How to Choose a Gym in Dhaka: 8 Things to Check
Pick a gym you can reach in about 20 minutes at your training hour, open when you are free and not packed then. Check trainers, hygiene, AC and full fees, and try it first.
For Trainers
Online Coaching: A Simple Setup for Personal Trainers
Sell a monthly package, send a written plan, check in on the same day each week, take payment up front by bKash, Nagad or card, and set clear reply hours.
To start online coaching, sell a monthly package with a fixed number of check-ins, send each client a written workout and diet plan, check in on the same day every week, and collect payment before the month starts by bKash, Nagad or card. Set clear reply times from day one. You do not need expensive tools to begin.
What Do Online Coaching Clients Actually Pay For?
Online clients pay for three things: a plan that fits their life, someone who checks whether they followed it, and changes when it stops working. They are not paying for a PDF. If the plan never changes and nobody asks how the week went, they leave after a month.
In Bangladesh, online coaching typically costs ৳3,000–৳8,000 a month, less than in-person training at ৳8,000–৳20,000, because you are not on the gym floor for every session. As of 8 October 2026, 20 trainers on GymCity offer online coaching, so clients can compare.
Payment is easier than it used to be. Bangladesh had 239.3 million mobile financial services accounts in January 2025, according to Bangladesh Bank data reported by The Financial Express. Many of your clients can send a bKash or Nagad payment from their phone in a minute.
Clients also want to know what they get before they ask. One trainer described it this way:
My profile does the explaining. New clients already know my packages and what I specialise in when they message me.
a personal trainer in Banani
How Should You Package Online Coaching?
Sell online coaching as a monthly package with a clear list of what is included, not as single sessions. A month is long enough to see change and short enough for a new client to try. Offer two or three packages at most, so the choice is easy.
| Package | What is included | Check-ins | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan Only | Workout and diet plan, updated monthly | One review at month end | Experienced members who train alone |
| Monthly Coaching | Workout and diet plan, changes as needed, message support in set hours | Weekly | Most clients, including beginners at home or at a gym |
| Hybrid | Everything in Monthly Coaching plus one or two in-person sessions | Weekly, plus sessions | Clients near you who want form checks in person |
Price the Hybrid package higher, because every in-person hour includes travel. A session across Dhaka at 6pm can cost you two hours on the road.
What Should a Weekly Check-In Include?
A weekly check-in is a short report from the client and a short reply from you, on the same day each week. It should take the client five minutes and you ten. Keep the questions the same every week so you can compare.
Form videos and a short weekly note keep online clients on track.Body weight, taken on the same morning each week, and waist every two weeks.
Which workouts they finished and which they missed, and why.
Sleep, energy and any pain or discomfort.
How the diet went: one thing that worked, one that did not.
Photos or a short exercise video, only if the client is comfortable sharing them.
Your reply should include one or two changes, not ten. "Add one set to squats" and "move dinner rice to one cup" are easy to act on. A long essay gets skimmed.
How Do You Deliver Workout and Diet Plans Online?
Give clients a written plan they can open on their phone during the workout, with a short video or note for each exercise. Plans sent as photos in a chat get lost by the second week. A shared place for plans, ticks and measurements makes check-ins faster for both of you.
The GymCity personal trainer app handles this. You build workouts from an exercise library with photos or YouTube links, assign them to a client on chosen weekdays, and the client ticks each exercise as they finish it. Before the check-in you already see which days were done.
Diet charts you write show on the client's home screen. You can also draft a diet plan with OpenAI or Google Gemini from the client's goals and answers, then edit it before the client sees it. On the Progress tab you record weight, waist and other measurements, and the client sees their weight trend at home.
How Do Clients Pay for Online Coaching in Bangladesh?
Online clients in Bangladesh usually pay by bKash or Nagad, and some by card. Ask for payment before the month starts, and send a clear bill with the amount, the package and the dates. A client who has paid for the month turns up to check-ins.
In GymCity, each client is put on a package and their bills follow it. A client can pay your bKash or Nagad number and report the payment, and you approve it. If your plan includes online payments, clients can pay the full bill by card or bKash through your own payment gateway account; trainers outside Bangladesh can take cards through Stripe. The money always goes to you. GymCity never holds your clients' money.
Clients abroad, such as family members working in the Gulf, may not have bKash. Agree on a card payment or another method before the first month.
What Boundaries Should Online Coaches Set?
Online coaching can turn into answering messages at midnight. Set your rules in writing before the client pays: when you reply, what is included, and what happens if they miss a month. Clear rules protect your time and make you look professional.
Reply hours: for example, 9am to 8pm, Saturday to Thursday. Say how fast you usually reply.
Check-in day: one fixed day. Late check-ins wait for the next week.
Scope: training and general eating advice. Refer anyone with a medical condition, pregnancy or an eating disorder to a doctor or qualified nutritionist.
Pauses and refunds: say whether a client can pause for travel, illness or Eid, and for how long.
Ramadan: agree in advance whether plans move to after iftar and how check-ins change.
Tip: Pin your reply hours and check-in day as the first message in each client chat, so the rules are always one scroll away.
Where Do Online Coaching Clients Come From?
Online clients find you through referrals, social media and searches for online trainers. Mark online coaching as one of your session types on your profile so you appear when people filter for it. Clients can be anywhere, so name the clients you coach: busy office workers, new mothers after medical clearance, or students training at home.
Many clients read up before they choose. Our members' guide to online personal training explains what they check, which helps you see your offer through their eyes.
A Sample First Month for a New Online Client
The first month sets the tone for the whole relationship. Use it to learn how the client lives, not to change everything at once. A simple order of work keeps you from overloading a beginner.
Before day 1: a short video call or phone call about goals, injuries, health conditions, equipment at home or at the gym, and the hours they can train.
Day 1: starting weight and measurements, and the first workout plan with two or three training days.
Week 1 check-in: ask what felt too hard or too easy, and fix only that.
Week 2: add the diet chart, built around the food the client already eats.
Week 4: compare measurements with day 1, agree on next month's goal and send the next bill.
Common Mistakes in Online Coaching
Selling a one-off plan and calling it coaching. Without check-ins, clients drift.
Promising replies "any time". You will burn out within months.
Taking too many clients at once. Start with five and see how long check-ins take.
Skipping a starting assessment. Ask about injuries, health conditions and equipment at home.
Collecting fees after the month. Late payers become ex-clients.
Start with one package, a fixed check-in day and a plan clients can open on their phone. List as Trainer and mark online coaching on your profile.
