TL;DR: Online personal training gives you the freedom to grow beyond your gym floor, but it takes the right setup to do it well. Here’s the step-by-step to get there.
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Did you know that the global online fitness market grew from $34.25 billion in 2025 to $43.78 billion in 2026? That’s a compound annual growth rate of 27.8%.
According to our 2026 State of the Personal Training Industry Report, 48% of trainers now run a hybrid model as their primary way of working.
These stats indicate that online coaching isn’t a side hustle anymore. More and more of your clients (existing and potential) are migrating to online platforms. And, when you think about it, it’s easy to see why.
As a personal trainer, two of the best things you can provide to your clientele are engaging services and instant accessibility. The best way of doing this is to move more of your products and services to an online platform!
Not sure how to start an online personal training business? No problem! We’re here to assist you with this transition. The good news is, it’s easier than it sounds. Follow these seven steps to take your personal training business online. 👇
How to Become an Online Personal Trainer
Step #1: Get certified as a personal trainer
If you aren’t already certified as a personal trainer, it’s the best place to start when deciding to move online. Here are a few credible certification programs to kick-start your career:
You can also discover more certifications with our Education Partner Program. Or get access to highly practical courses through the ABC Trainerize Academy. 💪
Experience and accreditation go a long way when it comes to earning the trust and respect of your clients — especially when they haven’t met you in person. Being highly qualified also allows you to charge a fair price for your services.
📝 Free Resource: How to Start an Online Fitness Business in 2026
Step #2: Define the target market for your fitness business
If your goal is to reach new markets and increase your earning potential, you need to clearly define the type of clients you want to attract to your online personal training business.
➡️ According to our 2026 report, 82% of trainers say client acquisition is now harder or has plateaued. A clear niche is a sure way to cut through the noise.
Start with reflecting on the clients you’ve already gotten great results for:
- Who did you enjoy working with most?
- What problem were you solving?
- What results did you achieve?
Then narrow from there.
This targeted approach allows you to tailor your services and marketing to resonate with your ideal clients, fostering stronger connections and long-term relationships.
📝 Check Out: How to Find Your Niche as a Personal Trainer
Step #3: Plan your products and services
Now that you know who you’re serving, it’s time to figure out HOW.
There are 4 main delivery models to know about when you’re learning how to be an online personal trainer:
- 1:1 online coaching: High touch and fully personalized, tends to be the easiest to sell first
- Hybrid coaching: A mix of in-person and online sessions. It’s also the most popular model amongst 48% of personal trainers
- Online group or semi-private training: Serve more clients per hour at a lower per-person price point
- On-demand content: Pre-built programs or video libraries clients access on their own time
Hybrid is a great starting point if you’re transitioning from in-person. You can keep your current clients while building out your online setup at the same time.
ABC Trainerize supports all of these models in one platform. Depending on your target audience, we’ve made it simple to offer habit coaching and nutrition coaching alongside your other virtual services.
📝 Read More: How to Build Your Online Personal Training Packages
Step #4: Outline your expenses and revenue
Starting an online personal training business costs less than running an in-person one. But it’s not free!
It’s important to know what you’re spending before you set your prices. Here are some common expenses to budget for:
- Liability insurance (this one’s non-negotiable)
- Coaching software
- Continuing education and certifications
- Content creation tools: camera, lighting, editing software
- Website hosting and domain
On the income side, the 3 most common pricing structures are per-session, package-based, and monthly recurring. Monthly recurring is the most sustainable for building predictable revenue (especially when it’s paired with software that handles billing automatically).
Pricing your online services can be tricky, and there is a bit of background work involved. But don’t stress, we’ve got you covered here too!
📝 Check Out: The Ultimate Pricing Guide for Personal Trainers and Online Coaches
Step #5: Develop a digital marketing strategy and grow a following
Did you know? 80% of trainers are only onboarding 1-5 new clients per month. Showing up consistently online, even with a smaller following, can help you beat the odds.
Think about your marketing in 3 buckets:
1. Brand awareness
This is how people first hear about you. Short-form video (Instagram Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts) is one of the best ways for trainers to get found online right now.
Test out different formats and ideas to showcase your knowledge, personality, and who you help. Ask yourself, what type of content will I produce? Will it be personable, entertaining, or informational?
You don’t need to go viral. You just need to be findable and credible. 🙂
2. Build a sense of community
You need to give people a reason to keep following you. Share client wins (with permission), training tips, or behind-the-scenes content. Be responsive in comments and DMs, fostering genuine conversations within the community you’re building.
The goal is becoming a trusted voice for your niche so that your followers feel comfortable and confident reaching out to you.
📝 Check Out: Building a Community as a Personal Trainer
3. Make sales
When someone’s ready to hire you, make it easy for them. This means including a clear call-to-action in your bio, a simple way to book a discovery call, and a smooth intake process.
Your Trainerize.me profile can work as a built-in landing page that shows your services and lets clients start working with you directly.
📝 Read More: How to Sell Personal Training: Online and In-Person Strategies for Success
Bottom line: how you present yourself online will enhance your potential for a successful online personal training business. Key performance indicators (KPIs) like follower/subscriber counts, email signups, and engagement are all things you should regularly track.
Step #6: Create your website
As an online personal trainer, your website is central to your brand. It’ll be the hub for your audience to reach you and purchase your products or services.
That said, your website doesn’t need to be fancy. It needs to do 3 things:
- Tell people who you help
- Let them buy, book, or apply
- Provide helpful information and resources
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a web developer to build a pro-looking website! Wix, WordPress, Squarespace, and Showit are all solid options for fitness pros. If you want to get moving quickly, your Trainerize.me profile can work as a lightweight landing page while you’re building your full site.
📝 Read More: Best Fitness Website Builders: Tools to Launch Your Fitness Business Online
Step #7: Start training 🎉
You now have everything in place! It’s time to begin helping your clients with their fitness goals.
This is where investing in the right software can really help you build positive client-trainer relationships and keep you organized.
When you’re choosing online personal training software, look for one platform that handles:
- Simple client onboarding
- Workout programming and delivery
- In-app messaging and automated check-ins
- Nutrition and habit coaching
- Progress tracking and goal setting
- Integrated payment processing
Having all of this in one place is what lets you know how to be an online personal trainer without spending half your week on admin. Less friction in your workflow = more time actually coaching!
📝 Read More: How to Succeed as a Remote Personal Trainer
FAQs: How to Become an Online Personal Trainer
How much can you make as an online personal trainer?
It depends on your niche, pricing, and how many clients you’re working with. That said, online trainers typically charge anywhere from $100 to $500+/month per client. The real upside is that online training lets you get beyond the “time-for-money” trap.
Do you need a certification to be an online personal trainer?
Technically no, but practically yes. A recognized cert from NASM, ACE, ISSA, or similar is one of the strongest trust signals you have with clients who can’t meet you in person. A cert also gives you access to professional liability insurance, which isn’t optional once you’re working with paying clients.
What software do online personal trainers use?
Most successful online trainers use an all-in-one platform to handle programming, client communication, progress tracking, and payments. ABC Trainerize is built for exactly this. 🙌
Take Your Personal Training Online with ABC Trainerize
Just as you’ll be there to help your clients reach their fitness goals, ABC Trainerize will be here to support your business goals.
Personal trainers who power their online coaching with ABC Trainerize can deliver a customized coaching experience for their clients – wherever, whenever, and however they train. Our platform also facilitates seamless communication, provides secure payment options, and offers your clients tools for progress tracking.
Over 400,000 fitness pros are using ABC Trainerize, join them by starting a free 30-day trial today!
