There are a lot of social media influencers out there selling workout programs and packages online. It can be tempting to buy, especially if you can’t afford a personal trainer. But, are they legit? Actually, yes, they can be! Here are some tips on how to tell, if a program is worth the money.
1. Check the credentials of the trainer. If they are certified, then they probably know at least a thing or two about training. The best known certifications are NASM, ACE, and ISSA. So, if they have any of those, you’re good.
2. Review testimonials from their clients. This one is a bit controversial because you don’t really know if the testimonials are real but I’d like to think if they are a personal trainer, they’re not going to be unethical about this point! Seriously, though, if you can review them and then somehow find a few of those people on social media, you can DM them and ask questions. Or another way to find reviews is to do a Google search. If they are a well-known trainer, they may even have a Reddit focused entirely on them. Smaller trainers probably won’t but you can still usually find someone who has tried their programs.
3. Find a sample workout. Lots of times online trainers will give away free workouts or post them frequently on their social media. This gives you some insight into how they program. You want to see that they are including the whole body without too much volume, meaning you want three to five solid lifting days. If it’s more than that, unless you are a bodybuilder, stay away!
4. Follow them on social media. Pay attention to their posts for a few weeks or just review past ones, if you’re in a hurry to find a program. You can generally tell if they know what they’re talking about and sometimes they show client results, too.
5. BONUS TIP: If you can tell that they listen to the MindPump podcast? They’re super legit! Seriously, this is the top fitness-related podcast in the world and the hosts have so much experience. Any trainer who spends time learning from them is a great trainer.
Bottom line? Buying a workout program or trying one for free isn’t the worst thing you can do and it’s often the most affordable. But, a customized program is always going to be the best for anyone. All our bodies are different so our workouts need to be specifically programmed to fit our own bodies and goals.
I offer both personal training customized to the client, as well as programs you can buy on my website. I think both are important. Some people will never feel comfortable hiring a trainer and I understand that. My main goal is to help people. If they’ll buy a program over hiring me to train them online, then I aim to please! Happy training!