We Tried It: Trainerize, the Matchmaking-Like App to Find a Personal Trainer

It seems like everyday another app dedicated to finding a soul mate with a swipe right pops up. And with all the fuss around the convenience factor these days, it should come as no surprise that similar easy-to-use technology is popping up to help us find our perfect match beyond dinner dates. Namely, at the gym.

Trainerize.me is a new platform from the creators of the Trainerize app (free on iTunes and Google Play) takes the expedience of a digital dating but applies it to connecting you with the perfect trainer for your specific wellness needs. Never one to shy away from new health technology, I decided to try it out and find a my fitness kindred spirit.

I’ve never enlisted a personal trainer, mainly because they can be pricey and I prefer to be able to cancel my workouts without standing anyone up. The beauty of Trainerize is that it provides entirely virtual personal training and allows users to connect with their trainers anytime, anywhere. This level of convenience, I could get behind, so, I logged in.

Once on the site, I clicked the “Find Trainer” button and was immediately inundated with a slew of images of super-fit men and women, in various states of looking muscle-y and motivated. Much like the wealth of prospects on Tinder, the Trainerize.me database is extensive, boasting literally thousands of trainers to choose from. This is where the convenient matching algorithms come in seriously handy. You can customize exactly what type of training you would like to focus on. The options range from everything like bodybuilding to improved flexibility and endurance training to pre- and post-natal training. Then, you get to choosing. Each trainer has a profile, complete with images, certifications, specialties, and the services they specifically offer. After some careful reading and research, I decided that Tracy Holtzmann, certified personal trainer and creator of the Sleek Body Method, was the best fit for me, and sent her a message. The initial messaging allows users to communicate with their trainer about things beyond fitness like how much an individual trainer charges for his or her services (this totally depends on the trainer; the app does not provide any sort of pricing standard).

Once connected with your trainer, you switch to the Trainerize app. From there, I received multiple messages from Holtzmann with different forms and questionnaires to fill out to give her an in-depth look at my wellness, diet, and weight history. Via the app, we discussed my goals, short and long term, and I sent her pictures of my body so she could see what she was virtually working with. From there, she built a plan that called for four days of weight training. She created workouts that would focus on specific muscle groups for each individual day (i.e. chest, shoulders, and triceps one day; legs the next). She also recommended I train abs two or three times per week and do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for cardio three times per week. She provided recommendations for macros or macronutrient amounts (protein, carbs, fats) that I should try to hit in my diet every day and then sent me on my way.

Trainerize provides a messaging feature that allows for constant communication, if necessary. But in my case, I was able to keep updated with my trainer by using the app’s features for logging exercise and meals. To make things even more convenient, the company recently integrated with Fitbit and MyFitnessPal so I was able to connect the three apps to seamlessly integrate food, steps, and heart rate.

The highlight of my experience with the app was when I told Holtzmann I would be hitting the beach for vacation for 10 days without any gym access. Within a day, she provided a full week’s training plan full of body weight and cardio exercises I could complete sans gym equipment, including beach sprints.

The beauty of Trainerize.me is that it’s truly designed for individuals to each have personal experiences instead of completely broad workouts not tailored to their wellness wants and needs. In addition, it’s incredibly flexible. I was given a set number of workouts to complete, but I could complete them on the days that work best for my schedule instead of trying to sync up in person with a trainer.