Online Workout Programs the Wave of the Future

Online workout programs began their meteoric ascent in the early years of the 21st century, coinciding with the "workout craze" that hit the United States. Men and women who were once only part-time Y-instructors were able to leave their full-time jobs and become full-time personal trainers

Why? The demand was there. Ab rockers and other workout equipment started selling like hotcakes off infomercials and websites. Magazines saw sales skyrocket whenever the "cover boy" or "cover girl" showed off their abdominals, or otherwise went topless.

But as the craze climbed to new levels, so did prices. Gym memberships, which at one time cost a few bucks a month for the simplest membership option, now began anywhere from $49-$69 a month.

Personal trainers started charging fees in excess of $100/hour. Workout apparel went from functional and affordable to fancy and expensive. We were told we needed to "lose the fat" and "build the muscle", but really, who could afford to?

Enter online workout programs.

They began popping up here and there as people began looking for less expensive options when it came to workout plans. Consumers quickly saw the benefits, too, and have continued looking online for workout plans whenever they wanted to start or research a program.

Online workout programs:

* save you money from a personal trainer. Sites today offer great customer service -- responding to e-mails, phone calls, holding chat sessions -- while only charging fees that are pennies on the dollar compared to the costs of personal trainers;

* offer public forums, where you can ask questions to the professionals or your fellow weight trainers. Stay motivated with helpful tips, pieces of advice, and words of encouragement from people who have done what you're trying to do;

* offer a slew of weight training literature -- both in the weight room and kitchen -- and have multiple weightlifting workout charts for you to download. When you use a professional trainer out of the Yellow Pages, you're surely not going to receive helpful books from him. He or she will give you their allotted time and then, you're on your own;