57

service that they are delivering.

22:58

It's not about delivering the best service that

23:01

they can for people.

23:01

And that, for me, is just the wrong

23:03

way to go about it.

23:05

It almost feels a little bit like then

23:07

people are going to get ripped off

23:08

because they're getting an inferior service from their

23:10

coach.

23:11

Yeah, I agree.

23:11

And actually, it kind of reminds me of

23:13

when I was an in-person PT

23:14

because that was all about how many sessions

23:17

you could do.

23:17

And it wasn't about the result that you

23:19

were getting for the client.

23:21

And again, that was about making sure that

23:23

you did as much as you could

23:24

in the time that you had available, you

23:26

know.

23:27

Whereas, actually, you should be caring about your

23:29

clients

23:29

and what results they're getting.

23:31

Yeah, that would, I mean,

23:32

that particular experience that you were talking about,

23:34

you were employed by a major gym chain

23:37

in the UK.

23:37

And that pressure to deliver as many sessions

23:41

as possible

23:41

was being set by your employer.

23:44

Yeah, and I actually hit burnout at one

23:46

point

23:46

because I was trying to do as much

23:48

as I could

23:49

and then the clients weren't getting the service

23:51

that they should have been getting from me.

23:54

You hated that.

23:54

Like, I remember you coming home from work

23:56

and you just did not enjoy the job.

23:59

And that was your first personal training job

24:02

after you qualified.

24:04

And it sucked the wind out of your

24:06

sails.

24:07

You decided to become a personal trainer

24:10

because it was your passion.

24:11

You left a corporate job to go and

24:13

follow this

24:14

and it almost felt that you,

24:17

the first job you landed as a personal

24:18

trainer

24:18

felt even more corporate.

24:20

Yeah, absolutely, yeah.

24:22

Like, I became a personal trainer to change

24:25

people's lives.

24:26

I know that sounds really, really cheesy,

24:27

but I actually did.

24:29

And going into that environment just was not

24:32

a nice environment.

24:33

And aside from that as well,

24:34

it was like, it felt like a bit

24:36

of a boys club.

24:37

And if you weren't in the boys club,

24:38

then you were an outsider.

24:39

And again, being LGBTQ,

24:41

that was just another level of that as

24:43

well.

24:44

So the pandemic hit, I set up online

24:46

coaching

24:46

and then the rest is history.

24:48

A red flag number eight is that they

24:50

don't do weekly check-ins.

24:52

And again, we've spoke about this before.

24:55

If your coach is doing anything other than

24:58

weekly check-ins,

24:59

then that is definitely a red flag.

25:01

I've heard of people doing monthly check-ins

25:03

and there's absolutely no way that you can

25:05

coach someone to their goals

25:07

by doing monthly check-ins.

25:08

Absolutely not at all.

25:11

We've heard a broad spectrum.

25:12

So some online fitness coaches do a

25:14

check-in with their client every two weeks.

25:16

Some of them do it every month.

25:17

And really it has to be every week

25:20

because that is just how people live.

25:22

It's on a week-to-week basis.

25:25

And people have that routine,

25:27

people have that structure in their lives.

25:29

And you are not going to pick up

25:31

things.

25:31

As a coach, you're not going to pick

25:33

up things quick enough

25:34

if you're not doing weekly check-ins.

25:36

Yeah, absolutely.

25:37

So red flag number nine is all about

25:39

communication policies for online coaches.

25:42

So what is the typical response time to

25:45

questions?

25:46

So the way the model works is that

25:48

you would have your regular check-in,

25:50

hopefully by video.

25:52

And hopefully weekly.

25:54

And hopefully weekly.

25:55

But you should also have access to your

25:56

coach

25:57

throughout the week as well by chat.

26:00

So for us, we have got an app.

26:03

And in that app, that's where you get

26:04

your workouts, everything like that.

26:05

But we also have a chat function in

26:07

that app.

26:07

And it's dedicated for our clients

26:10

so that we can talk back and forward

26:12

with them.

26:13

So I think, and what we do, this

26:16

is kind of reasonable to expect.

26:18

And this would be like the gold standard

26:19

across the industry.

26:20

So for me, this is an example of

26:22

what good online coaches do.

26:25

So they should say to you, if you

26:27

ask, what is your communication policy?

26:29

How quickly you will respond?

26:31

The answer really should be, I'll get back

26:33

to you as soon as possible.

26:35

If that's straight away, great.

26:37

But it will be no more than 24

26:40

hours

26:40

from you sending me a message during business

26:43

times.

26:44

Yeah.

26:44

So that's reasonable.

26:45

For us, it never really stretches that 24

26:48

hours.

26:48

It's just a service standard that we put

26:49

in place.

26:50

But what we strive for is as quickly

26:52

as possible.

26:53

Yeah, absolutely.

26:54

I think probably clients, three hours is maybe

26:56

the maximum

26:57

that they wait for us to respond to

26:59

them.

27:00

And even we had a client there at

27:01

the weekend

27:01

that rolled over their ankle.

27:04

So they needed their workout changed.

27:05

They couldn't do any lower.

27:07

And they needed their upper workout changed

27:09

so that they were using machines.

27:11

So they're not putting any pressure on their

27:12

ankle.

27:13

They let me know within a couple hours

27:15

that I'd changed the workout for them.

27:17

And again, that should be standard for you.

27:19

If you need something adapted quickly,

27:21

then you should be able to have that

27:23

done.

27:24

Absolutely.

27:24

That's what you're paying your monthly fee for.

27:26

And the last one, red flag number 10,

27:28

is they are using AI to generate responses,

27:32

to generate workouts.

27:33

And we've touched on this a couple of

27:35

weeks ago.

27:37

And it's just, again, you're paying a monthly

27:40

fee.

27:40

There's no way that they should be using

27:42

AI

27:43

to send your responses or design your workout

27:45

programs

27:45

or whatever it might be.

27:47

You're paying for a personal service.

27:49

Yes, it is online, but it is still

27:51

a personal service.

27:51

So if you feel that your coach is

27:55

using AI in any way,

27:57

call them out.

27:58

Well, I wouldn't say in any way.

27:59

So I'm going to give an example.

28:01

So obviously at the top of this show,

28:03

we talked about how we had,

28:05

this is our third attempt at recording this.

28:07

So I'm actually going to give an example

28:09

of when AI has been useful and appropriate

28:12

to use in what we do.

28:14

So the second recording was filmed the whole

28:17

way,

28:18

but then one of the cameras failed halfway

28:19

through.

28:20

So it didn't work.

28:21

And we needed to rerecord fully.

28:25

So what I did was I took the

28:28

transcript

28:29

recorded from the good camera that didn't fail,

28:32

fed that into AI and got a text

28:34

transcript

28:34

of what we said.

28:35

So it basically transcribed everything.

28:37

I then fed that into AI and said,

28:40

this is the raw recording,

28:41

get rid of all of the outtakes,

28:43

and then summarize what was left

28:46

so that we had an overview

28:48

of what we actually had said in

28:50

that

28:50

so we could remind ourselves

28:51

of what we talked about

28:52

so that we didn't miss anything

28:54

when we rerecorded this.

28:57

So that is a useful and appropriate use

28:59

for AI.

29:00

However...

29:00

Yeah, but that's backend stuff,

29:02

like clients don't get to know any of

29:05

that, you know?

29:06

Totally.

29:07

But if a coach is using AI

29:12

to generate the feedback that they're sending you,

29:16

to generate the programs

29:18

that they are meant to be writing for

29:19

you,

29:20

that is the core part of what a

29:22

coach

29:22

or a trainer is meant to do.

29:23

That is their job.

29:25

They should not be outsourcing that

29:27

to what is essentially

29:28

just a really fancy auto-complete function

29:31

on your computer.

29:37

So by now you should have a good

29:38

idea

29:39

of the differences between an online coach

29:41

and an in-person PT,

29:43

how they differ in their approaches,

29:45

and also the red flags to look out

29:47

for

29:47

if you're shopping around.

29:49

And remember, a great coach is someone

29:51

who will tailor your plan

29:52

to fit your goals and lifestyle,

29:55

communicate with you openly,

29:57

educate you,

29:59

help keep you accountable,

30:00

and support you without overstepping.

30:03

We definitely think we tick all those boxes

30:05

and if you're thinking of joining Outlifting,

30:07

we've got a special offer for you.

30:09

This Friday, the 28th of November,

30:10

we will be launching our exclusive

30:12

Black Friday discount.

30:14

Now, for listeners and viewers of this show,

30:17

we are launching exclusive early access from now.

30:22

So here's the deal.

30:23

We're going to be giving a 30%

30:25

discount

30:25

off our regular coaching price

30:27

and that will be locked in

30:28

for as long as you stay with us.

30:30

So if you stay for the initial

30:32

three-month coaching period,

30:33

you will get the discount

30:34

and then for any time

30:35

that you choose to stay after that,

30:38

you will lock in that discount

30:40

for the lifetime of your membership

30:41

with Outlifting.

30:43

Now, because we maintain

30:44

a really high level of service,

30:46

we restrict the number of clients

30:49

that we have at any one time.

30:50

So there are limited spaces for this.

30:53

So please don't wait.

30:54

If you think you might be interested,

30:55

you can book in for a no-obligation,

30:57

free video consultation

30:59

with one of us

31:00

to discuss your needs and goals

31:02

and see if our service

31:03

is the right fit for you.

31:06

So to do that,

31:07

visit outlift.ing/blackfriday now.

31:11

I will put that link in the description

31:13

and the show notes

31:13

so that you've got it.

31:15

But please don't wait about.

31:16

Book in.

31:17

It's no obligation.

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31:19

Thank you so much for tuning in to The Outlifting Lounge.

31:22

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31:25

and you can find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

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But for now, over and Outlifting.

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But for now, over and Outlifting.