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Fitness Trainer Review

Thursday, May 22nd

2025 Personal Trainer Reviews

Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award Fitness Trainer Review 5 Star Rating

Fitness Trainer

5 Star Rating
  • Monthly cost: $348 to $2,000+
  • All trainers are certified or have relevant degrees
  • In-person and online training
  • Choose your schedule
  • Specialized workout plans for different sports
  • Includes diet, exercise, and more
  • Database of personal trainers
  • 5-star rating on individual trainers
Top Consumer Reviews Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

FitnessTrainer is different from some other sites in our review. Rather than offering its own personal trainer services, FitnessTrainer serves as a database. You just need to answer a few fitness questions, and then you'll see a list of private personal trainers who are local to you. The sessions are traditional 1-on-1 meet-ups; FitnessTrainer just makes it easier to find your best match. The questionnaire is quick and asks for your location, who the sessions are for, the client's age, the ideal start date, the best time for training (morning, afternoon, and evening), and what days of the week you want your sessions. Finally, FitnessTrainer will ask you about your primary goal, and you can see your results.

Find a private trainer for you

There are a variety of different fitness focuses offered through the private trainers on FitnessTrainer. The main six you can narrow down to include weight loss, weight gain, firming and toning, flexibility, increasing your muscle strength, and aerobic fitness. Some of the personal trainers offer online training only, and each professional listed will include client reviews as well as details about their training. Some have up to Master's Degrees in exercise and fitness. You can see what courses are offered by each individual. For example, the top options listed for "toning up” included a specialist in kickboxing and circuit training, as well as a specialist in nutrition and exercise.

Best Personal Trainers

Tons of options with different specializations

Every personal trainer on FitnessTrainer is a little different, so you can look for any kind of fitness at any level or any frequency. Each FitnessTrainer professional will have his or her listed availability, certifications, and prices on the page. In just our local area there were more than 50 personal trainers available to sift through. Some of the specializations we saw included:

  • Basketball
  • Bodyweight training
  • Calisthenics
  • Powerlifting
  • Senior fitness
  • Stretching

Cost around $348 to $2,000+ per month

Depending on who you choose as your personal trainer, the cost will change. The prices are listed hourly, and for options in our area, we saw costs from $29 per hour up to $198 per hour. If you break that down into three sessions per week for an hour at a time, the cost could range from $348 to $2,000+ per month. Keep in mind that you have the flexibility to choose how many days and how many hours, so you can find some wiggle room in cost depending on your needs. Some personal trainers on FitnessTrainer do have some packages where you can prepay for time at a discount too.

You pick your experience

Depending on who you choose, your personal trainer experience through FitnessTrainer can be more DIY or hands-on guidance. Some trainers offer fully online programs, so you can do video chat and keep up with your trainer at a distance while you manage your workout yourself. Others offer weekly meetups (sometimes multiple times per week) to get that in-person feeling where you can learn and make adjustments to your form. It's totally up to you what experience you want.

Best Personal Trainers

Impressive individual reviews

One of the best features of FitnessTrainer is that there are individualized reviews for each trainer available on the platform. All of the top recommended trainers in our selection had a full 5 stars from previous clients. One trainer had feedback from verified reviewers showing that his training sessions were relaxed and educational. Another review for the same individual stated that he was an excellent trainer with hard but fun sessions. We love this feature as you can choose individual trainers based on their feedback, and you don't need to worry about getting a trainer who isn't a good fit because the full transparency of the reviews makes it simple to see what you're getting into at a glance.

Top pick: one-stop shop

If you're looking for the best place to find a variety of personal trainers and see them at a glance, FitnessTrainer is for you. It's a one-stop shop of in-person and online private personal trainers. Whether you want hands-on experience with a particular approach like calisthenics or strength training, or you want something laid-back and focused on weight loss, you can find the perfect personal trainer for you here. With 5-star ratings and certified and fully-educated personal trainers on this platform, you have the pick of the lot and a comfortable price range to work in. For these reasons, FitnessTrainer comes out as our top pick with a perfect 5 stars.

Where is the Best Place to Find a Personal Trainer Online?

Getting fit is one of the most significant steps toward caring for yourself. Many people find that going to the gym by themselves, though, can be overwhelming - especially if they're not sure what to do with all the machines and weights. Often even long-time gym members need help leveling up their workout and creating a targeted fitness plan for building muscle, or need support for an injury they want to strengthen.

Either way, a personal trainer is a great option to up your gym game. A talented personal trainer will whip you into shape, but on your terms and with a plan that fits your body, workout style, and goals.

The Best Personal Trainers Compare Personal Trainers Compare Personal Trainer Reviews What are the best Personal Trainers Best Personal Trainer Reviews

Personal Trainer FAQ

A personal trainer works with clients to design plans for exercise, nutrition and/or flexibility goals. While anyone can say that they're a personal trainer, certain certifications can demonstrate that they've put in the work to learn best practices for working with clients effectively and safely. Look for a personal trainer with certification(s) from NASM, ACE, ISSA, NFPT, or ACSM, which are widely recognized as experts in the industry.
That will depend on you. What are your goals? What is your current level of fitness/experience? Most experts recommend meeting with a trainer for 1-2 sessions a week for up to 6 weeks, especially if you're a beginner. But, if you are fairly comfortable with working out - you know how to do various exercises with good form and just need someone to give you a structured plan - you might be able to cut that timeframe down.
Yes and no. If your trainer is also certified within the nutrition field, he or she can prescribe meal plans. However, most personal trainers don't have dual certifications and can only make nutrition suggestions based on gym performance or weight loss/muscle gain efforts - like recommending that you count macros, get enough rest and water, and when to time your meals based on your exercise schedule. If you want a day-to-day schedule of what to eat, you'll need to work with a nutritionist in addition to your personal trainer in most cases.
If you have a gym membership, there are probably options for working one-on-one with a trainer on staff there - but that might not be the best way to get a personal trainer that's well-suited to your personality, needs and goals. We recommend using an online personal trainer site, either to find highly-recommended professionals in your area or to choose a virtual program you can use at your convenience.
Absolutely! While you'll lose the advantage of having someone right next to you in the gym, you gain plenty of perks. Virtual personal training is often much less expensive than an in-person format, and you get much more customized workout plans. This is a great option if you're working out at home or need options you can take on the road with you.
Yes. There's a growing network of personal trainers who specialize in providing in-home workouts. Even if you choose an online personal trainer, you can tell them what equipment you have at home if any, and they'll design a plan that incorporates whatever you have available. There are plenty of exercises that can be done simply with your own bodyweight!
That depends on many different factors. If you choose an in-person trainer, you can expect hourly rates anywhere from $20 to $100+, while online/virtual personal training is typically $200/month or less. For face-to-face personal training, rates are impacted by the experience level of the trainer you choose and your geographic area as well.
Sometimes. It's more common to find free trials, satisfaction guarantees and refund policies when you choose an online personal training platform. In-person trainers usually charge as you go; you wouldn't get money back for training sessions that already happened, but you wouldn't have to pay for future sessions if you were unhappy with the service. And, of course, no personal trainer is going to guarantee specific results - since what you do the other 23 hours of the day is going to have a big impact on your success, beyond what you accomplish in your personal training sessions.
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Continued from above...

A lot of folks think that personal trainers are for top athletes. And, while a personal trainer can be essential for those who need to complete specific goals for a sport or competition, a workout beginner can get just as much out of a personal trainer as a gym pro. Grabbing a personal trainer as a newbie can help you through the weeds of discovering what movements are safe for your body, how to use equipment properly, and how to see the results you want as quickly as possible.

There are innumerable benefits to getting a personal trainer (at any level). For one, you can be sure you'll have more effective workouts (workouts that serve a purpose for your body and your goals, and increased difficulty where needed to keep your body challenged). The process also includes a personalized experience where your trainer analyzes your current fitness level, health concerns, and previous injuries, and creates a tailored workout plan for your needs. Plus, your customized plan can offer you support in and out of the gym - including nutrition and recovery practices that will help you when you're not working out.

Finding a good personal trainer can be tricky, though. You'll want to make sure and check on potential candidates' education, areas of expertise, experience, and any certifications. The best certification agencies include the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NSAM), the National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the American Council of Exercise (ACE), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Checking to see if your preferred personal trainer has a background in sports medicine (or a degree) is a good rule of thumb to know you're getting the proper advice from a medically-sound background.

While, at the end of the day, selecting a personal trainer is a super individualized process (you will need to like the trainer and spend a decent amount of time with him or her), we can help you get started on your search. To make sure you find the best personal trainer for your fitness goals, we've put together some factors to help you narrow the options:

  • Price. Personal trainers come in a range of budgets, and costs can vary by what gym or app you're looking at or the private fees of the individual trainer. Things like the number of hours you want per week as well as the level of training you're looking for can also affect the final cost. Looking at your budget can help you gauge whether a particular personal trainer is cost-effective for you.
  • Credentials. Make sure that your chosen personal trainer has the credentials you're looking for. Whether that's certification in a specific kind of sport or multiple certifications for training and sports medicine, you want to be sure your personal trainer is offering the best quality (you deserve it).
  • Specialization. Checking out the specializations can help you decide if a personal trainer is right for you. Some may be great for training ballet dancers, but not ideal for weightlifting. Make sure the personal trainer or app covers what you're interested in most.
  • Reputation. Does your personal trainer work at a gym with reviews? Are there testimonials for the personal training services (or better yet, reviews for the particular trainer)? Whenever you can, take into account other people's experiences with any personal trainer you're considering.

To help you find the right place to kickstart your fitness journey, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked today's most popular platforms for hiring personal trainers online. This way you can focus on getting your gains and trusting that your trainer is there to help keep you on track!

Compare Personal Trainers

Select any 2 Personal Trainers to compare them head to head

best-personal-trainers
  • Fitness Trainer
  • Future Fitness
  • Forge
  • Trainwell
  • Trainerize
  • Born Fitness
  • HitchFit
  • Shred
  • Thumbtack
  • Zing Coach
  • Transform
  • Trainiac
Fitness Trainer vs Future Fitness Fitness Trainer vs Forge Fitness Trainer vs Trainwell Fitness Trainer vs Trainerize Fitness Trainer vs Born Fitness Fitness Trainer vs HitchFit Fitness Trainer vs Shred Fitness Trainer vs Thumbtack Fitness Trainer vs Zing Coach Fitness Trainer vs Transform Fitness Trainer vs Trainiac Future Fitness vs Forge Future Fitness vs Trainwell Future Fitness vs Trainerize Future Fitness vs Born Fitness Future Fitness vs HitchFit Future Fitness vs Shred Future Fitness vs Thumbtack Future Fitness vs Zing Coach Future Fitness vs Transform Future Fitness vs Trainiac Forge vs Trainwell Forge vs Trainerize Forge vs Born Fitness Forge vs HitchFit Forge vs Shred Forge vs Thumbtack Forge vs Zing Coach Forge vs Transform Forge vs Trainiac Trainwell vs Trainerize Trainwell vs Born Fitness Trainwell vs HitchFit Trainwell vs Shred Trainwell vs Thumbtack Trainwell vs Zing Coach Trainwell vs Transform Trainwell vs Trainiac Trainerize vs Born Fitness Trainerize vs HitchFit Trainerize vs Shred Trainerize vs Thumbtack Trainerize vs Zing Coach Trainerize vs Transform Trainerize vs Trainiac Born Fitness vs HitchFit Born Fitness vs Shred Born Fitness vs Thumbtack Born Fitness vs Zing Coach Born Fitness vs Transform Born Fitness vs Trainiac HitchFit vs Shred HitchFit vs Thumbtack HitchFit vs Zing Coach HitchFit vs Transform HitchFit vs Trainiac Shred vs Thumbtack Shred vs Zing Coach Shred vs Transform Shred vs Trainiac Thumbtack vs Zing Coach Thumbtack vs Transform Thumbtack vs Trainiac Zing Coach vs Transform Zing Coach vs Trainiac Transform vs Trainiac
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