Many online personal training programs add up to little more than an overpriced email sales pitch. The accounts of this are staggering! You sign-up for an online personal training program that promises you the world and you end up getting a cookie-cutter exercise routine and diet plan from an automatically generated computer program. To make things worse, many of these online personal training programs use your participation as a means to blast you with email and ads about other programs, videos, supplements and equipment in hopes that you’ll purchase more and more from them as if just one more purchase will guarantee you reach your fitness goals.

Let’s be clear. I’m not saying this is unethical, I’m not even saying this is bad business, I’m simply saying that this isn’t what most people think they are signing-up for when they register for an online personal training program.

Here are some things to watch-out for:

1. Large databases of exercise demos – this is definitely a computer generated program. No one is sitting there filtering through the information you provided at sign-up. No one is painstakingly working to make sure every food and exercise fits perfectly into your program. I admit some of these computer programs do a relatively good job of matching your wants and needs with quality exercise and dietary recommendations but in my opinion, this rarely merits the cost considering no real work is being done on your behalf.

2. Programs that require supplement purchases – supplements are great, but not required to be fit. I have a supplement line that I offer in conjunction with just about every fitness coaching program I design; but they are not required to participate in the program. Supplement requirements are a good way for internet marketers to really bump-up the pricing of their programs. Watch out for this type of online personal training program.

3. Programs that exceed 90-days – these are long-term online training programs that may offer a decent product and service, but they are also taking advantage of basic human nature. That nature is to buy impulsively and not follow-through. You see this every January, millions of people begin their weight loss program only to quit days or weeks later. Sure, some people stick with it and succeed but those people are a small minority. Online personal trainers and training companies know this. By signing you up for a long-term program they ensure that they get their money whether you participate and finish the program or not.

Good online personal training programs will have these:

1. A specific target audience – these programs are designed with a certain type of person in mind. All of the diet planning and exercise recommendations are made with the knowledge of who you are and what you want from your online personal training program.

2. High level of accountability – the best online personal trainers, myself included, require absolute accountability to the program. I personally do this by requiring four full-body photos from each client every week. I have them email me photos of them from the front, left side, back and right side all the way through the program. This allows me to personally modify their diet and exercise as needed. It also gives the client a short-term goal to work toward; improving more this week than last. By having a weekly goal, I have found that people tend to be highly motivated and do very well. Moreover, I’ve found that by building a high level of accountability into my online personal training program my clients achieve their fitness goals faster than they ever dreamed possible. Seek out sources of accountability when registering for an online personal training program.

3. Human interaction – great information can be generated by a well designed computer program, but nothing can replace the motivation and accountability one human being places on another. For instance, in school, if no one was going to grade your homework, would you try to do your best every day? You probably wouldn’t and neither would I. Humans needs structure and they need human interaction that provides accountability. Seek this out in every aspect of your fitness lifestyle especially when working with an online personal trainer.

The internet is an ever-growing community that can provide you with more personal training and fitness options than ever before in the history of mankind. I encourage you to be diligent as you work to decide what online personal training program is best for you. Remember! All online personal training programs are not created equal.

Jared Meacham, MS.Ed., CSCS.

Jared is a fitness entrepreneur, personal trainer and recognized weight loss expert