If you’re a newbie at the gym, or someone who is recovering from an illness or injury or you absolutely need to fit into that tiny little black dress, you might consider getting a personal fitness trainer who through personal programmes and individual coaching will ensure you reach your target goals. However, for the other 95% of the population, the population that’s interested in general fitness without any specific goals in mind, training in groups is a great way to stay fit and be motivated.
The challenge is to develop a solid training base and make fitness a part of your daily life, once that obstacle has been overcome, chances are you’ll be more motivated and achieve better results by training in smaller groups because even though the focus and attention of a personal trainer will be extremely beneficial at first, over time the relationship will hinder your training goals.
Arguments can be made for customized training programmes designed specifically for you by your personal trainer, especially by the exercise purists, but at the end of the day most people need the same basic things; core conditioning, posterior exercises, back exercises, leg training and flexibility. All of which can be achieved without a personal trainer.
Another way of looking at it is; injuries or weaknesses are overcome individually whereas a group setting helps build fitness and enhance performance. Individual athletes and sports teams are a great example of this since groups work out together and follow the same programme. They are coached by a skilled professional who has the ability to mould the athlete to the programme instead of the other way around. And anyone with an injury or a handicap train alone, by following a customised routine in order to regain their strength, agility and skills.
Sports at school and extra curricular activities through our childhood and teen years were organized in a similar fashion, everyone trained in groups, following the same programme, unless an injury or illness prevented them for participating.
As a general rule people are social beings and so there is a natural tendency to work harder, be accountable for our actions and strive for more within a group setting. When everyone else around you is doing the extra lap, you’ll be less likely to complain about your aching arms or sweat drenched t-shirt. Not only is training in small groups more cost effective, it is also more fun and flexible. You can get personalized training without the often, pricey ticket of a personal trainer. However, the tricky part is maintaining a proper balance so that the groups don’t become too large. With a larger group, it is only natural that the coach or trainer’s attention will be less focused on you. This means you are losing on valuable training, especially for the more technical exercises such as deadlifts, squats, weight lifting, which, require more in depth instructions or demonstrations.
Training should be approached and thought of as containing two different components; the cornerstone of the programme which is strength training and conditioning. With strength training, the body is challenged with increased weights and includes the more technical exercises based on skill set. The heart and lungs are worked out through conditioning with higher reps, lighter weights and lower skill based exercises. In short, strength training helps to build a solid foundation while conditioning allows your body to have fun and enjoy itself while working hard.
Both components work well in a group setting of various sizes with a high rate of success. However, smaller groups of two to four are better when it comes to strength training since you are building a quality foundation and the trainer can modify the routine here and there to suit your body’s individual needs. Groups of ten to twenty people are great for conditioning sessions as they are less focused on learning new skills or improving techniques and are more about motivating each other, supporting each other and pushing people to work harder.
At the end of the day, you will know best whether a personal trainer is for you. As mentioned earlier, it’s a great option for people who are new to training, people who are recuperating from an injury or people with a specific goal in mind. But if your goal is to simply maintain an active and healthy lifestyle through general fitness then you should consider group trainings and sessions. Not only will it be cheaper, but you’ll have more fun and it’s a great way to meet people and make some new friends!
