These days, people need not ever leave there home, not even for fitness training. We live in a society where shopping and obtaining advice can all be achieved right in the comforts of boxers or even the buff. But as fitness advice and expertise becomes available online, it has many people wondering about it efficacy.

Is it feasible to acquire the same benefits of personal training via the virtual world?

Despite the reputations of some of the renowned fitness gurus, such as Olympic runner Jeff Galloway and Bob Greene (Oprah Winfrey's personal trainer), certain people are questioning the effectiveness of the e-physical training courses. When Galloway is not hosting accepted running clinics across the nation, he is offering personal fitness training online. Greene has entered the cyber-arena of fitness by the innovation of a self-contained online physical training class. Within the next several months, he will be incorporation feedback and response via email.

So the question lingers - is online fitness coaching as beneficial as the traditional face-to-face interaction? In certain people’s opinion, real world training does not allow for slacking off room or falling off of a regular exercise program.

However in an effort to prove the efficacy of online fitness training, the researchers at Brown University conducted a study comparing dieters who followed a structured weight management program online to individuals who read dieting and exercise articles online.
The findings were released by the Journal of American Medical Association.

The results showed that people who received feedback from a therapist opposed to those who read health and fitness information were prone to lose a minimum of five percent of their body weight. (Only 22 percent of the education group lost weight).