What qualifications should an online personal trainer have?
In the UK, a Level 3 personal training qualification is the usual standard for writing individual programmes; Level 2 is the gym instructor level. Ask which qualification your coach holds, where they got it, whether they are on a professional register for exercise professionals and whether they carry insurance. A good coach answers in one message.
If you have a specific situation, such as pregnancy, a past injury or a health condition, look for a coach with extra training in that area, and ask your GP or physio first when in doubt.
Food is a separate profession. In the UK and Ireland, dietitian is a title protected by law; nutritionist is not, so ask a nutritionist about their qualifications and any register they belong to. A trainer can talk about eating well, but a meal plan is a job for a nutritionist or a dietitian.
Will the same person coach me every week?
Ask it directly, because the answer is not always yes. Some services sell you a well-known name and then hand you to a team of junior coaches, or to a template with your name on it.
You want the person who writes your plan to be the one who reads your messages and watches your videos. Ask too what happens if your coach leaves or goes on holiday: who takes over, and do they read your history first?
How should feedback on my technique work?
Technique feedback is what separates coaching from a plan in a PDF. You film a set on your phone, from the angle your coach asks for, and send it. They reply with what to change: one or two cues you can apply at your next session, not a list of twenty faults.
Before you start, ask how you will send videos, how often you can send them, and how they reply. A coach who never asks to see you move is guessing.
How often should the plan change?
A good plan starts from questions: your goal, your training history, injuries, the days and the time you have, the equipment you can use. If a plan arrives minutes after you pay, nobody read your answers.
Then it changes as you do. Loads and reps should move up as you log progress, exercises should be swapped when something hurts or a machine is not available, and the whole plan should be reviewed at regular check-ins. Ask how often those check-ins happen and what they look like. More on this in how to get a training plan made for you.
How do I compare coaches and prices?
Look at results and reviews from people like you, not just transformation photos. Then talk to the coach before paying anything: a short exchange in chat tells you whether they listen, how quickly they reply and whether you would like being coached by them.
Prices vary widely, as our guide on how much an online personal trainer costs explains. At the low end are app-only programmes with no person behind them. In the middle sits online coaching with a named coach, a plan built for you, video feedback and chat. At the top are hybrid packages that add sessions in person, and nutrition from a qualified professional adds to any of them.
A cheaper coach is not a worse one, and a more expensive coach can be worth it for a good reason, such as a specialisation or years of experience. Compare what is included, not the headline price.
On Yeki you can do all of this before spending anything. You find professionals in the app, see their results and the reviews of the people they follow, and talk to them in chat before you pay. Yeki's own online coaching assigns you a coach, and you are free to choose any other professional instead, whether they cost less than our plan or more for a good reason. All of them are welcome.
Which red flags should make me walk away?
Any one of these is a reason to ask more questions. Two or more, and you are probably looking at a generic plan sold as coaching.
- The plan arrives instantly, before anyone has asked about you
- No name, no qualifications, or qualifications you cannot check
- The same plan for everyone, with only the name changed
- Promises of a set result in a set number of weeks
- A meal plan from a trainer with no nutrition qualification
- A long contract with a cancellation fee, or no clear way to stop
- Pressure to buy supplements as part of the plan
How will online coaching work on Yeki?
Online personal training on Yeki is coming soon. At €59.00 a month you get a qualified coach with a name and credentials, always the same person, who builds a plan around you and changes it as you progress, gives you technique feedback on your videos and answers you in chat. At €109.00 a month a meal plan from a nutritionist and a food diary with macros and meal photos are added. Prices include VAT, both plans renew every month and include Plus, and you cancel from the app.
In the app, every exercise in your plan has a video and its sets, with your coach's notes on technique, and you log weights and reps as you train. Your coach sees what you logged and adjusts the next weeks. Personal bests, body measurements and before and after show your progress across your whole history, and nothing is ever deleted.
And if your gym is on Yeki, its coach's plan arrives in the app for free, in the same place as your bookings and your progress.
