Should I Invest in an Online Fitness and Nutrition Coach?

After a break up from a long relationship in July 2021, I was feeling the desperate need to look hot and sexy again, but my inconsistent relationship with the gym and my diet was not conducive to getting me those results.

August 2021 - Before - Excuse my weird nipple situation going on?!

I started searching the web for an all-in-one solution to get my ass into shape. I wanted something to keep me accountable without the ridiculous expenses of having a personal trainer. After weighing out a few options, I ultimately found my coach, Amadeo, a Berlin-based trainer whose value proposition was getting gay men into shape. After a zoom call and an onboarding, I was given access to an app where he would upload my workouts, give me meal plan options based on whether I wanted to effectively bulk or cut weight, and where I could chat with him and upload measurement updates.

Fast forward one year later, and I have absolutely no regrets and am totally thrilled with where my body is versus where it was, with the peak of my thrill coming in April with the emergence of abs for the first time in my entire life (which may have vanished again by now 🤣).

April 2022 - After - I have those things called Abs!

The advantages and learnings of doing a program like this are uncountable:

You create tons of accountability

For 150 euros per month, it is by no means a cheap program (albeit much cheaper than a personal trainer), but investing that much in my health made me put in the extra effort of doing the work to get the results. I followed the workout plans almost 100% of the time, at one point consistently getting up at 6 am in the middle of winter to bike to the gym. I followed the diets 50-80% of the time, as I am still human and like to eat out.

To add to the accountability, Amadeo would be frequently checking in on me to make sure I was progressing.

Under any other system that I have tried, I never had as much accountability as I had with this program. It became like a little game for me where I would get a nice rush of dopamine every time I checked off a workout or meal.

You get pushed to entirely new limits (and create memories at the same time)

About mid way through my time with Amadeo, I came up with the wild idea of incorporating some half marathon training into my routine.

If I had not had a plan to follow, I would likely max out at 10 km once per week, but with this plan, I was forced into situations where I was running 20 to 23 kilometres in a single sitting.

Daunting at first, I soon learned to love these challenging runs where I was pushed far past my assumed limits. At the same time, I would incorporate these runs into coinciding travels and discovered hidden corners of places like Cologne, Germany and Joshua Tree National Park.

Could I have motivated myself on my own to do these workouts? Likely not.

You learn a lot about your body and how it works best

Through following workouts and diet plans using this system over the course of the year, I learned a lot about how my body works, including the amount of calories and best foods to gain muscle and tone muscle.

Overall over the course of working together with Amadeo, I just felt generally healthier both mentally and physically, and on top of that my energy level sky-rocketed.

After a year, I decided to part ways with my online coaching program, mainly due to cutting expenses in this tumultuous economic environment, but I assure anyone who is reading this that I do not plan on letting myself go back to my original state. The discipline and learnings about myself that this program has instilled in me is enough for me to start writing my own workouts and mealplans and more importantly, pushing myself past my limits. Nonetheless, this discipline would not have been possible without the initial investment in the program.

Therefore, I wholeheartedly recommend trying something like this once if you get the chance. Your body, mind, and confidence will soar to new heights!

If you are not able to afford it, that is also totally fine! I mention some great coach-like apps here that I have begun to use to positively influence my exercise and eating routines here, our tips for designing the best portable home gym, and our 5 tips for staying fit on the road.

More exercise-related reads:

• The Portable Home Gym: Best Travel Workout Equipment