QUESTION; WHICH DO you feel you would benefit more from, going to a spinning class or going to the spinning room by yourself for a 45 minute session?
Simple, the former. It’s so simple it’s hardly even worth asking and in here lies the answer to the question about whether group exercise is better or worse than exercising alone.
1. Time tends to go quicker
45 minutes going hell for leather on a bike is some people’s idea of hell, I suspect. As someone who has often been in spinning classes, and trained with not so much as a murmur for company, there is no comparison. Without a very structured plan and huge motivation you’ll find yourself counting down the seconds and checking the clock every few minutes until the session ends.
In a group dynamic, such a scenario is less likely because you’ve so many other distractions, like an instructor guiding you and people of all levels around you. This is why facilities offer 30- and 45-minute classes for individuals with limited time.
2. You learn new ideas
No matter if you’re training with one person or 10, the pool of ideas grows with the number of people you train with. Not every new idea will be for you of course, but you won’t know until you try. So for example, you might learn some new way to stretch you glutes or hamstrings, you might learn a technique that allows you to grip a barbell better, or pick up some advice on how to improve your position while holding a plank. Plus, you won’t get bored as quickly if you’ve someone there with you.
3. Motivation
We all struggle with this from time to time but the beauty of participating in group exercise is that it challenges you to work out beyond your perceived limitations. Be it an instructor or a training partner, he or she should be able to observe your body for signs of fatigue and really push you to squeeze out that last rep or set. In a group, or with a teammate, you are likely to work out harder than you would on your own. In short, it’s easier to quit when you’re alone.
4. Harder to back out
Setting the alarm for 7am to go training is not easy and we’re all guilty of coming up with the most tremendous excuses for not going training. ‘The roads are bad’, ‘I’m tired and training will make me even more tired’, ‘I’ll do it later’ are just some of my own personal favourites but what’s harder to do is to call up your friend and tell him or her you, erm, decided to give it a miss this morning. Make a pact with a friend to go twice a week for the next three months and use a wall chart to tick off the days.
5. Routine
Often people join a group exercise class as it helps them commit to an exercise routine. In addition, the consistency in scheduling offered by group exercise programs allows participants to choose a time and schedule it in their planner as they do other daily activities.
You commit to paying in advance, can lock it in the diary and are accountable to show up. The best way to adopt healthy habits with regard training and nutrition is to build them into your daily life and make them as routine as brushing your teeth. Forging good habits like having a certain class at a certain time is a great way to get you into that gym to work up a sweat.
‘Thursday morning is circuits’ or ‘Tuesday is weight training’, for example. Get them in your diary and build your daily life around them. You won’t regret it.
