Training on your own may be a little bit daunting and that’s why small group training can be just what you are looking for. You don’t need your own individual personal trainer to get a great workout. Small group training is a unique way for people to benefit from the quality of personal training but in a small group setting (2-5 people). It’s an affordable, fun way for you to take advantage of a trainer’s expertise at a lower financial investment. In addition to cost savings, you get the added benefit of motivation from both your peers and the trainer. There is more energy in a group setting and even a little bit of good, old-fashioned competition. It’s just human nature that if the person next to you is giving an all-out effort, you are more likely to do the same.
Research suggests many benefits of having someone to exercise with encompassing your mood, energy level, weight loss and overall health. The real effects of a workout partner include:
- A workout partner will get you moving
- A workout partner will keep you moving
- A workout partner will make you work harder
The truth of the matter is, unless you are one of those superhumans who spring out of bed every morning at 5am, ready to run 5 miles and then tackle the day, having a workout partner is pretty much guaranteed to benefit you.
First and foremost, having social support is a strong motivator – stronger even than money- think about all the people that pay for memberships but do not use them. How much does social support help motivate people? Stanford University found that simply receiving a check-in phone call that asked about your progress every two weeks increased the amount of exercise participants did by 78% on average.
Meanwhile, the Department of Kinesiology at Indiana University found that couples who worked out separately had a 43% dropout rate, while those who went to the gym together had only a 6.3% dropout rate.
In one study, people were told to hold the plank position as long as possible. When told they were working as a team (one person had to stop if & when the other stopped), participants exercised 160% longer than those simply working with a partner (were free to stop planking without affecting the other) and 200% longer than those working alone.
Take home message – group personal training is a great option at a fraction of the cost (save up to 70%) of one-to-one personal training. With a small group limited to 5 participants or less, it will be fun, but still small enough to retain high quality. So get some friends or family together to create your own small group. Contact MacEwan University Sport and Wellness to set up a training session today!
Visit our website for our personal trainer bios and information on fitness program designs and individual and group personal training.
Anita De Boer is a Certified Exercise Physiologist at MacEwan University Sport and Wellness. She specializes in working with people with specific health conditions, ones recovering from injury, as well as beginners just starting out.
