Can an AI assistant be my personal trainer?

An AI assistant can do much of a trainer's planning: writing workouts, adjusting them week to week and answering questions at any hour. It can't watch your form or spot you, and its plans are only as good as what it knows about you. It works best with a record of your training it can read, and with a human coach or video for technique.

What an assistant does well

• Plans: a weekly program from your goal, schedule and equipment.
• Adjusts: easier or harder sessions when you tell it how the last one went.
• Explains: why an exercise is there, what RPE means, how to swap a movement.
• Remembers, if you let it: with access to your log, it plans from what you’ve actually done.

What it can’t do

• Watch you move. Form problems often show only on video or in person.
• Spot you on heavy lifts. Use safety pins or a partner.
• Know what you haven’t told it. Injuries, sleep and stress all change what’s right for today.
• Replace medical advice. For a health condition or pain, see a professional.

What the research says

An expert review of GPT-4’s exercise programs in 2024 found them generally safe but too generic, partly because the model had only one conversation to go on. The more an assistant knows about your training, the better its plans fit.