Find Your Personal Trainer with Fitness Trainer

Before I started my blog, I was very much a gym person. However, I was a gym person that didn’t have a clue what she was doing in the gym. I wanted fast results, but had no idea where to start. I typically walked into a gym, did a zillion crunches, some cardio, and never saw results. It wasn’t until I decided to hire a personal trainer that it all changed from there. Having a professional show you what to do, how to use the machines, and help see you through each session is a game changer. The results came.

So when FitnessTrainer reached out to me, I was excited to share their story, because I get asked quite a bit if I know of any trainers to recommend. Sadly, the answer is no. I don’t really review personal trainers for the blog. I can rate restaurants and studios all day, but to rate a person? The opinion is way too subjective.

Met with trainer Alysa B and she was great. Fun first session at her apartment’s fitness facility.

FitnessTrainer is a website where you can search for personal trainers and professional in your area and get a snapshot of their credentials, specialities, other peoples ratings, success stories and pricing. It’s kind of a match.com-esque site to help you find your trainer. You easily skim the search results until you find someone that you think is a trainer match. The company launched in Austin earlier this year and has made its way to Dallas with about 40 listed trainers and growing.

The Web Experience: To search, you simply go to the site, enter your zip code, and answer a few questions. The search results will pop up where you can them peruse the trainers. What’s cool about this is that you are able to see what the trainer looks like and their pricing, along with other details about their specialities, certifications, and background. Once you’ve selected a trainer you’d like to connect with, you can book it online. Their profile will also say where they can train and available times. It may be at select big box gyms like an L.A. Fitness or they can come to your apartment’s training center or it could be outside.

Here I did plank to sphinx followed by mountain climbers. Heart rate went way up!

Once you’ve booked your session, you’ll get friendly email reminders your session is coming up and the trainer will reach out to you to coordinate time and place. It’s all pay-as-you-go and there’s no long term commitment with a trainer or FitnessTrainer. And there’s no fee to use FitnessTrainer either. FitnessTrainer doesn’t currently offer multi-session packages yet, however I think if you ask, they can work something out.

The Training Session: Part of my review of the service included meeting with a trainer twice to get the feel of the experience. They connected me with Alysa Boan and I met her twice at her apartment’s fitness facility. We easily communicated through email and text and I could see on her profile that she was certified, had a great rating, and didn’t look like a crazy person. Hey, profile photos are worth a thousand words! I bypassed quite a few shirtless-in-the-bathroom-selfies.

I really enjoyed working out with Alysa. Being a woman, I was glad FitnessTrainer matched me with a female trainer. You are essentially meeting someone for the first time some where and I was more comfortable with a female trainer. And I’m also glad I was able to take two sessions from her consecutively. She was able to gauge my fitness level and then modified the workout to really challenge me. I used my heart monitor for each session and burned an average of 700 calories. It was also a great opportunity for me to get a good analysis of my own body. I’m a fan of continuous improvement and little things about my form, alignment, and weaknesses make a huge difference.

Used my Beets Blu HRM and it was great to see how well I did. This was a killer session btw.

The Personal Trainers: All personal trainers on the site go through an application and interview process to verify their credentials and work history. Another comfort to know is that they all get background checks too. However, not everyone is a certified personal trainer. My understanding is that some may be teachers or instructors that do not have a PT certification. I’ve seen quite a few profiles for yoga and martial arts teachers. There is a badge on each profile to show if they are or are not certified. I think this is a great place for any Dallas trainer to expand their network beyond word-of-mouth or just from the clientele of their gym.

Loved my second session. Toe taps followed by push ups with the medicine ball. 

Feedback: I wish the trainers weren’t limited to their own gyms and apartment complexes. I actually have two gym memberships and would have liked to have gone to my own gym to workout. Alas, the stipulations between gyms and trainers. And with the heat, there’s no way you’re catching me outside. Ha.

The site is still relatively new and I look forward to seeing more improvements. So far the web experience is pretty simple and straightforward. and I know they will continue to build out more features. I think from a user-standpoint, there could be more things the user can do from their end. Such as book, reschedule, and cancel an appointment. There could be a late or no-show fee associated with that too (much like booking classes at a studio). I think offering multi-session packages could be something to offer for people who have found a trainer they’d like to stick with.

Takeaway: I think this is a great starting point for anyone looking to take their fitness to the next level. I firmly believe getting a trainer is one of the most effective way to do that. This is a great resource for potential trainees and trainers looking to expand their network and connect with people looking for them.

If you’re interested in trying out the service and finding a trainer you like, FitnessTrainer is currently running a promotion for 50% your first session.

In order to review FitnessTrainer, Deep Fried Fit received two complimentary training sessions with Alysa and compensation for her time.