Working Out Alone vs Working out in a Group: Which works best?

It’s difficult as it is to exercise, but choosing a fitness plan just adds to the stress. Personal training or one on one session and group workouts have their own pros and cons. You can weigh the differences and choose according to what is appropriate for you.

1. Motivation. You need a little push when working out. The problem with fitness classes is that you feel unmotivated especially when you are doing it alone or on a personal training class. With group classes, you won’t run out of cheerers. Everyone is encouraged to help out whenever they can. Seeing people exercise also induces you to work on your fitness goals, and knowing that you have other people to help you out makes workouts all the more inspiring.
2. Boredom. When you are in a one on one class, boredom strikes at some point. This is no surprise when you have routine moves that do not change per session.At least in groups, you interact with other people and can even make friends in the process.
3. Accountability. In a group, teamwork is the culture. You succeed when your teammates succeed. This is the approach in working out in a group setting. No member cannot be left to fail their fitness objectives.
4. Competition. A little friendly competition isn’t so bad. We have a penchant for competing with one another. This drives individuals to do their best to meet goals. However, in a one to one workout, you have only yourself to compete with. Although others may disagree, seeing someone succeed before you fuels up your need to complete your workout sessions.
5. Less customized, less focus on individual form. Group workout sessions can be fun, but it is also less customized. This means applying a workout moves that applies to everybody more than for something that your body specifically needs. A group sees to a team goal, so workout modules are less focused on individual’s needs.
6. Cost factors. One to one training can be costly compared to joining a group session. Personal training focuses on you alone, so the services focuses on customisation. When you train on your own, getting a personal trainer will also add to costs because you are paying for the expertise. This may work out well for some, but prove to be expensive for others.
7. Diversity. Group workouts appeal to many because of the diversity in workout sessions. Depending on the leader, you may experience a mix of approaches such as martial arts, dance, yoga, intensity and the like. This could be fun to those who easily get bored with routine moves. In addition, diversity helps you hone other parts of your body because different approaches focus on different aspects. Some individuals also require a push, and group fitness classes are built on the energy of many, with participants empowering one another.
8. Overtraining. Overtraining can happen if you get overzealous over everybody else’s goals. On the other hand, some are just fitness junkies. But overdoing training isn’t good for the body as well. As a result, you may be hurting some parts of your body such as torn ligaments, sprains, fractures or exhaustion. Being in a group workout session can be competitive and you sometimes feel you don’t want to be left out, but doing so defeats the purpose of working out in groups. Group workouts have team members helping each other out, not drive their members beyond their limits.

Whether personal training or group workouts, the important thing is to get moving, start with your fitness plan. Any plan is better than having nothing at all. Not only does a fitness plan help you physically but it improves your overall perception of how you see health and wellness.