# Can Clients Train Offline in a Coaching App?

> Clients can train without internet in the Trainera mobile app once their plan is downloaded. Here is what is saved on the phone, what still needs a connection, how offline logs sync and who gets downloads.

*Author: Trainera Team  |  Published: 2026-10-06  |  Reading time: 8 min*

## Can my coaching clients train without internet?

Yes, in the Trainera mobile app on iOS and Android, as long as the client downloads the training plan before they lose signal. The plan, the exercise images and workout logging then work offline; only exercise videos still need a connection. Downloads are included for clients whose trainer is on Pro, Business or Enterprise.

That is the short answer. The rest of this post is for the coach who has heard "the app would not load in the gym" one time too many and wants to know exactly what the client gets, what to tell them, and where the limits are.

## Why offline matters more than it sounds

Most coaches assume their clients train somewhere with Wi-Fi. In practice a lot of training happens in places with bad or no reception:

* basement gyms and concrete buildings where the phone shows one bar or nothing;
* hotel gyms on business trips, where the guest Wi-Fi needs a login every day;
* flights, trains and long drives for clients who travel;
* outdoor sessions in parks, on the coast or in the mountains;
* clients abroad who switch off mobile data to avoid roaming costs.

What I see with clients is simple: if the plan does not open, they improvise. They do "something similar" from memory, forget the weights they used and never log the session. You lose the data, and the client loses the structure you built for them. One missed log is nothing. A pattern of them makes your check-ins guesswork.

## What is saved on the phone and what is not

When a client downloads a plan, Trainera saves the full plan and the exercise images on the device. Videos stay online.

| Part of the plan                     | Available offline after download? |
| ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- |
| Training days and workouts           | Yes                               |
| Exercises with sets, reps and rest   | Yes                               |
| Your notes on workouts and exercises | Yes                               |
| Exercise images                      | Yes                               |
| Exercise videos                      | No, they need a connection        |
| Logging sets and finished workouts   | Yes, synced later                 |

So the client sees what to do, in what order, with how many sets and how much rest, plus a picture of each exercise. If they need the video to check technique, that part waits until they are back online. For a client who already knows the movements, the images and your notes are usually enough. For a beginner with a new exercise, it makes sense to watch the video at home the night before.

Downloads are made per plan. The client finds them under **Settings > Downloads**, where each downloaded plan is listed with its size. From there they can remove one download, remove all downloads, or clear the cache. Clearing the cache keeps the downloads, so a client tidying up storage does not accidentally delete the plan they need tomorrow.

If the app is opened with no connection at all, it shows "You're offline: showing your downloads" and lists the plans that are on the phone. The client taps the plan and trains.

## How offline logging and sync work

This is the part coaches care about most, because a workout that is not logged does not exist in your dashboard.

When the client finishes a set or a workout without internet, the entry goes into an outbox on the phone. As soon as the connection is back, the app sends it automatically. The client does not need to press anything or redo the session.

Two details worth knowing:

* **Entries wait up to 7 days.** A client on a long trip should open the app with a connection at least once within that window, for example on hotel Wi-Fi in the evening.
* **Entries stay tied to the account that logged them.** If a couple shares one phone or a client logs out and someone else logs in, one person's workout is never posted under another account.

For you as the coach, the result is that the session shows up in the client's history after sync, the same as if they had trained online. The timing is just later.

## Who gets offline downloads

Access depends on how the client trains: with a trainer, on their own, or through a gym.

| Client situation                                       | Offline downloads included when                                                       | Price in the US zone (monthly)                      |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Coached by a trainer                                   | The trainer is on Pro, Business or Enterprise                                         | Trainer Pro $49.99, Business $99, Enterprise custom |
| Trainer on Free or Starter                             | Not included; the client sees "Your trainer's plan doesn't include offline downloads" | Free $0, Starter $19.99                             |
| Self-guided client without a trainer (own or AI plans) | The client has Client Pro or Premium                                                  | Client Pro $5.99, Premium $6.99                     |
| Gym member                                             | The gym's membership package includes "Offline downloads"                             | Set by the gym per package                          |

Prices on trainera.fit/pricing are fixed per country, so the numbers above are the US ones. A coached client never pays anything extra for downloads: the client app is free, and the feature comes with your plan.

Plans that can be downloaded are plans assigned by a trainer, the client's own plans and gym plans.

If you are on Starter today and most of your clients train in places with bad signal, this is one of the concrete reasons to look at Pro. The [pricing page](/pricing) shows the plan for your country.

## What happens when access ends or a plan changes

Coaches ask about this because clients come and go, and plans get swapped every few weeks.

### When access ends

Access ends when, for example, a trainer moves down to Starter or Free, a self-guided client cancels Client Pro, or a gym changes the package. The downloaded plans then stay listed on the phone but are marked **Expired** and cannot be started. When access comes back, they become available again.

### When you unassign or end a plan

If you unassign a plan from a client, or the plan ends, the download is removed from the phone the next time the app is online. There is one exception that protects your data: if the client still has unsynced logs for that plan, those logs sync first. A client who trained offline on the last day of a block does not lose that session because you switched them to the next block the same evening.

## How to set your clients up for offline training

The feature only helps if the client knows it exists. Some coaches mention it once at onboarding and never again, and then the client discovers it in the basement with no signal. A few habits fix that.

1. **Tell them at onboarding.** Add one line to your welcome message: download your plan in the app before you train somewhere without signal. If you use [Automations](/automations) for welcome messages, this belongs there.
2. **Ask before trips.** When a client mentions a holiday, a work trip or a weekend in the mountains, remind them to download the current plan while they are still on home Wi-Fi.
3. **Name the gym problem.** If you know a client trains in a basement gym, tell them directly. They will not connect "the app is slow" with "I should download the plan" on their own.
4. **Re-check after a new block.** A new plan needs its own download. If you unassigned the old one, its download disappears once the app is online. Ask the client to look under Settings > Downloads and confirm the new plan is listed before their next offline session.
5. **Plan for videos.** If a new block has exercises the client has never done, suggest they watch the videos at home first. Offline they will have images and your notes, not the video.
6. **Watch the 7 days.** For a client who will be offline for longer, ask them to connect once mid-trip so their logs sync and you can still run a proper check-in.

None of this takes long, and it saves you the "I could not open the plan so I just did legs" conversation.

## Offline training and how you run your coaching

Offline downloads pair well with the other access controls you have. If you use **All workouts unlocked**, a travelling client can open any workout of the plan in any order, which is handy on a trip where the schedule falls apart. If you use **Scheduled only**, the client can start only the workout you scheduled for that day. We explain both modes and when to pick which in [all workouts unlocked vs scheduled only](/blogs/training-access-all-workouts-unlocked-vs-scheduled-only).

For trainers who mostly coach face to face, offline access matters between sessions: the client trains alone in the same basement gym where you meet them. More on that setup in [the app guide for in-person personal trainers](/blogs/in-person-personal-trainer-app).

If you are still deciding how to structure and send plans in the first place, [how to create and deliver workout plans for clients online](/blogs/create-deliver-workout-plans-clients-online) covers that. And because skipped or unlogged sessions are often an early sign a client is drifting, the post on [client retention for coaches](/blogs/client-retention-for-coaches-keep-clients) is a good follow-up.

From the client's side, the consumer view is covered in [the best offline workout app](/blogs/best-offline-workout-app). You can send that post to a client who asks whether the app works on a plane.

## What to tell your clients this week

* Offline training works in the Trainera mobile app on iOS and Android, not in the web app.
* The plan and exercise images are saved on the phone after download; videos need internet.
* Logs made offline sync automatically when the phone is back online, and wait up to 7 days.
* Your clients get downloads when you are on Pro, Business or Enterprise; self-guided clients need Client Pro or Premium; gym members get them if the package includes it.
* If access ends, downloads show as Expired and come back when access returns.

Send one message to your current clients about downloading their plan, and add the same line to your onboarding. That is the whole setup.

_See how plans, logging and offline downloads fit together on the [Trainera platform for trainers](/platform), or check what your clients see in the [client app](/for-clients)._

## FAQ

### Can my clients use the Trainera app without internet?

Yes, in the iOS and Android app. The client downloads the training plan while online, and after that the plan, the exercise images and workout logging work without a connection.

### Do exercise videos work offline?

No. Videos are not downloaded and need a connection. The plan itself, notes and exercise images are saved on the phone.

### What happens to workouts logged offline?

Finished sets and workouts are kept on the phone and sync automatically when the connection comes back. They wait up to 7 days, so the client should get online at least once a week.

### Which Trainera plan do I need so my clients can download plans?

Pro, Business or Enterprise. On the Free and Starter trainer plans your clients see a message that your plan does not include offline downloads.

### Can clients download plans in the web app?

No. Offline downloads are a feature of the mobile client app on iOS and Android.

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Source: https://trainera.fit/blogs/can-clients-train-offline-coaching-app