TrainingPro vs. Spreadsheets (2026): Your Time Is Worth More Than 'Free'
Every personal trainer starts with some version of the same system: a Google Sheet for programming, email for check-ins, a notebook for session notes, and a dozen other scattered tools to hold it all together. It’s free, it’s familiar, and for your first few clients, it seems to work.
But “free” is one of the most expensive words in business. The spreadsheet-and-email method isn’t a system; it’s a collection of manual tasks that quietly consumes your most valuable asset: your time.
As one trainer on Reddit noted, while spreadsheets are free, you can easily spend upwards of £800 (about $1,000 USD) a year on a coaching app [1]. The question is, what do you get for that investment? This comparison breaks down the true cost of relying on spreadsheets and shows how a real system like TrainingPro is an investment in your sanity and your income.
The Spreadsheet Tax: 10+ Hours a Week of Unpaid Admin
If you’re managing more than five clients with spreadsheets, you’re already paying a heavy “spreadsheet tax.” This is the 10+ hours of unpaid admin work you do every week:
- Copying and pasting workout templates.
- Manually tracking client progress and session numbers.
- Hunting through email threads for check-in notes.
- Chasing down payments via Venmo or Zelle.
- Trying to make a spreadsheet look professional on a phone.
If you value your time at just $30/hour, that’s $300 a week—or $1,200 a month—that you're losing to unpaid admin. Suddenly, a monthly software subscription doesn’t seem so expensive.
The ROI of Automation
Investing in a platform like TrainingPro isn't an expense; it's an investment in efficiency. The 10+ hours you save each week can be used to train more clients, generate more leads, or simply reclaim your work-life balance.
Beyond Time Savings: The Professionalism Gap
Your clients are paying for a professional service. Sending them a link to a Google Sheet undermines that professionalism. It feels cheap, it’s difficult to use on their phone, and it puts the organizational burden on them.
A dedicated platform like TrainingPro provides a seamless, branded app experience that tells your clients they’ve invested in a high-quality service. This not only improves client retention but also makes it easier to charge premium prices.
The AI Advantage: Spreadsheets Can't Do This
The biggest limitation of spreadsheets is that they are dumb. They can store data, but they can't provide insights. This is where TrainingPro's Arnold AI creates an insurmountable advantage:
- It learns from your clients: Arnold analyzes check-in data, workout performance, and feedback to help you make smarter programming decisions.
- It saves you mental energy: Instead of starting from a blank page, you can ask Arnold to generate a complete, personalized program in seconds.
- It helps you retain clients: The AI flags clients who are at risk of churning, allowing you to intervene proactively.
Frequently Asked Questions
The moment you hit five paying clients. At this point, the time you lose to manual admin work is worth more than the cost of a monthly software subscription. The longer you wait, the more time and money you lose.
While tools like Notion are powerful, they are not designed for personal training. You will spend dozens of hours building a clunky, semi-functional system that still lacks the core features of a purpose-built platform like automated check-ins, an exercise video library, and integrated payments.
Yes. For a small monthly investment, you buy back 10+ hours of your time each week, deliver a more professional client experience, and gain the ability to scale your business without burning out. It’s the single best investment you can make in your fitness business.
The Bottom Line: Your Business Deserves a Real System
Running a professional coaching business on a foundation of free, scattered tools is like building a house on sand. It’s only a matter of time before it collapses under its own weight.
Stop being an admin and start being a coach again. Invest in a system that values your time as much as you do.
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References
[1] Reddit User Discussion. (2023). Google Sheets Vs Coaching Apps for Online Coaching. https://www.reddit.com/r/personaltraining/comments/1bjgeys/google_sheets_vs_coaching_apps_for_online_coaching/
