Short answer. If you are new to lifting, or you only train when somebody is expecting you, start in person. If you already know your way round a gym and your week will not sit still, online is usually the better fit. A lot of people end up doing one and then the other.
I coach both, so I have no reason to push you either way. The wrong one costs you money and a few months, and then you blame yourself instead of the format.
The quick version
| In person | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Beginners | People who can lift |
| Technique | Fixed live | Fixed from video |
| Schedule | Set slot | Train any time |
| Location | Near the gym | Anywhere |
| Turning up | Coach expects you | Down to you |
None of those rows is good or bad on its own. It depends which of them is your actual problem.
Who in person suits
Beginners who need the technique coached. A squat or a deadlift has a lot going on, and most of what goes wrong is invisible to the person doing it. In the room I can see it, say it, and have you try again on the next rep. That loop is fast. Through video it still works, but each correction takes a day instead of ten seconds.
People who need the appointment to turn up. Some people are honest enough to say it. If the only training you have ever done consistently was football on a Tuesday or a class you had paid for, a fixed slot with someone waiting for you is not a weakness to fix. It is the thing that works, so use it.
People coming back with a niggle. If something hurts, see a GP or a physio first. Once you are cleared, being watched in person while you rebuild is usually more reassuring than sending clips.
The catch with in person is that it ties you to a place and a time. If you miss the slot, the session is gone.
Who online suits
People who already know their way round a gym. If you can set up a bench and squat without help, you do not need someone counting your reps. What you need is a plan that progresses, an eye on your form now and again, and somebody noticing when things slide. All of that travels fine over a phone.
Irregular shifts. Nurses, police, anyone on a rota, anyone whose job overruns without warning. A Wednesday 6pm slot is useless if one week in three you are on nights. Online lets you train at 3am if that is when your day starts.
People who live too far away. If getting to a coach is a forty minute drive each way, the drive is what kills it, not the training. Online removes the drive.
I wrote more about what online coaching actually includes, and who it does not work for, in is online coaching worth it, so I will not repeat it here.
Cost and flexibility
I will not put numbers here, because every coach prices differently. The trade off is the same everywhere, though.
In person you pay for a coach’s time, so you get fewer contact hours for your money, but every one of them has someone beside you. Online you pay for the plan, the reviews and the check-ins rather than the hour, so it tends to cost less per week and covers every session, not just the ones you book.
That matters more than it looks. The NHS physical activity guidelines (reviewed May 2024) say adults should do strengthening activity that works all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week. If you book one in person session a week, you are on your own for the rest. Fine if you know what to do with them. Not fine if you do not.
Flexibility runs the other way. In person is rigid by design, and that rigidity is exactly why it works for some people. Online bends round your week, and that is exactly why it falls apart for others.
The hybrid: in person first, then online
This is the route I would suggest to most beginners near Paisley. Do a block of sessions in person until the main lifts look right and you can run a session without me. Then move online and keep the plan, the video checks and the weekly check-in.
You get the hard part coached face to face, when it matters most. After that you are not paying for somebody to stand there while you do things you already know how to do. And if work changes, or you move, or the winter makes the drive miserable, the coaching carries on.
It also works the other way. Some people start online, find they keep missing sessions, and come in for a while to get the habit back.
Picking one
Ask yourself two things. Can I do the main lifts safely without someone watching? Will I train if nobody is expecting me? Two yeses, go online. Two noes, start in person. One of each, start in person and plan to move.
If you are local, one-to-one personal training in Paisley is where to start. If you are further away or your hours are all over the place, have a look at online personal training. The first consultation is free either way, and I will tell you which I think suits you.
