How does Online Personal Training work?
Shortly after purchasing your program, you will receive an email with a temporary username and password to access the Online Personal Training Portal. Once logged into the system, you will change your password and complete user agreement. We will then set up an appointment to consult via phone or Zoom so we can 1) discuss your goals and complete the initial health and fitness assessments; 2) select the type of exercises you enjoy doing, exercise equipment you have access to, and the days/times you plan to conduct your exercises, which will play a key role in the design of your strength and cardio training programs; and 3) add/delete categories of foods so they will (or will not) show up in meals, recipes and grocery lists as part of your nutrition program.
After you complete your selections/deletions to all portions of the program Dr. Mike will fine tune it, personalize it, and have it available to you within 8 hours (usually sooner). Whether for questions, comments, motivation or accountability, communication will continue throughout the length of your program. Every six weeks, there will be a review of your complete program to ensure it’s meeting your goals at the pace originally planned; there will be minor adjustments if necessary. You will have access to the Online Personal Training Portal for 12 weeks, 6 months or 1 year, depending on which program you are on.
What are all the assessments used before getting started with my Online Personal Training program?
The first step is completing the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q); followed by a fitness appraisal establishing current body weight, body fat percentage, and before and after photos (optional); and finally your nutrition, cardio, and strength training goals, experiences, and equipment and scheduling preferences. These latter assessments serve as the foundation to building your Online Personal Training Program.
Why is there a review at six weeks?
Generally, if consistent with your nutrition and exercise habits, it takes approximately 4-6 weeks to begin seeing noticeable physical changes in your body and performance. At this point, you will continue to move in a positive direction. After 4-6 weeks, depending on the pace you’re moving towards your goals and/or the consistency in your daily habits, it’s important to make small adjustments to your nutrition and exercise plans to keep you on the right track. It’s also an ideal time to change some of the exercises to add variety.
Do you offer refunds?
There is a strict no refund policy! Offering a refund is allowing anyone to quit. As a personal fitness trainer, my objective is to help you succeed in achieving your goals. The hope is that this policy will serve as both a motivator and accountability for you to commit and believe in yourself and your Online Personal Training Program.
How do you determine your pricing for your Online Personal Training program?
My goal is to offer flexible, convenient, and results-driven online personal training in order to help as many people as possible live a healthier, happier, and longer life.
There are many online programs at various prices. At one end of the spectrum, there are the fully automated programs (you seldom speak to a live person) that offer the ability to make changes but are limited to what and how many changes you can make to add variety. This type of online training is the most affordable. At the other end of the spectrum, there is the online personal training where you meet and train with a coach live virtually. Because this type of training is the most similar to in-person training, it is the most expensive. Then you have the approach I follow – the middle-ground – where you meet (virtually) with a trainer to discuss goals, build the training and nutrition program, communicate continuously, and check-in periodically to update or make adjustments to the plan. While you will be training on your own with this approach, there are photo and video exercise demonstrations, as well as access to the coach for questions or issues that might arise. My prices are based on filling this middle ground or sweet spot approach to online personal training.
Why don’t you offer an exercise or nutrition program by itself?
Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain muscle, increase performance and/or to improve overall general health, the exercises done vary in terms of frequency, intensity, time and type. At the same time, nutritional intake also varies in total calories, as well as the proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats for these same goals. This indicates that without both a personalized exercise and nutrition plan, the chance of fully achieving your weight loss and fitness goals are slim. I feel it’s my obligation as a personal fitness trainer to offer a complete Online Personal Training Program for each individual.
*Update: As of November 2020, I do offer an exercise-only program. This is designed primarily for those who already have taken charge of their nutritional habits, have an established daily nutrition program they follow, and/or understand the caloric needs to reach their health and fitness goals.
Do you offer a sample meal plan or a sample exercise plan?
The short answer is no. Because every nutrition and exercise plan are personalized for each client and their specific goals, any sample workout or nutrition plan would assume that anyone can follow it to achieve their goals. That assumption is false. I do offer sample screenshots of the assessments, as well as the exercise and nutrition programs, so you can see how the Online Personal Training System looks online.
How do I know what exercise equipment and other resources I will need?
During the assessment process, and before designing your exercise plan, you will be selecting (and excluding) the types of equipment you have access to and/or would like to use (e.g., machines, free weights, cables, elastic bands, etc.). You will also be selecting from various cardio exercises (e.g., walking, running, biking, swimming, treadmill, stair climber, elliptical, sporting activities, etc.) that you would like to do during your fitness program. By doing this ahead of time, your Online Personal Training Program will be built around the equipment, facilities, and other resources you know you will have access to.
What if I want to make changes to the exercises and equipment in my exercise plan?
While certain aspects of your training plan should not be changed such as how often you will be training, the number of exercises for each body part, and the number of sets and repetitions, we could make adjustments throughout the program; a list is provided that includes variations of the same exercises (including print and video demonstrations). Changing exercises don’t alter the overall objective, but rather give you the ability to add variety to keep you motivated.
How do I add or eliminate certain foods in my nutrition plan?
During the initial assessment process, you are able to eliminate certain categories of foods and indicate any specific foods you don’t want to show up within your nutrition plan. Even after your nutrition plan is set up and meals and recipes are placed on your calendar for a given day, you will still have the ability to substitute in/out certain foods and recipes for that particular meal. This is possible because there are thousands of foods stored within the online nutrition database.
Is there a minimum or maximum age requirement to participate in the Online Personal Training program?
The minimum age to participate is 18 years. However, there’s no upper age limit to participate. In fact, research continues to show that regular exercise and quality nutrition has a positive affect as you age. For instance, you can expect to enhance strength, balance, and agility; strengthen bones, tendons, and ligaments; and improve memory and mood, while reducing anxiety and depression. This is just a summation of the health benefits. What it does demonstrate, though, is that following a personalized nutrition and exercise plan allows you to be more able to keep doing the things you enjoy and less likely to need help as you age.
