Training in a Group vs. Training 1-to-1 with a Coach: What are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Each?

When it comes to training in the gym, there’s a lot of ways you can hack it. You can go the non-specific, but intense route and hit the gym on your own while doing everything you can think of, or you can follow a loose program you find online or is based on past experience.

Then, there’s a more pointed, programmed approach: and that’s working with a professional.

The only issue there is that there’s so many options to doing so these days: online, in-person with a class, one on one personal training, or a hybrid of all the above.

It’s easy to get caught up and feeling like you’re spinning your wheels, or even worse, it’s sometimes easier to just do nothing and let the thought and opportunity slip. That’s why I want to share the biggest strengths and weaknesses of both styles, in the hope you can narrow things down a bit and choose the best option for you.

Training in a Group [or a Crew]

The biggest advantage to training in a group is obvious for many: the mutual motivation and camaraderie between everyone is usually what keeps people coming back. It’s a beautiful thing to experience, really.

The benefits are even more layered than that: the things you can accomplish in a group may very well be that much more great than what you can do alone. This comes from a lot of things, and it’s not always the cheerleading from your peers— it’s often the competitive drive you feel internally to perform among a group of people who are also excelling. “A rising tide raises all ships,” in other words, the excellence you may find in the room is likely to push you to do things you may not have otherwise done.

Even the most disciplined people can have trouble getting themselves beyond their comfort zone or “getting up” to where they need to be to hit their goals. The energy from the group for them becomes necessary to progress in a way they need or want to. For that reason, I often find people who have more solitary jobs, quieter sports practices, or generally find themselves otherwise alone, often do very well in group settings because of the ability to benefit from “the crew.”

There’s knowledge shared between athletes/clients, and it doesn’t always come from the coach. Anyone who has ever trained jiu jitsu or lifted with a crew knows exactly what I am talking about.

However, if you’re in a crazy stressful work environment day-to-day or already experience a great deal of group and people stimulus in your sport, then more of the same may not be for you. It may just be burning you out more, leaving a lot of progress on the table.

Personal or 1 on 1 Training

There are many reasons to love personal training. I’ve made my career in it for over 10 years, and feel very qualified to give you an honest and comprehensive assessment of it.

Private training’s greatest strength is the level of supervision and technical proficiency you can gain. Across all physical disciplines (even artistic ones too), anyone will tell you that an hour with an expert may be worth 10x the amount of time trying to figure it out on your own. The understanding you can gain from someone’s knowledge applied directly to you and for you is hard to quantify. Books, videos, social media and every well intention source out there still require a filter and application to you… and that’s very hard to do on your own! A knowledgeable trainer’s ability to synthesize and apply that directly to you not only saves you time, but also expedites your progress rapidly.

When it comes to personality types or athletes, I often find that the more hectic the person’s sport or occupation, the better they do with 1-to-1 training with a coach. The first reason for this is the overall drain on your energy that comes from intense work or sports environments. The whole reason you embark on strength training or taking care of your body in the first place is to give yourself a recharge and boost to do the things you love. How is that possible if the place you go for “the boost” just takes more out of you? … It’s not.

On top of that, the mental benefits of private training are great for these same individuals. The constant contact with others at such intensity can be difficult, and the solitude of just you and your coach can be very calming and invigorating for your overall enthusiam to get back to competing or whatever it is you’re training for. Never underrate the mind’s influence on all of this: you need to take care of it in such a way that fosters the growth you desire.

What’s Right for Me?

The trick is: the two are symbiotic, they have opposite strengths and weaknesses and it’s up to you to decide where you currently fall: is needing a group, or do you need the reprieve and an extra focus on technique, progress and order?

There’s no wrong answer in the end, but the more discerning you are now, the better your results will be later.

It’s also not to suggest that you or someone you know fits neatly into either box. You may be a person who loves the constant contact in physical pursuits with others. Private training may be too solitary for you no matter what. Alternatively, it could be the complete inverse: everything you like is individual and that includes your training.

The observations above are more guidelines based on many years of experience and a large sample size of past clients.

I encourage you to think of your mental state and overall energy management as much as you consider what would be more fun: in the end, a little work here leads to bigger results down the line.

If you think we can help, or if you want to pursue either our private training or group training, please reach out any time.