By Donna Marsh
Group training is becoming a thing, and with good reason. Group training can be particularly beneficial to help you achieve your fitness goals. Training in a boot-camp-style format or with a few people and a trainer creates a sense of camaraderie and support while providing the guidance about exercise and knowledge about safety that people need.
Generally speaking, people will push themselves harder if they have an audience. It’s that little extra push that creates big changes. Some people are self motivated. They are consistent about getting their workouts in a few times or more per week and have knowledge and discipline to really put themselves through a challenging workout every time. However, that’s a small percent of the population. Most people have no idea what to do to really improve their fitness. Many think they know what to do and get caught up in complacent sessions that get them no further toward their goals than a relaxing stroll in the park.
Training in a small group with a personal trainer offers the benefit of learning from questions other people ask. It also offers the opportunity to learn how other people respond to various types of training, providing with first-hand knowledge that you aren’t the only one who finds it challenging. It helps to know that others in your group are there to create change for themselves, just like you are, regardless of each individual’s level of fitness. Participants develop relationships and make friends, encouraging each other and holding each other accountable.
At Ultima Fitness, our personal trainers work with small groups from three to six people. This allows clients the benefits of personal training while providing the support and motivation from the group. It also can be a more economical way of fitting personal training into the budget.
It also helps to have measurable goals within the group. For example, you may train to run a 5k together or, like we do at Ultima Fitness in our BCx Boot Camp program, have recorded standardized tests to help measure progress. Your goal is to beat your own personal best each time. When you have a small, close group of people sweating it out by your side and cheering you on in support of your personal growth, that’s pretty motivating!
Challenge yourself at the Ultima Fitness BCx Boot Camp Challenge, which began Sept. 1! Burn fat, get stronger, raise money for charity and have a blast for 10 weeks.
At the end of the challenge, we will award winners in categories like most body fat lost, most improved test scores and best attendance. Win awesome prizes including free membership to Ultima Fitness, gift cards to put your best foot forward with some new kicks and more. We’ll also wrap up the challenge with a celebratory award party and an obstacle race organized by the Navy SEALs. It is going to be fun!
Visit www.wellingtonbootcamp.com for more information, or call us today and speak to our membership services team at (561) 795-2823, or e-mail donna@ultimafitness.com.
Donna Marsh is director of membership services and BCx Boot Camp instructor at Ultima Fitness in Wellington.
