Is It More Beneficial to Work Out Alone or in Groups?

Individual and team workouts have pros and cons that largely depend on your personality type and future goals. If you are exercising to stay in shape, figure out the method that gets you to the gym the easiest. If you are preparing for military service, you will need to endure physical training with others, as teamwork and group workouts are very common throughout your career, but so is being a self-starter.

Here is a good question from someone curious about which is more effective:

Stew, do you prefer individual workouts on your own or group/partner workouts? Which do you think is better for long-term benefits? Thanks, Manny.

Manny, both have benefits and hindrances, as it depends on what energizes you. This is the classic introvert/extrovert discussion. Are you motivated and more receptive to doing activities alone or with others? Do you work well with others? These questions may help you answer which option is best for you, but you should consider other elements when determining what method works better for you.

However, working out and dedicating time to training takes more than motivation. Being consistent with training requires discipline. Having worked out consistently for more than 43 years now, I can tell you I’ve had my fair share of exercising alone and in groups, and I don’t have a preference. I will admit, though, that having people waiting on me at the gym or running trail at 6 a.m. has a unique, “get up and moving” factor that training alone does not. On some days, I want to be away from people and do my thing. On other days, I need a partner to get me pushing harder in the gym.

Here’s where I see the benefits for both are:

Improves intensity: Having a group can push your intensity, because you are trying to keep up with a person in front of you, or your buddy is yelling at you to get that last rep.

Improves mental toughness: Going alone can push the mind more than relying on others. You must find internal motivators to keep you moving and increase the intensity. Being a self-starter is a great quality you can develop by individual workouts and pushing yourself when you do not feel like it. This daily occurrence is a scoop of mental toughness and discipline that goes a long way when the days turn to night and future military training or selection programs are causing people to quit all around you.

Improves accountability: Having a form of external accountability is helpful on those days when you are tired and the bed is very comfortable at 5 a.m. Meeting someone daily and not causing others to wait on you is a great reason to move in the morning and show up on time.

Teamwork: Though it is good to be a self-starter with discipline to work out independently, you will also need to play well with others if your future is training for military service.

I suggest getting good at both types of training. By practicing the lone-wolf workout, you can build internal discipline and become a self-starter. Starting and finishing a workout well by yourself is a big accomplishment and rewarding. Besides, having time to yourself in our busy lives is nice. However, it would help if you also learned to be a good team player and how to succeed in group environments.

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