Team training has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started with basketball, volleyball, and track when I was a kid, and transitioned easily into teaching (and participating in) group fitness classes.
I can and do work out alone, but I’ve always preferred group fitness. That’s becoming more and more true as I get older.
I don’t want a workout partner, not one-on-one, not just us. We can go to the gym together and do our own thing and leave at the same time, but I generally don’t enjoy that partner workout so much.
But in a group, I love it.
Potential Disadvantages of Team Training
There are drawbacks to team training and group fitness. Depending upon your goals, the class might not focus exactly on the exercises you want and need–but for most people seeking general improvements in fitness levels, group fitness classes will cover all the bases (especially if you take care to mix it up a big: cardio one day, strength the next, and always plenty of yoga).
If you’re brand new to exercise, it might be a little hard to follow the instructor, depending what type of class it is, how advanced the other participants are, and how skilled the instructor is. This is the learning curve, and if you stick with it, you’ll get past it.
However, it’s important to make sure you’re performing exercises safely and correctly. Good instructors will be watching for that, but they don’t always catch everything if they want to keep the class flowing, especially if it’s a big class in a traditional group fitness setting (vs. a group personal training setting).
Advantages of Team Training
Those are minor drawbacks. There are more reasons why I love team training, and why you might, too–especially if you’ve reached a plateau or if you have a hard time sticking to a fitness program.
- Reduces Stress: Maybe it’s the socialization, fun, and exercise in combination. This study among medical students noted a marked decrease in stress and improvement in sense of well-being among those who participated in group fitness.
- Finish the Workout: Be honest here. Have you ever quit your intended workout five or 10 or 20 minutes early, thinking, “Ehh, that’s enough”? It rarely happens in team training. Of course you should leave early if you feel sick or get injured, but that’s pretty darn rare. You just get yourself in the door and commit to following along for an hour–and you do.
- Try Something New: There are so many group fitness formats and more in development all the time. There are always opportunities to try new things without having to figure it out yourself.
- Variety: See above, yes, but even within the same class, there is variety. Or, hopefully there is. This keeps your workouts fresh and interesting, and it keeps your body guessing. At F45 and Orangetheory, our team training workouts are different every day.
- Accountability: You’re always glad to see your fellow regulars, and you notice when people are missing. They notice when you’re missing. I work harder because there’s a sense of competition–not directly, and it’s possible that no one else is feeling it, but you can create that within yourself and use it to push yourself.
- Minimal Thinking Required: I’ve been designing workouts for years, and when it comes to doing my own workouts, it’s kinda nice to let someone else do the designing. You don’t have to think about what to do: just show up and follow along.
I was born to push myself when it comes to workouts, but it’s so much easier to do when there are people going through it with you. Aside from a little running, I’ve only done a handful of workouts by myself in the last year because I much prefer that group setting.
Have you done group fitness or group personal training? What do you like about it? What formats/workouts have you tried?