Saturday, March 25th
2023 Online Fitness Program Reviews
Centr
- Free trial for one month
- $29.99/month
- $59.99/quarter
- $119.99/year
- Over 1,400 workouts to choose from
- 800 recipes across four meal plans (regular, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan)
Want to work out like Marvel's Thor? (Or maybe work out with him?) Then check out Centr, the online fitness program created by Chris Hemsworth. After realizing that he got more questions about his training routines than his acting roles, Hemsworth decided to use his expertise and connections to build a global platform. Although Centr was acquired by HighPost Capital in 2022, you'll still find Hemsworth (and his wife, among others) leading workout sessions and offering advice.
Several different ways to use the platform
There are a couple ways you can use Centr for online fitness training. There are over 1,400 workout videos in the on-demand library, led by experts in their fields: Hemsworth's personal trainer (Luke Zocchi), Da Rulk (functional training), Michael Olajide Jr. (boxing for fitness), and several others. You can also use one of Centr's specialized short-term programs to get you started. Begin is a 3-week low-impact series ideal for new exercisers, taking under 20 minutes a day. Power offers a 13-week training program (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) with strength-building exercises and a nutrition guide. You get the idea.
Meal plans are just okay
You can also use Centr to follow a dietitian-approved meal plan: regular, pescatarian, vegetarian or vegan. It isn't the most robust tool on the Centr platform: some of the preparation times are a little excessive (who wants to spend an hour prepping breakfast, even on a weekend?), and the plan doesn't really line up with a particular calorie/macro goal you may have in mind for your age, height, and/or current weight or weight goal. Use it as a way to try out some new foods and maybe feel less confused about what to eat, but don't expect this to be the main focus of your Centr experience.
Use meditation and sleep visualizations for overall wellness
Finally, Centr includes meditations and sleep visualizations to help you "calm the chaos" . That might not be your thing, but maybe the young people in your house would enjoy the "Sleep for Kids, Starry Night" read by Thor himself (you can listen in too, we won't tell).
Free trial could last a month
Typically, Centr comes with a 7-day free trial, but at the time of this review it was extended to a full 30 days. If you decide to continue with a membership, expect to pay $29.99 on a month-to-month plan, $59.99 for quarterly, and $119.99 for an annual subscription.
Customer service is awful
Wondering why this is one of our least favorite options for online fitness? Across the board, the most prevalent complaint about Centr is focused on customer service. People say that help is almost impossible to come by, and that when you do reach someone, the rep is often rude. This happens most often with respect to being charged after the free trial period: there are a lot of terms and conditions that, if you don't follow them to the letter, you're out of luck.
Problems with cancelling
Be aware also that you have to cancel Centr on the same platform where you signed up. So, if you download Centr as an iOs app, your cancellation won't be valid if you do it through a browser login. We also found numerous rants saying that users had canceled the right way, well before the end of the 7-day period, but still got charged for a year's membership - and were then told, essentially, "Oops, sorry, no refunds." That's unacceptable.
Not many fans of this online fitness program
But, users aren't all that impressed with the content on this fitness platform either. One person described Centr as "just another at-home workout app with basic exercises and basic material." We saw comments like "Waste of money" and "scam" more than once.
Don't even mess with the free trial - it's risky
Ordinarily, we'd tell you to try Centr for the free month and then decide if it's right for you. However, with so many people reporting that they were charged for the full subscription even after canceling correctly well in advance of the trial's end, it could be risky to even do that. There are plenty of online fitness options out there, and unless you're dead set on making Chris Hemsworth a part of your routine, you should skip Centr altogether.
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The 12 Best Online Fitness Programs
Which Online Fitness Program is the Best for You?
To answer that question, you should start with an idea of what you're hoping to accomplish. Are you at the very beginning of your fitness journey and need some gentle, encouraging guidance to get started? Do you have a gym membership but you're not quite sure what to do when you get there? Are you frequently traveling for work and looking for a way to exercise no matter if you're in Manhattan or Miami?
There are platforms that fit all of those situations - and so many others. Another consideration is whether or not you're looking to combine nutritional changes with your online fitness choice. Some services give you an all-in-one, with meal plans and workouts to choose from, while others specialize just in exercise.
Online Fitness Program FAQ
Continued from above...
Either way, most online fitness platforms work in roughly the same way: take advantage of a free trial, then decide if a paid membership is right for you. On a budget? No problem: there are several excellent choices that let you access tons of workouts at no cost. Yes, you'll probably be invited to upgrade to a paid plan, but feel free to ignore that and work out using just the regular content and tools.
Now that you've given it some thought and have an idea of what your online fitness "wish list" would include, it's time to start browsing what's available. You might feel a little overwhelmed at first, with so many choices and new ones popping up all the time. Don't stress. Here are some criteria to keep in mind that will help you narrow them down:
- On-demand, live stream, or both? Most platforms feature an on-demand library of classes, but some of today's most popular online fitness brands give you the best of both worlds. How important is it to you to be able to take a live class? If you're transitioning from a gym/studio environment to home workouts, live workouts might help you feel more engaged.
- Cost. What's the most you want to spend for an annual or monthly membership? Or maybe you're only interested in what you can get gratis. When it comes to online fitness platforms, you don't necessarily get more by spending more: many paid memberships add features like premium music or extra workouts, but you can still get plenty with a free account.
- Variety. The more classes and workout genres a platform carries, the less likely you are to get bored and walk away. It's okay to choose a service because it has your favorites, but make sure it has a few workout types that are new to you - when you're ready to try something different, it'll be waiting for you.
- Reputation. Check out what users of the online fitness platform have said. Are the workouts basic - or challenging - enough? How's the music? If it uses an app, does it work consistently? Does the service deliver what it promises? Is it worth the money if you pay for a membership?
To help you choose the online fitness program that's going to be the best fit for your goals and lifestyle, Top Consumer Reviews has evaluated and ranked today's most popular services. We're sure you'll find the perfect way to take your fitness to the next level - on your own terms!
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