Katy Cole

Her reviews are grounded in direct personal experience across a wide range of fitness disciplines: gym training, home workouts, running, Pilates, HIIT, dumbbell training, rehabilitation following injury, pre and postnatal fitness, and perimenopause-specific programming. She tests each platform as the audience she writes for: a woman in her mid-forties, navigating a busy life, who needs honest information rather than marketing.

Testing background

I have been working out since childhood and training consistently through every stage of adult life. Through my twenties I trained in the gym across cardio, aerobics and weight lifting. It was weight training that produced the most significant results, including in areas where my body stores fat most stubbornly, and it remains the foundation of how I train today.

In my early thirties I moved away from gym-based training and began testing online fitness platforms, starting with YouTube workout programmes and some of the first streaming services to emerge. That was fifteen years ago. Since then I have personally tested 40 to 50 platforms across HIIT, Pilates, functional strength, dumbbell training, bodyweight training, running and more.

I tested pre and postnatal fitness across two pregnancies, including programmes specifically addressing diastasis recti rehabilitation, an area where I found mainstream fitness guidance significantly lacking. Following a meniscus injury I spent an extended period testing rehabilitation and joint-friendly programming, which now directly informs how I assess injury support content on every platform I review.

I am currently in perimenopause and training daily. That gives me direct, current experience of the hormonal and physiological changes that affect how women in their forties and fifties respond to exercise, and it is the primary lens through which every platform on FitReviews is assessed.

What the reviews are based on

Every platform I review has been used personally, repeatedly and across multiple session types. Reviews reflect the experience of using a platform on ordinary days, at realistic weights and intensity levels, over a sustained testing period.

I test with a consistent focus: how a platform performs for someone who needs short, effective sessions; how it handles perimenopause and menopause-specific content; whether its low-impact and rehabilitation options are genuinely useful or superficial; and whether the filtering and navigation works practically for a busy woman who does not have time to dig for what she needs.

Where a platform surprised me, in either direction, that is in the review. Pvolve was considerably more physically demanding than I expected going in. BODi required testing across four programmes before a fair picture emerged. EvolveYou scored lower than its marketing suggested it would. These assessments come from genuine use and that is what makes them useful.

I do not review platforms I have not personally used. Affiliate relationships do not influence scores. Platforms have received low scores regardless of commercial status and that will not change.

Credentials at a glance

• Lifelong fitness background spanning gym training, home workouts, running, Pilates, HIIT and dumbbell training
• 15 years testing online fitness platforms, from early YouTube workout videos to today's streaming services
• 40 to 50 platforms personally tested across that period
• Currently perimenopausal, training daily at home with resistance bands, dumbbells and bodyweight
• Tested rehabilitation and joint-friendly content following a meniscus injury
• Tested pre and postnatal fitness content across two pregnancies, including diastasis recti rehabilitation programmes
• Tested stress management, breathwork and meditation programmes alongside fitness platforms
• UK and international pricing verified; platform availability checked across multiple markets

How I review

Testing depth varies by review and is always stated clearly at the top of each one. Most reviews are based on several weeks of daily or near-daily use. Some are based on a shorter initial testing period, published transparently with that caveat and updated as testing continues.

For the full details of how reviews are conducted, scored and maintained, see the Editorial Policy.

Medical disclaimer

The content on this site reflects my personal experience and opinion and does not constitute medical advice. Before starting any new fitness program, particularly if you have an existing health condition, injury, are pregnant or are postmenopausal, please consult your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional. Individual results will vary.

Author profile last updated: March 2026