Brian Donovan
Personal Trainer | Online Fitness Coach | Nutrition Coach | Author
Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I love helping people reach their health and fitness goals. That passion led me to become a personal trainer in 2008, and since then I have coached hundreds of clients to a healthier lifestyle. In 2014, I was voted Best Chicago Personal Trainer by the Chicago Reader. In addition to in-person training, I coach clients online through my Online Fitness Coach program. I have also published over 50 fitness articles that have been featured in a variety of media outlets. My full bio is further down the page if you want to learn more about me, but I would rather hear about you!

Brian Donovan
Personal Trainer. Online Fitness Coach. Nutrition Coach. Author.
Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I love helping people reach their health and fitness goals. That passion led me to become a personal trainer in 2008, and since then I have coached hundreds of clients to a healthier lifestyle. In 2014, I was voted Best Chicago Personal Trainer by the Chicago Reader. In addition to in-person training, I coach clients online through my Online Fitness Coach program. I have also published over 50 fitness articles that have been featured in a variety of media outlets. My full bio is further down the page if you want to learn more about me, but I would rather hear about you!
Brian Donovan is the head coach at Brian Donovan Fitness, LLC, a Chicago personal training service that serves clients both in-home and at private studios in the Chicago suburbs of Hinsdale, Lisle, Naperville, Downers Grove, Wheaton, and Glen Ellyn as well as the neighborhoods of Andersonville, Bucktown, and Lakeshore East in the city of Chicago.
He is also the founder and head coach at Online Fitness Coach, LLC, where he helps clients all over the world lose weight, build lean muscle, and improve the quality of their lives through his one-on-one online fitness and nutrition coaching program.
In 2014, Brian Donovan was voted Best Chicago Personal Trainer by Chicago Reader magazine, Best Of Chicago edition.
He has been featured in a variety of media publications such as Muscle & Fitness, The PTDC (Personal Trainer Development Center), Bach Performance, and Voyage Chicago.
Brian graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a minor in Business. He is also a graduate of the National Personal Training Institute, a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a Poliquin BioSignature Practitioner, a CrossFit Certified Coach, a Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition, and a Certified Online Trainer through the Online Trainer Academy.

When I graduated from college in 2006, I moved to Chicago and took a corporate desk job. I then quickly put on 20 lbs. in the first 6 months. Considering I was a high school athlete and had kept myself in good shape throughout college, this new weight gain was a wake-up call for me. If I didn’t do something fast, it was only going to get worse.
Commuting from the city to the suburbs an hour both ways was taking a toll on me. So was sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day. Being a new dog owner only added to the stress. By the time I got home each day, I had clean-up duties, a dog to walk, I was hungry, and I was tired. I told myself I just didn’t have the time to workout.
The truth was, I had no system in place to ensure that I was making my health a priority. When I did make it to the gym, I had little energy and no game plan. My workouts were inefficient and ineffective.
When it came to nutrition, I ate whatever was convenient. I knew nothing about macronutrients, other than that I needed protein in order to build muscle. I never tracked calories. The result was a little extra muscle and a lot of extra fat.
To keep a long story short, after wasting far too many hours in the gym with little results to show for it, I decided I needed to get educated in the fields of exercise science and nutrition. I began reading everything I could get my hands on and applying the principles I was learning. In a short amount of time, I had lost the weight and was looking better than I had in years!
This was the beginning of my fitness journey.
I realized that what I really wanted to do was work one-on-one with people to help them improve their health and fitness the way I had. I wanted to show people that you can have a busy life, and still make time for exercise and good food choices with the right plan in place. So I went back to school and completed 500 hours studying Exercise Science and Nutrition at the National Personal Training Institute in Chicago, and became a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach.

Since then, I have been fortunate enough to be able to help hundreds of men and women not just in Chicago, but all over the world achieve amazing results both in-person and with my online fitness and nutrition coaching program. I believe the key to this has been understanding each of my client’s individual needs through clear communication, developing a personalized fitness and nutrition plan, and then helping them to see it through.
CLICK HERE TO HEAR THEIR STORIES AND SEE THEIR RESULTS.
Training and nutrition stuff aside, I love climbing and hiking, singing and playing my acoustic guitar, traveling with my wife Liz, rough housing with my dog Bumper, and spending time with friends and family.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story!
If you have any questions or want to learn more about my in-person training or online fitness and nutrition coaching program, you can CONTACT ME HERE.

Brian Donovan, NPTI, NASM-CPT, PN1

Brian Donovan Wins Best Chicago Personal Trainer Of 2014 | Chicago Reader Magazine Photoshoot
Photo Credit: Ali Engin Photography
Brian Donovan is the head coach at Brian Donovan Fitness, LLC, a Chicago personal training service that serves clients both in-home and at private studios in the Chicago suburbs of Hinsdale, Lisle, Naperville, Downers Grove, Wheaton, and Glen Ellyn as well as the neighborhoods of Andersonville, Bucktown, and Lakeshore East in the city of Chicago.
He is also the founder and head coach at Online Fitness Coach, LLC, where he helps clients all over the world lose weight, build lean muscle, and improve the quality of their lives through his one-on-one online fitness and nutrition coaching program.
In 2014, Brian Donovan was voted Best Chicago Personal Trainer by Chicago Reader magazine, Best Of Chicago edition.
He has been featured in a variety of media publications such as Muscle & Fitness, The PTDC (Personal Trainer Development Center), Bach Performance, and Voyage Chicago.
Brian graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a minor in Business. He is also a graduate of the National Personal Training Institute, a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a Poliquin BioSignature Practitioner, a CrossFit Certified Coach, a Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition, and a Certified Online Trainer through the Online Trainer Academy.
When I graduated from college in 2006, I moved to Chicago and took a corporate desk job. I then quickly put on 20 lbs. in the first 6 months. Considering I was a high school athlete and had kept myself in good shape throughout college, this new weight gain was a wake-up call for me. If I didn’t do something fast, it was only going to get worse.
Commuting from the city to the suburbs an hour both ways was taking a toll on me. So was sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day. Being a new dog owner only added to the stress. By the time I got home each day, I had clean-up duties, a dog to walk, I was hungry, and I was tired. I told myself I just didn’t have the time to workout.
The truth was, I had no system in place to ensure that I was making my health a priority. When I did make it to the gym, I had little energy and no game plan. My workouts were inefficient and ineffective.
When it came to nutrition, I ate whatever was convenient. I knew nothing about macronutrients, other than that I needed protein in order to build muscle. I never tracked calories. The result was a little extra muscle and a lot of extra fat.
To keep a long story short, after wasting far too many hours in the gym with little results to show for it, I decided I needed to get educated in the fields of exercise science and nutrition. I began reading everything I could get my hands on and applying the principles I was learning. In a short amount of time, I had lost the weight and was looking better than I had in years!
This was the beginning of my fitness journey.
I realized that what I really wanted to do was work one-on-one with people to help them improve their health and fitness the way I had. I wanted to show people that you can have a busy life, and still make time for exercise and good food choices with the right plan in place. So I went back to school and completed 500 hours studying Exercise Science and Nutrition at the National Personal Training Institute in Chicago, and became a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach.

Since then, I have been fortunate enough to be able to help hundreds of men and women not just in Chicago, but all over the world achieve amazing results both in-person and with my online fitness and nutrition coaching program. I believe the key to this has been understanding each of my client’s individual needs through clear communication, developing a personalized fitness and nutrition plan, and then helping them to see it through.
Training and nutrition stuff aside, I love climbing and hiking, singing and playing my acoustic guitar, traveling with my wife Liz, rough housing with my dog Bumper, and spending time with friends and family.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story!
If you have any questions or want to learn more about my in-person training or online fitness and nutrition coaching program, you can CONTACT ME HERE.

Brian Donovan, NPTI, NASM-CPT, PN1



Brian Donovan Wins Best Chicago Personal Trainer Of 2014 | Chicago Reader Magazine Photoshoot
Photo Credit: Ali Engin Photography
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