Trainer Tech: Six Software Apps to Improve Your Business

How many clients did you work with before you realized personal training required a lot more administration than you thought? With scheduling, monitoring progress, planning meals, preparing training programs and keeping track of all of your clients, there’s a lot to be done. Luckily, in this age of “There’s an app for that,” trainer technology is vastly improved. Gone are the days of manila folders, clipboards and record-keeping with pen and paper. The problem now lies not in the lack of technology, but in how to choose the app/software that is just right for you and your business.

This article will explore six software programs and apps that can help you streamline business admin and improve the quality of your service.

Trainerize (www.trainerize.com/)

Trainerize.com claims to be the “#1 Personal Training Software for Fitness Professionals,” with the “world’s largest exercise library.” Trainerize allows you to schedule training, record progress, message your clients and plan their workouts through an online portal and a smartphone app. From the app (free to download and available for iPhone and Android), your clients can view their workout schedule, watch videos for each exercise, track their progress and record their fitness test scores.

Cool Features

• Offers tools to build personalized training programs for each client, or to create templates to use for other clients
• Can be set to send automated prompts to ask clients to upload progress photos
• Offers calendar management, and lets you schedule workouts for clients from your dashboard
• Has a client messaging function that makes communication quick and easy
• Maintains a database of videos for each exercise and also allows you to upload your own videos
• Lets you add PayPal for easy payment
• Provides step-by-step guidance for setting up your portal
• Can be set up to send automated prompts to your clients or send prompts to you to remind you to communicate with clients

Trainerize Website
Trainerize also provides a prebuilt website that you can customize with photos, colors, your logo and more. It’s a simple, one-page site with a section for your bio, a way for potential clients to contact you and a Trainerize URL ([your custom URL].trainerize.com).

Pricing
Trainerize is priced based on number of clients. As this article is being written, individual trainer rates are $16 per month for 5 clients and $32 per month for 15 clients. Rates for small fitness studios start at $48 per month for 16–200 clients. Volume pricing is available if the number of clients needs to be unlimited.

VirtuaGym™ (https://virtuagym.com/software)

With Virtuagym, you can create workout plans for clients, keep track of client progress, message your clients and issue them challenges and badges for completing the plans. It also includes a robust nutrition tracking program.

Cool Features

• Has a branded mobile app and an online portal
• Includes scheduling capabilities
• Lets you create a community and issue challenges and rewards for all of your clients
• Enables Facebook integration that prompts clients to share their progress on Facebook
• Offers a robust nutrition tracking program that supports plans for a variety of goals

Mobile App
VirtuaGym comes with a mobile app (for iPhones and Androids) and an online portal that you can brand and customize. From the app, clients can view their workouts, log their daily meals, track their progress and schedule one-on-one appointments or classes with you.

Pricing
VirtuaGym pricing starts at $39.99 per month.

FitnessMgr (www.fitnessmgr.com/)

The FitnessMgr app can be accessed from your computer, iPad or iPhone. Depending on the plan chosen, it can be used for personal training or for fitness facilities. It lets you track client stats, workouts and food logs. It also includes a scheduler.

Cool Features

• Creates customized client workouts that can be tracked
• Tracks client progress, food log and body stats
• Syncs to all devices, and lets you access information from anywhere
• Manages large organizations with multiple locations
• Offers an internal messaging tool
• Allows you to market your own mobile app “powered by FitnessMgr”
• Generates detailed reports about your gym and its clients

Pricing
The FitnessMgr price for personal trainers is $30 per month, and it allows an unlimited amount of clients. The price for studios—$199 per month—covers up to 500 clients and an unlimited number of trainers. There are also “Gym” and “Club” levels that allow for more clients.

TrainerFu (www.TrainerFu.com)

The TrainerFu app is designed for smartphones or tablets only. You can use it to create your own workout plans, or you can work from TrainerFu templates. Your clients can log their workouts and daily meals, get motivation from you and track their progress—all from the app.

Cool Features

• Offers prebuilt workout templates to save you time
• Has the ability to track clients and monitor how well they are following your food or workout plan
• Lets you send clients kudos for performing a successful workout
• Can track client’s caloric intake versus calories burned
• Integrates with the Lose It! app (www.loseit.com/) for easy meal tracking
• Has an exercise database with 1,000+ exercises, and enables you to customize your own exercises
• Comes with a built-in calculator for body fat percentages and assessments
• Displays visual progress charts

Pricing
The TrainerFu app costs $29 per month for up to 20 clients.

My Trainers App© (www.mytrainersapp.com)

MyTrainersApp is a customizable app for personal trainers. Through this program you can build your own app—with zero coding or IT knowledge required. You can input your own logo, information, exercises, workouts, interval timers and diets into the app and make it your own. MyTrainersApp offers an exercise list to work from, with photos and videos of each exercise. It also has an option for adding your own exercises and videos.

Cool Features

• Has preprogrammed interval timers and Stopwatches for programs like Tabata, HIIT, CrossFit® and circuit-style training
• Lets you add and save your own customized workout interval timers
• Offers fully customizable diet tips to help clients stay on track
• Includes a photo album to show clients’ progress
• Facilitates progress-tracking and reports that can be emailed to your clients
• Contains fully customizable endurance tests and assessments

Pricing
To purchase MyTrainersApp, you buy a license; the price depends on how long you buy the license for. For a 24-month term, the app costs $269; the price goes up from there. If your clients want to use your app, they purchase it for $14.99. Depending on the license you purchase, you receive a 40%–60%–75% commission on app sales.

Fit Clients™ (https://fitclients.com/)

The Fit Clients software program uses an online portal for managing clients. Each client gets a unique registration sign-up link to log on and track their goals. This software tracks your clients’ progress for you, and it sends reports and reminders so that you know who needs motivation and who needs praise. You can also use it to create contests for all of your clients to participate in.

Cool Features

• Lets you capture client testimonials with Before and After photos, and then use them in success stories on your website or social media channels
• Helps track individual progress and run team challenges
• Prepares weekly reports to let you know who’s not on track
• Sends emails to both you and your clients when they miss a weigh-in or don’t reach their weekly goals
• Provides a custom URL and the ability to add your logo to the portal

Pricing

Fit Clients starts at $19.99 per month.

A Breakdown of All Six Options

Most of these apps offer the same basic features and functionality, with a few different bells and whistles. Choosing one is really about your needs, your budget and the usability of the app or software you choose. Most of them offer free trial periods before you buy. Pick the ones you think are right for you, give them a try and then make your decision.