Group fitness is a growing trend, and for good reason: You get a great, semi-private workout session with a trainer at the fraction of the price of a tradional personal training workout.
Fitness boot camps – held outdoors and in – are becoming more and more popular all the time. But a new, emergining style is also gaining popularity: The group personal training program. So what is group personal training? And what are the main differences between group training and a boot camp?
The first major difference is that group personal training is typically done in a smaller-sized group – about 4-6 folks at once. A boot camp typically has anywhere from 10-20 working people out together in one session.
A second common difference is a more personalized training focus. It’s a plain and simple fact: The larger the group, the harder it is for your instructor to give personalized attention to you. This isn’t neccesarily bad, it’s just a consideration, especially if you’re just starting out or feel like you’re going to need more individual attention.
Now, both group fitness styles have many positives, including:
- A Lower price point than traditional personal training – typically $15-25 a session vs. $65-80+ per session
- Accountability – not only are you accountable to your trainer/instructor, you’re accountable to your group
- High intensity – I truly believe that group workouts are harder than one-on-one workouts most of the time. One-on-one training has the possiblity of turning into a chat session – and this just doesn’t happen during a group session, the dynamic just doesn’t allow for it.
So there’s a quick summary for you of the main differences between group personal training and fitness boot camps. The most important thing of all is for you to figure out exactly what your goals are and to pick the program that’s right for you.