08/01/2026
The Case For One-On-One Personal Training
I read an article this week from one of the top fitness Gurus of this generation and he said, "One-On-One Personal Training is dead." In the article he stated that semi-personal training and group training were the present way and also that of the future. Well, I tend to disagree with that sentiment and I'll tell you why.
But first, let me say that I have been in the fitness industry for 38 years and have seen MANY trends come and go. I have loved, worked in, and managed gyms, fitness facilities, and nutrition shops and even owned my own. The number one thing people are interested in when joining or visiting these facilities is looking and feeling good. They want what will benefit them most and when looking to hire a trainer they want someone who is able to deliver just that. They are paying for a trainer's attention and expertise.
Personal Training should be...well, Personal. No two people are alike in fitness level, movement patterns, body composition, strength, flexibility, endurance, and even dedication and discipline. So even having two people who are working out together, doing the same workout, they will not perform the same and so will not get the same results.
Taking individual people into account according to their current fitness level, movement pattern abilities and inabilities, and all the necessary criteria that Personal Training takes into account, we must consider that semi-personal training and group training to be great, but not as individually effective and therefore not "Personal."
Take for instance, doing a squat. While everyone in the class may be doing it together, the trainer can really only correct one individual at the time. Even if he/she cues it well, many people do not believe that they themselves have incorrect form until someone physically comes and corrects their body into the proper position. So, now by the time the trainer gets to you, you've done 8 of your squats incorrectly and that particular set has been done, not only ineffectively, but now an incorrect motor pattern must be unlearned.
It also does not take into account that the trainee may have had a bad day, doesn't feel 100%, or in some way may be having issues that are affecting their performance for that day. In group training you can not curtail the workout to that specific person, or even take the time to let them talk it out and release the load, if they choose. This is one of the things I love most about my job: the fact that I can give them my undivided attention so as to allow them to talk it out if need be. I also have the option to pray with them and let them know that someone cares.
Finally, many, but not all, fitness facilities have followed suit in the expectation that each trainer must be trained and certified according to the specific cookie-cutter group workouts of the facility's choice and allow very little, if any freedom for the trainer to design workouts according to the specific individuals needs. This is the main variable that has changed in the past thirty years, and I personally believe, not for the better.
I teach group classes and love every minute of it. But, when it comes to PERSONAL Training, I believe one-on-one to be most effective. Group fitness is certainly cheaper and sometimes even more fun with friends, but you may not get pushed to your full potential, or know your own personal best until you've got someone watching you do every rep to completion.
I believe One-On-One Personal Training is not only alive and well but it also has a future. It has been one of the joys of my life in getting to know each one of my clients on a deeper and more personal level and challenging them to move up to the next level when they are personally ready and not have to feel pressured by, wait for, or follow the crowd.
If you or anyone you know, would like more info on personal one-on-one training, contact me at [email protected] or pm me. I’d love to work with you.
