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Online coaching explained

How to Choose an Online Personal Trainer

Anyone with a phone can call themselves an online coach, and a lot of people do. These are the questions I would ask before paying one, including me. If a coach cannot answer them plainly, keep your money.

Written by Ashton Alderson  ·  Personal Trainer & Online Coach, Durham & Newcastle

01Are you qualified, and in what?

A recognised personal training qualification is the floor. Beyond that, ask what else: nutrition, women's health, anything relevant to you. I qualified as a PT in 2023, after six years as a Specialist Occupational Therapist in mental health, and both matter to how I coach. A coach who bristles at the question is telling you something.

02How many online clients do you have right now?

The most useful question on this list. A coach with a couple of hundred clients is not reading your check-in; a system is. A coach with a manageable number is. I cap mine, and I will tell you the number if you ask.

03How often do you check in, and what happens in one?

Weekly is the standard. What you want to hear: I read your log and your check-in, I compare the numbers to last week, and I reply with specific changes. What you do not want to hear: the app sends you a summary.

04Who writes my programme?

You want the person you are speaking to, and you want it written after the consultation, not before. A programme that arrives within an hour of paying was not written for you.

05Is nutrition included?

If your goal is fat loss or building muscle, the food is more than half the result. A training-only price is half a service. Ask what nutrition support looks like: targets, a plan, tracking help, or all three.

06What happens when it stops working?

Because it will stall at some point, and that is normal. The answer you want is calm and specific: we look at the data, we change the food or the training, we go again. The answer you do not want puts it on you.

07Have you done this yourself?

Not every good coach has competed, and you do not need one who has. But a coach who has dieted for a goal, and also eaten up on purpose and trusted the process, understands both halves of the job from the inside. I have stepped on stage seventeen times. I know the scary bit is not the dieting.

08What is the minimum term, and how do I leave?

A minimum term of a few months is reasonable because results take that long. What matters is that it is clear before you pay, and that pausing for a real reason is possible.

09Can I speak to someone you coach?

Testimonials on a website are easy. A real client who will answer a message is harder to fake. Look at results with names and permission attached; mine are here.

10What happens on the first call?

A free consultation should be a conversation about you, your goal and your week, with no sales script and no pressure. If it feels like a pitch, it is one.

Red flags

• Guaranteed results, or a specific number of pounds in a specific number of weeks
• Before and after photos with no names, no timeframes and no permission
• A plan sent before any conversation has happened
• Vague or defensive answers about client numbers and check-ins
• Diet culture language: cheat days, clean eating, "earning" food

Ask me the same questions

Everything above applies to me, and the free consultation is where you ask. If you want to know what you should expect to pay, that is here, and if you are weighing this up against a PT in person, that comparison is here.

Questions people ask

Should an online coach be qualified?

Yes. A recognised personal training qualification at minimum. Ask, and do not be shy about it. A real coach is not offended by the question.

Is a coach with a big following better?

Not necessarily. Followers measure marketing, not coaching. Ask how many clients they actually coach and how often they check in.

What is a red flag?

Guaranteed results, a plan sent before any conversation, no clear check-in process, and vague answers on how many clients they have.