The Best Online Personal Training Platforms to Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals

Ultimate Performance Fitness helps people reach their fitness goals by addressing not only your current exercise program but also your sleep, stress levels, and dietary preferences. All of these are taken into consideration when coming up with a training program and diet plan for you.

Exercising regularly is one thing, but if your goal is to improve your health holistically, a whole slew of other factors — including nutrition, sleep, and stress levels — must be considered. That's why Ultimate Performance Fitness provides clients with what the company calls a "full audit of your lifestyle." This includes an analysis of more than 50 data points, such as sleep quality, stress levels, health status, exercise history, and nutritional needs to create a personalized health and fitness plan.

Through the app, you'll be matched with a personal trainer who will lead you through one-on-one sessions and conduct weekly check-ins via email or video chat. You can also send them photos of yourself to show your progress, but it's not a requirement.

In addition to a weight lifting plan, you'll recieve a nutrition plan, which includes supplement recommendations, based on your suggested macronutrient intake. (Just know that this macro calculation may not be totally accurate, so take it with a grain of salt. Instead, meet with a registered dietitian to find a macro intake helps you meet your health and fitness goals.)

What's more, the Ultimate Performance app allows you to track a variety of health metrics, including body weight, body fat, hormone markers, blood pressure, and hunger, sleep, and energy levels. You can also access recipes and other workouts via the app.

The downside: The app could leave you feeling overwhelmed by all the metrics. So if trying to manage multiple health factors at once is intimidating, this fitness approach might not be the right fit for you.

Forge stands out for its custom meal plans, which are available with all three of its program packages. The recipes are provided by a registered dietitian, and there are even options for lactose-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian eaters.

Forge believes that nutrition plays a key role in your journey to healthy living. The company has a registered dietitian on staff who will create your custom meal plan that's either "balanced" (which incorporates a healthy blend of most food groups), lactose-free, gluten-free, or vegetarian.

"You cannot outwork poor nutrition with exercise," says Michael S. Parker, C.P.T., F.M.S., the founder of Forge. "It is critical you discover your daily needs and construct a system for planning, shopping, preparing, and storing meals in a reasonable manner.

Compared to other personalized online training programs featuring a designated personal trainer for each client, Forge's programs are considerably cheaper. Its standard program costs $125 per month and includes one live video chat or phone call monthly. Still, all programs give you access to video sessions and unlimited in-app messaging to your trainer, who is fully certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), American Council on Exercise (ACE), or the National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association (NESTA). The trainer may recommend you use props such as resistance bands and stability balls, so have those on hand before you get started.

It was easy to find answers to common questions on the company's extensive FAQs section. However, one downside is you can't pick your trainer; you're matched with one based on a questionnaire you fill out when you first sign up. So if you're particular about whom you'd mesh with, that may be a deal-breaker.

The Transform App has both nutrition and fitness offerings for those who are looking to transform their health. The app is inexpensive for the features it provides, and it was created by TV personalities and celebrity trainers Chris and Heidi Powell.

For those on a budget, Transform provides guidance on both nutrition and exercise for just $15 per month. The program includes a customizable workout plan featuring more than 1,500 total exercises that are suitable for all fitness levels, and it provides modification suggestions for each exercise.

Plus, there are a variety of workout types to choose from, including at-home, gym-based, dance, and cross-training sessions. You'll also find workouts from celebrity trainers Chris and Heidi Powell, who have engaging personalities and years of experience helping people hit their fitness goals. The built-in timer helps you stay on track with your workout, especially since Transform doesn't provide a designated trainer to work with you. This means you don't get access to a coach, virtual sessions, or in-app messaging, which are some of the cons.

Regarding nutrition, the app's recipe database and weekly grocery shopping list can be helpful for meal planning. You can also track your daily food intake and view how many macros and calories you consume each day — if you want. However, there isn't an expert on-hand to guide you.

The site can feel a bit spammy and busy (there's a ton of graphics to take in on the homepage alone), making it difficult navigate. However, once you get your bearings, it does include helpful information about the program's offerings, which overall makes for a well-rounded and affordable approach to getting healthy.

Non Gendered Fitness is a trans-friendly virtual gym that's owned and operated by gender-diverse individuals Bowie Stover, Zay Canters, and Jodie Nagyivan. It's focused on helping members of the LGBTQIA+ community get fit, healthy, and build confidence. The program is relatively inexpensive, making the owner's inclusivity intentions seem even more authentic.

From the moment you arrive at Non Gendered Fitness's homepage, it's clear the program has a genuine goal: providing fitness and health coaching for the LGBTQIA+ community. The owners give off a warm, welcoming vibe in their bios on the About page and offer in-app online training sessions, which allow you to decide the pace of your workouts. If you're not so comfortable with meeting one-on-one with a personal trainer but want all the benefits of having a pro on your side, this might just be the program for you.

The company offers a free seven- or 14-day trial, so you can see if you like the workout style before fully committing. The beginner-friendly home training program is $13 per week and focused on moving and loosening up joints. And its workouts are designed to be completed one to four days per week, with the intensity progressing over time.

To make matters easy, you'll log into your training sessions, follow along to video exercise demonstrations, and track your progress all in the app. However, it's a pre-built, self-paced program, so you won't have a live trainer for one-on-one support. (BTW, you can contact one if needed.)

The app also gives you the option to record yourself performing an exercise next to the video demonstration, so you can look back at it and see if your form matches the demo. Plus, your coach will also get a copy of the video and send you feedback. If you're looking for some healthy eating tips, you'll find nutrition coaching available in the app.

If you care about credentials from personal training certification organizations in the U.S., Non Gendered Fitness might not satisfy. The owners are based in Victoria, Australia, and don't hold credentials from NASM, ACE, or NESTA. However, Stovers holds a fitness certificate from FitNation and is a Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor, while Canters holds a Precision Nutrition Coaching Certification, according to the company website.

Lauren Leavell Fitness is owned by NASM-certified personal trainer Lauren Leavell, who embraces body positivity and welcomes people of all sizes, shapes, and backgrounds who desire to make positive changes through exercise.

Lauren Leavell Fitness is all about embracing your body and getting moving, no matter your shape or size. In fact, owner Leavell says on the company's website that "all bodies are welcome".

On the website, you'll find a demonstration video that shows you how to navigate its app-based program, including how to view members' notes, access recorded and upcoming class schedules based on workout type, and sign up for workouts. Classes offered include barre, boot camp, and HIIT. Members can communicate easily with each other in the app.

Leavell also offers a sliding-scale pricing model. The Sustainer membership costs $40 per month and includes four live workouts a week and recordings, access to recordings with special guest instructors and educators, and community connection to other folks in the class. By choosing the $60-per-month Builder membership, you'll get everything you get with the Sustainer membership, plus you'll help fund scholarships for those who need assistance and make space for more people to join the community.

If you like to work with a variety of trainers, this may not be the best program for you, as Leavell is the sole fitness expert.

Exercising as you grow older can be intimidating, especially if you're dealing with a chronic condition or pain. The Perfect Workout is geared toward older folks who may need to make more modifications and take things a bit slower.

The Perfect Workout began as one studio in San Diego and now has more than 60 locations throughout California, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia, among others. It offers one-on-one virtual sessions with a fitness professional who is trained specifically in Slow-Motion Strength Training, which involves slower repetitions to fatigue your muscles faster. However, they may not hold fitness certifications through NASM, ACE, or NESTA.

The program consists of one to two live personal training sessions a week, with each of the workouts lasting 20 minutes. The cost depends on whether you sign up for a short- or long-term program. And though it's more expensive than other online training programs, if you're looking for workouts tailored to older adults and that don't require a big time commitment, this company may be the perfect fit.

The workout program was created to address osteoporosis or osteopenia and developed to be safe enough for people who have low bone density. "[That] methodology is what's key and unique to us," says Kaila Grabot, a member support coordinator at The Perfect Workout. "It's a high-intensity, low-impact style of training, so it focuses on building lean muscle and helps keep your bones and joints safe as you're doing the exercises." The workouts are also highly modifiable, so it's a good option for folks dealing with injuries or pain, adds Grabot.

Additionally, the site offers an education hub with articles written by staff that are geared toward seniors, including topics like how to stay healthy after menopause, how to breathe properly during workouts, how to create healthy habits, and more.