The Information Age is wonderful! We live in a world where we can truly connect with our family and friends across the world in real time. Only a decade ago, the thought of this was preposterous. 

During that time and communication aside, if you wanted to work with a truly great trainer (that not only had the credentials but also the experience) you had to be in their geographical vicinity and have pretty deep pockets to afford their rate. Fast forward to today and you can now work with some of the very best coaches anywhere in the world that are fully versed in both training and nutrition virtually. 

So which one is better? Online or One-on-One? That answer truly depends on the individual and their lifestyle.

Finding a great one-on-one trainer in your vicinity can be challenging. Finding one to fit your schedule might be even more difficult. Furthermore, training with an Elite Coach might cost you as much as $300/session or in the high thousands if you’re purchasing a package. Online training, on the other hand, will cost you a fraction less.

The downside to online training is it puts the responsibility of adhering to the plan entirely on the client. On the other hand meeting with your trainer regularly can push you harder and motivate you on those down days and also hold you accountable for lack of effort or falling off of plan in person – the guilt factor face-to-face is priceless.

As an online coach I like to provide as many resources as possible for my clients so they don’t just feel like a number and that I’m there “virtually”. I also take pride in how much I interact with my team and love sharing their success stories providing as much detail of their journey so my clients that are currently on plan know that their struggles are all part of the big picture. I even recently found out there’s a “JVB/TEAM STRONG GIRLS” private support group and I’m not even a part of it! LOL! I actually love this because my girls get to share best practices with each other on a more intimate level.

So how do you choose an online coach? Since everything is virtual try looking for an online coach that ‘walks the walk’, is certified, is experienced, has a transparent process of doing things, has accessible success stories/clients as references, a great track record, provides resources on training and nutrition, and also provides valuable information. It’s alarming how many people and their grandmothers are “online coaches” today so be weary of this too.

Even as a practicing online coach, I occasionally do one-one-one sessions with some of my guru friends when I need to spice up my regular training and need a butt kicking workout to shake things up. But if you’re self-motivated, short on time, and don’t need someone to push you in person then online training can be a great option to consider. It works for my STRONG GIRLS  🙂