One of the first steps in many people’s journey toward better health is figuring out what forms of guidance, coaching, or training they need to help them set and then reach their goals.
One question we hear frequently is whether someone should work with a personal trainer or a nutritionist — or both. We’ve also seen that there’s confusion about what various terms and roles really mean.
So, to help you make informed decisions as you pursue your own health and fitness journey, we’re going to clear up the confusion surrounding terms like certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and dietitian. We’ll also give you some guidance on which one you should work with.
A certified personal trainer is a fitness professional with one or more certifications who provides individualized exercise guidance, motivation, and education to clients. Certified personal trainers assess clients' fitness levels, develop tailored workout plans to meet specific goals, and ensure they perform exercises safely and effectively.
The most common credential in this field comes from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), but there are other credentials of similar value (including ACE and NSCA-CPT).
While many personal trainers have additional areas of expertise or specializations, their primary focus is typically on physical fitness and workout routines.
Working with a personal trainer means getting help with areas like these:
Of course, anyone can Google a hundred different training plans. But those plans aren’t tailored to your unique abilities, needs, and goals. They may contain some helpful general principles that will help just about everyone, but they don’t take into consideration the things that make you, you.
Achieving holistic fitness will look different for every person. Getting there requires setting realistic fitness goals and then taking the right steps to reach those goals. A certified personal trainer is likely the partner you need — first to help you set the right goals and then to help you build and maintain exercise routines that enable you to reach those goals.
How does this work with trainwell? Your trainer will use our exercise library of over 1,500 exercises and exercise variations to create a workout customized to your needs and goals (and that works with the equipment you have — even if that’s no equipment).
You can work out anywhere, anytime. The app will guide you through the workout and tell you exactly what to do each step of the way in your trainer’s voice. This way, you don’t need to be on a clunky video call with the trainer. (But if you do need a video call to work something specific out, that option is always available, too!)
Your trainwell trainer will review the data collected from each workout and make adjustments to your workouts for next time.
It’s definitely possible to work out without a personal trainer. It’s even possible to see meaningful results!
But for most adults, the “go it your own” approach leads to diminishing returns, plateauing, frustration, or even injury.
Working with a personal trainer keeps you focused, helps you avoid all of those problems, and provides crucial feedback, motivation, and accountability to keep you active, accurate, and on track.
With trainwell, you’ll also get a holistic customized workout routine, not just guidance on whatever you decide to do. We build science-based programs that develop whole-body strength. But we also know the best program is the one you will actually do, so we combine the science of fitness and consistency to create the most effective plan for you.
A nutritionist is anyone who offers guidance on nutrition — and that’s kind of an issue.
The term “nutritionist” is so broad that it can mean practically anything, and you don’t need any kind of training or certification to claim the title. We don’t recommend nutritionists for our clients for exactly these reasons: There’s no consistency in what you’re getting.
What most people are thinking of when they use the word “nutritionist” is actually a dietitian.
Dietitians are medical professionals who can evaluate a patient’s nutritional needs and prescribe a food regimen or meal plan. Their primary focus is on diet, nutrition, and overall health through food.
Most people don’t need a dietitian to reach their fitness goals. They may need to build healthier eating habits, and they may even need some guidance in doing so.
We do occasionally refer clients to registered dietitians, but only clients with more significant health issues that would warrant a regimented dietary plan.
While all trainwell trainers are certified as trainers, many also carry a nutrition-oriented certification (Precision Nutrition certification is the most common). These trainers aren’t “nutritionists” or dietitians, but they can offer general guidance on food choices that may enhance your results, along with healthy eating tips and guidance on macros.
Nutritionists may claim to do any number of things — we don’t recommend the label because it’s generic and vague.
Dietitians play a specific role in addressing health conditions through changes to diet and detailed dietary plans. They can help you in these areas:
If you need a lesser level of nutrition guidance, consider working with a trainwell trainer who holds the Precision Nutrition certification or another food-related certification. Remember: Our trainers aren’t dietitians, but some of them can help with dietary advice, intuitive eating, or even provide a meal plan that supports your fitness goals.
Most people interested in getting more fit don’t need a nutritionist or a dietitian. If you’re looking for personalized nutrition advice, improved dietary habits, or enhanced overall well-being, a dietitian is overkill.
That said, working with a dietitian can be a key part of achieving your wellness goals, especially if those goals require significant diet and lifestyle changes or medically necessary weight loss.
If you need a dietitian, then working with one typically delivers many benefits, including primarily the detailed help you need to adapt your food intake to improve health, lose weight, or manage a medical condition.
We can’t directly compare personal trainers with nutritionists because there’s no set definition for what nutritionists are, know, or do. Some trainers may claim to be nutritionists, but we highly recommend looking at their specific certifications (or lack thereof).
While some personal trainers have nutrition certifications, their expertise is not as comprehensive as that of a registered dietitian — and their focus is different.
In short: A personal trainer is for fitness, helping you increase strength, build muscles, overcome injuries, improve cardiovascular health, and so on. A personal trainer may also offer general nutrition guidance.
A registered dietitian, on the other hand, won’t give you guidance on exercise routines, muscle building, or conditioning. Instead, they will advise on specific, detailed dietary plans — often medically necessary and related to major weight loss.
The cost for personal training can range widely (though there are ways to stabilize that cost — working with trainwell, for example). The same is true for the wide variety of people who claim the label “nutritionist,” though as a reference point, you can expect to pay between $100 and $200 for an hour consultation. That rate will hold for most registered dietitians as well, but bear in mind that if you are referred to a dietitian your medical insurance may offset some or all of that cost.
While price is an important factor, it’s not the main one — because personal trainers and dietitians or nutritionists are really working to solve different challenges.
Use this table to determine which option makes the most sense for you:
If your needs are somewhere in between, then what you’re probably looking for is a personal trainer with some nutrition training. We believe that’s a better approach than rolling the dice on a nutritionist with no defined training or credentials.
As far as trainwell’s approach: Our trainers don’t build detailed meal plans because they are not registered dietitians. However, they do help people build healthier eating habits, focusing primarily on helping people get more servings of fruits and veggies each day, drinking more water, and focusing on portion control. Plus, some of our trainers do hold nutrition credentials like the Precision Nutrition certification. This doesn’t make them dietitians, but it does show their experience and knowledge in the realm of nutrition.
Most adults seeking to improve their fitness and overall health don’t need a dietitian but will benefit immensely from working with a certified personal trainer.
But finding the right trainer and fitness program can be overwhelming in today’s fitness industry. In-person coaching can be effective, but it can also be intimidating and prohibitively expensive.
Trainwell is the answer you’ve been missing: an unprecedented combination of live virtual personal training and advanced real-time feedback using your smartphone and (optional) wearables.
Our fitness trainers have at least 1 personal trainer certification, a bachelor’s degree, and 3 years of experience, minimum. Many have additional specialties (including strength training, sports nutrition, rehab, and many more), so trainwell can pair you with trainers that can help you achieve your specific goals.
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