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WHEN STEVE FELDMAN'S DOCTOR reprimanded him for high blood pressure, the 54-year-old from Rockville decided to get serious about exercise. Since years of belonging to a health club hadn't motivated him, he knew he needed a kick in the pants only a personal trainer could provide.

But there was a problem with his trainer of choice, Nick Irons (Marylandpersonaltrainer.com). "The times I wanted to go to the gym, he couldn't do it," Feldman says. Luckily for Feldman, Irons had launched a new option for clients. Instead of face-to-face sessions, they could opt for online interaction.

It started, Irons says, as a way to help clients who were on the road frequently and needed to maintain their gains. "Then I realized I could do this for people who couldn't set one firm time each week to meet," he explains.

The process isn't so different over the Internet. Irons takes down a detailed medical and exercise history from his clients and prepares regimens based on abilities and goals. But instead of standing over them while he yells out moves, he shoots them an e-mail with pictures and descriptions of what he wants them to do. After each session, his clients respond with feedback and he adjusts their exercises accordingly.

Irons' concept is far from unique: Plug "online personal training" into Google and 115,000,000 results pop up. Some trainers focus on general well-being, while others specialize in prep for races or certain sports. D.C.-based trainer Rich Salke (Richbodiesgym.com) attracts a large cohort of bodybuilders, who regularly send him photos to prove their progress.

In the six years since Lynn Bode launched Workoutsforyou.com, her site has worked with 10,000 people all over the world. ("On all six major continents," she boasts.) Some of the people who've signed on are located in remote areas without access to fitness advice, while others want to stay as anonymous as possible.

The greatest factor in its mass appeal, however, is probably the cost. "Traditional personal training has been available only for elite people. Our clients get to choose when and where they work out at a cheaper price," she says. On her site, even the most elaborate package is just $45 per month — about half the cost of a single one-on-one session with a trainer in the D.C. area. Irons charges $75 for a month of online training — close to what he charges for one session with him in person.

While the price is right, there are drawbacks to moving from the weight room to the Web. Without a trainer waiting for them to arrive at a certain time, then standing watch as each rep is completed, clients have more wiggle room to slack off. "It's an unusual dynamic. I'm just trusting that they're doing it," Irons says.

Trainers also need to be hyper- sensitive to what clients are doing when they're on their own. The pros can send photos, videos and written instructions about how to perform each move, but they're not able to check up during the workout to make sure their advice is being followed. Salke takes his cues from the feedback. "If I have them doing lat pull-downs and they're not feeling it in their back, there's a problem," he says.

As for Feldman, he has been devout about sticking to Irons' plan for the past four months. "Even my breathing is correct," he adds. His doctor agreed at his last check-up: He'd lost 20 pounds and his blood pressure was back to normal.