I’VE NEVER BEEN the type to make internet friends.
I have very little interest in conversing back and forth through a screen (if you’re waiting on a text back from me, don’t). Yet there I was, wrapped up in bed with my iPhone, giving away my life story (and workout history), for free, to a stranger on the internet, like a scene straight out of Catfish.
The interlocutor on the receiving end of my messages wasn’t a swoon-worthy love interest. It was ChatGPT, and I was hiring everyone’s favorite do-everything generative AI (an artificial intelligence program that produces responses to specific prompts, which in this case means my questions about fitness) as my new personal trainer.
Why? Because I’d been lagging in the gym lately and was craving the structure that comes with a coach. I’ve had coaches in the past, and the accountability is helpful. But as a fitness connoisseur (with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, five years of personal and group training experience, and two years of fitness and health reporting at MH under my belt, if we’re checking resumes), I’ve struggled to find coaches who are up to my standards, but not out of my price range. Too often, I find myself calling bullshit on sloppy programs.
I’m not alone in this struggle: Plenty of people can’t find fitness trainers at affordable prices. Google “personal trainer near me,” and you’ll likely be quoted prices range anywhere from $50 to more than $300 an hour. Working out three times a week with a high-end trainer could cost more than Manhattan rent.
This all helps explain the interest around AI bots as trainers. For the low low cost of zero dollars and an intimate conversation, you too can have a customized program almost immediately. But will that program actually get you to your fitness goals? I tried out CoachGPT for a month to find out, and walked away with some lessons you can use with your AI trainer, or in any of your other training, too.
Week 1: A Rough Start
TO PROPERLY TELL this story, I should note that I have zero experience with ChatGPT, or any other AI chatbot. All I know about generative AI is this: You can ask it to do anything, and it’ll respond with… something.
This lack of knowledge led me to make a grave mistake on take one: I didn’t log into the system. I had my lovely little onboarding chat with CoachGPT, and I left the page, without screenshotting it. All I remember was something about a plate raise—a strange exercise choice, I thought. When I went to tackle my first workout, I returned to the page to re-familiarize myself with the programming, and it was gone. Our first meeting, carelessly erased—like it meant nothing.
I had to go through the whole process again. I provided information on how much experience I have in the gym, how often and how long I want my workouts to be, what kind of equipment I have available, my injuries, and my fitness goals. Given that information, here’s what it provided as my workout:
There’s one fishy thing about all of this: I provided all the same information in our first discussion as in our second. It asked me the exact same questions. Somehow, the workout that CoachGPT gave me the second time around was different than the first.
That plate raise was gone. Not that I minded, because the original move bothered the trainer in me (there are more effective shoulder exercises out there). The workout changes got wilder, too: The dedicated shoulder and ab day was gone, replaced by a secondary leg day. I also distinctly remember there being only one programmed leg day the first time around. Even computers hate leg day.
I didn’t type the exact same sentences that second time, but the important pieces of information were all the same. How could the programming be that different? Answer: This is a generative AI, not a trainer. It was giving me a workout plan that fit my parameters, not necessarily the optimal plan.
Regardless, I rolled through CoachGPT’s exercises and workouts exactly as they were prescribed. Most of the workouts felt like they did the job. My legs were shot by the end of my first lower-body day; I could barely hold weights on the last few sets of weighted walking lunges. (At the end of the workout? Sadistic, Coach GPT.)
Week 1 Takeaways
I’m a natural optimist, so let’s start with the good. The exercise selection was fine; ChatGPT assigned me compound movements like squats and chest presses with some efficient isolation moves. It doesn’t get too complicated or unnecessarily fancy—a common mistake lousy trainers make to look smart.
The set and rep suggestions, typically 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, are good for muscle growth, which is the goal I set for myself. It’s exactly what I would program for an advanced trainee looking to build muscle, like myself.
The downsides: I knew immediately that these workouts were going to be way longer than I asked for in the initial query. I was in the gym for nearly an hour and a half for the first leg day—a luxury I can’t afford with my workaholic lifestyle.
Second, the order of the exercises was a bit off. On the first leg day, the leg press is programmed to come second in the lineup. In general, you’re always better off putting machine-driven moves like leg presses after free weight moves. They’re generally safer and easier to bail out of, so it’s better to use fresh legs on bigger free weight compound lifts, where it’s easier to make injury-provoking mistakes (like the Romanian deadlifts that were scheduled directly after).
Did CoachGPT know something I didn’t by programming these early? Not exactly: After I did the leg presses on Day 1, my legs were so tired that I had to back down my other exercises. I could barely load the walking lunges. Third, there were some straight up mistakes. The leg extension, a quad isolation movement, was programmed on a day that’s supposed to be for hamstrings, glutes, and calves? Come on, Coach.
If I wasn’t testing this hardcore, I would have tweaked the programming—which is what you should do if you try this. CoachGPT generally gives good exercise recommendations, so research each (and watch some MH videos) to determine how to use them to your advantage, and where they belong in a session. Think about picking 3 or 4 of ChatGPT’s recommendations for your workout, and don’t be afraid to cut any additional accessory moves. You won’t lose out on gains—especially since CoachGPT programs so many calf exercises. Does ChatGPT have a calf fetish?
Week 2: The Honeymoon Phase
I WAS DEDICATED to the cause on Week 1. I stuck around for every minute of my lengthy programmed workouts. Week 2, I was running out of time.
I had to start skipping sets. I asked it which ones I should skip:
Sound advice. I did what it suggested, and still had pretty solid workouts.
You might have also noticed that the bot didn’t specify what equipment to use, or what style to do for a handful of the bigger moves. ‘Squats’ were not limited to back squats, goblet squats, or air squats.
This was actually a great perk, but only because I know my body well. I know I get pain in my right shoulder when I try to barbell bench press, so I swapped it for the more shoulder-friendly dumbbell bench press, instead.
This was also convenient because I was able to remain flexible when equipment wasn’t available and I was on a tight schedule. If the rack wasn’t free, I could swap to goblet squats (and I did).
Week 2 Takeaways
Some level of flexibility in a workout routine can be nice. Things come up, injuries happen, equipment becomes unavailable, or you run short on time and have to cut something from your routine.
Whether you’re dealing with ChatGPT or a real coach (oops, I said it), the programmed moves won’t always work for you. If an exercise hurts or doesn’t feel right, it’s on you to start the conversation. One of the best parts of ChatGPT: It reminded me that the client (in this case, me) always has to start that process.
If I hadn’t asked CoachGPT what to skip, it would’ve never known that I was running low on time in my workouts. The same is true with an IRL coach: how are they supposed to help you change things around if they don’t know you’re struggling?
Of course, having too much flexibility can be a bad thing. If I’m constantly changing up my style of squat, I won’t be able to properly progress movements. Yes, the strength gains you’ll get from a goblet squat will translate into your ability to do a barbell front squat, but there are small nuances that make them different. Those weights are going to be different, too, so changing them around constantly means you won’t really be able to evaluate how that load feels from one week to the next.
The moral of the story is to start conversations with your coach when you’re confused or stuck, then stick with what you’re taught.
Week 3: Losing Steam
I GOT MY choice of squat this week because my equipment was not specified for me by CoachGPT ahead of time.
I know the benefit of both the front squat (strengthen the core and polish form) and the back squat (heavier loads). So, for the first two weeks, I ripped front squats to get myself into the groove. Rolling into Week 3, I felt ready to challenge my loads more, and swapped it for a back squat. Should I have done that after only two weeks of training front squats? Probably not—but, I haaaaaate front squats.
My front squat laziness, of course, was a lack of motivation. And that happened again on back/biceps day, when I ditched bent-over barbell rows for bench-supported rows.
Should I have been a better person and done the hard thing even if I didn’t feel like it? Absolutely. Would a real-life, good coach have forced me to push myself in that instance? Absolutely.
Week 3 Takeaways
Following any kind of online training program takes some level of discipline. An in-person coach is there to push you just as much as they are there to teach you—and that’s the kick in the ass that most people need.
If you don’t have the money for that, there are ways to bridge the gap with CoachGPT. You’ll have to ask for it. If you do, this is what you’ll get:
Semi-helpful for getting into the gym—but not super helpful for when you’re in the gym and dreading your heavy squat set.
I don’t know about you, but that wouldn’t motivate very much. Maybe I’d get some low-load reps in, which is better than nothing. But it certainly wouldn’t be enough for me to really push myself.
What I really wish I’d done was find a partner so we could take on the workouts together. A reliable gym buddy is an extremely underrated tool. You have someone who will keep you accountable for showing up as well as challenge you to push weight. Plus, you have a built in spotter—something CoachGPT will never be able to do.
Week 4: Red Flags Wave
I’VE LONG DEALT with an issue in my right knee. I couldn’t tell you what happened to it, or when it originated, but towards the end of Week 3, that old nagging pain was starting to rear its ugly head on my leg day workouts.
Of course, I consulted my coach about how I should address it. Here’s what it said:
Swapping in hip thrusts straight into glute bridges seems a bit unnecessary to me. If I’m tackling the hip thrusts with the intensity I should be, I shouldn’t have a ton of juice left in me to hit glute bridges directly after.
I did it anyway. To be fair, it did help a bit. I wasn’t feeling my knee as much as I was prior, and was still feeling like I could overload my legs. I took ChatGPT’s bait on recovery tips, too. Here’s what it provided:
Week 4 Takeaways
I find it rather alarming that the bot didn’t mention speaking to a doctor at all. It mentions going to see a physical therapist, but that’s after seven(!) other suggestions on how to first handle it (which included wearing a knee brace, embracing an anti-inflammatory diet, and reintroducing high impact activities—all things you should be discussing with a doctor first).
In the bot’s defense, I never said it was a serious issue. Some information that it spit out probably would have been my first line of defense, too, if something like this happened to me: R.I.C.E. it, and hit the doctor if all else fails.
But, “find a medical professional” should probably be listed number one if you’re a computer. The extra suggestions can be helpful, but they should come second.
The Breakup
One of the hardest parts of having a real-life coach is ending things. Like all relationships, sometimes the partnership just isn’t meant to be. The greatest perk of CoachGPT is I didn’t have to go through the disingenuous “it’s not you, it’s me” breakup conversation.
I need someone who will understand my strengths and weaknesses, and harness them to help push me to be better. I can confidently say I enjoyed my time with the machine and learned a lot—but I’m ready to move back to someone (a real trainer?) who puts a bit more effort in.
But is CoachGPT the cost-effective fitness hack you’ve been looking for? Maybe, if you’re very experienced, extremely self-motivated, and if you understand workouts enough to make your own tweaks.
If you’re not any of those things, maybe save ChatGPT for its intended uses, like pulling research for a paper or project, or drafting a perfect breakup text.
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