Your First Online Personal Training Session: What to Have Ready (Link, Camera, Dumbbells, Tape)
From a month of first-session chats: the join link questions, where to put the phone, which dumbbells and bands to buy (with the exact sets coaches recommended), the measuring tape, and what the first 58 minutes contain.
The messages before a first session are the same every week. "What do I need to have ready for our first session at 7 PM?" "Does one join through the app, or can I use Google Meet on my laptop?" "I just have those 2 dumbbells, but I can purchase adjustable weights." "Can you please send the link to dumbbells and rubber bands?" So here is the answer our coaches give, with the exact things they asked members to keep ready and the sets they recommended.
Method: from a sample of member and coach chats in the YourTrainer app, Jul to Oct 2026, and recorded classes, Aug to Oct 2026 (equipment counts from the 101-class Aug to Sep sample). Members anonymised. Product examples are what coaches sent; we have no affiliate links.
The short list
A phone propped 2 metres away at hip height, 2 by 2 metres of floor, a mat, a sturdy chair, water, a measuring tape, and whatever weights you own. Nothing to buy before session one. The coach watches you move and then tells you what to get.
Our data
82%
of recorded classes used dumbbells
2.5 to 10 kg
the range most members own
30%
of classes used a resistance band
58 min
median first-month session, about 7 exercises
Source: a sample of recorded YourTrainer classes, Aug to Sep 2026
Before the session: the four messages coaches send
These are verbatim from coach chats in the last month.
- "Pls keep the measuring tape, resistance band/tube and the lightest pair of dumbbells ready for our session today."
- "Just wanted to check whether you have only one pair of dumbbells or are there more? Also next session we will take some measurements of your waist, arms etc, so pls keep a measuring tape ready."
- "We will use the same weights from the last class. Just freshen up and be ready before class. Also keep the chair ready for the chair squats."
- "You will get a gmeet link for it." (when the app link was not yet active)
The checklist
| Item | Why | If you do not have it |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or laptop, propped 2 m away at hip height | The coach must see head to feet; a phone on the floor hides the knees | A water bottle or a stack of books as a stand |
| 2 x 2 metres of floor | Lunges, planks and leg swings need the length | Push the coffee table against the wall |
| A mat | Planks, glute bridges, dead bugs, stretches | A folded blanket or a thick towel |
| A sturdy chair without wheels | Chair squats, step-ups, single-arm rows, support for lunges | A sofa edge works for hip thrusts; a wall for support |
| Water, 1 litre | Coaches ask about hydration at the end of most sessions | Any bottle |
| Measuring tape | Waist, hips, arms, thighs on day one so progress is visible | Order one; it costs less than a coffee |
| Whatever weights you own | Even 1 kg water bottles for day one | Nothing. Day one is bodyweight for most beginners |
| Shoes | For jumping, HIIT and lunges; barefoot is fine for strength on a mat | A coach's rule from class: shoes for HIIT, barefoot for weights |
The join link, explained
Half the pre-session messages are about the link. "It says class is not scheduled for today." "Someone should let me in." "The link keeps loading." Here is how it works and what to do.
The class card in the app shows Join when the class is scheduled. If it says not scheduled, the time has not been set on the calendar yet. Message the coach or the YourTrainer Team chat; it is fixed in minutes.
The button opens a few minutes before the start. Opening it 30 minutes early shows nothing. Open it at the time.
If the link keeps loading, switch network. Wi-Fi to 4G or the other way. A coach on 6 October asked a member to try a different location, then a different link, and the session ran.
Laptop is fine. One member asked to join from a laptop on Google Meet; coaches send a Meet link as a backup when the app link misbehaves.
Turn notifications on. Two members missed first-session messages because app notifications were off. The coach's first message after fixing it: "Now we can use this platform to converse regularly."
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Start Your Journey →What to buy after session one
Coaches recommend after they have seen you move. In the last month the recommendations were specific.
| Coach said | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| "Can you get 5 kg? Okay, 6 kg. We'll need maximum 10 kg." | Beginners: a pair of 2.5 kg and a pair of 5 kg, or an adjustable set to 10 to 12 kg |
| A member abroad found a 5 to 25 lb adjustable pair; the coach sent a link to the same type | One adjustable pair replaces four fixed pairs and takes a shelf, not a corner |
| "Use the green one for the lightest band, pink for medium." "The green one is very loose and could break, use the tighter green band." | A loop band set, 3 to 5 bands; cheap sets snap, so buy one with fabric or thick latex |
| "Try to buy the foam roller within this street." (a joke about cost; the member asked the price) | Optional. Useful for glutes and mid-back; not needed in month one |
| "Hip thruster with sofa." | The sofa edge is your bench; do not buy a bench |
| "Can you get a stepper or a yoga block?" | A sturdy stool or the bottom stair does the same |
We tested and ranked the actual products in cheap home gym equipment for India and the home workout kit page, and the data on what members own is in home gym gear our clients actually use.
Coach's tip: Buy adjustable, not a rack of fixed pairs. In our classes the weight goes up inside the session when form holds; an adjustable pair lets that happen without a second order.
What the first session contains
From the recordings, a first session is not a test and not a beasting. The usual shape:
- 5 minutes of talking. Goal, injuries, sleep, steps, what you ate today. On day one coaches also take measurements: waist, hips, belly, chest, thighs, arms, in centimetres.
- 8 to 10 minutes of warm-up. Joint rotations, leg swings, chest openers, jumping jacks or high knees.
- 30 to 35 minutes of work. Six or seven exercises, mostly bodyweight and a light dumbbell: squats to a chair, glute bridges, rows with one hand on the chair, a press, a plank. The coach counts, corrects and asks "how difficult, 1 to 10?" after every set.
- 5 minutes of stretching. Cobra, child's pose, hamstrings, shoulders.
- 2 minutes of homework. Steps for tomorrow, water, and what to buy.
Member story
Karthik, 30s, abroad
First session on 10 October, owned nothing
- Joined on the laptop after the phone link kept loading; the coach ran the warm-up while it settled.
- First working weight: a 5 lb dumbbell for 8 reps on the shoulder press, chosen after the coach watched a bodyweight set.
- After class he asked how to contact the coach and the nutritionist; both are chats in the same app.
- Second session: measurements taken, a 5 to 25 lb adjustable pair ordered.
From his recorded classes and chats, Oct 2026. Name changed.
"Just set a realistic goal that tomorrow I will hold 2 seconds extra." (Coach Tanmana, in class)
What to wear, and the camera
- Anything you can squat in. Coaches see shape, not fashion.
- Light from the front or side, not a window behind you.
- Front-on for squats and presses; side-on for hinges so the coach can see your back. Full set-up in what a coach sees on a video call.
- Keep the camera on during sets. A coach on 12 October: "Your camera is off. Just finish that set. Count yourself." A coach cannot fix what they cannot see.
YourTrainer Live
Prefer a small group? YourTrainer Live runs 6-seat coached classes at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 AM and 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 PM IST. Same set-up, same camera.
See class timesReady for your first session? Book a free consultation and we will tell you what to keep ready.
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About Anish Agarwal
Founder & Head Coach, YourTrainer · NASM & K11 Certified Personal Trainer · coaching since 2022
Featured in Dietitians.io, Fitness Interview, NRI Pulse, The MASALA Study. Press and media
Anish Agarwal is a NASM and K11 certified personal trainer coaching fat loss, body transformation, strength, and nutrition for clients across India since 2022. He founded YourTrainer to make expert, science-based coaching accessible online and in Bengaluru. Coach Anish's profile and the YourTrainer story.
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