Why Small Group Personal Training

Why would someone choose small group training over one-on-one personal training, group fitness classes, or a standard big box  gym membership?

Small group personal training has 1 coach for every 5 clients. 

At No Limits Fitness, we typically have two coaches on the floor  with a maximum of ten clients.


Unlike group fitness classes and big box gyms, small group  personal training is customized to each individual. 


If someone has a hurt knee or their back is bothering them, their  lifts will be changed to best accommodate their needs.  Furthermore, we provide recovery workouts and injury protocols  to our members who need them.


It’s better to come in and do some sort of recovery work  compared to doing nothing and sitting at home. This is very different from group fitness classes where nothing is 

customized and if you’re hurt, you’re still getting the same  workout. 


Big box gyms won’t even notice if you’re absent due to an injury  because they care more that your money is still coming in than if  you are. 


Aside from injuries and customization, if you do not show up to  workouts, the coaches in a small group personal training facility  WILL reach out.


Many times, people just need accountability… and boy are we  good at that!


Didn’t sign up for any sessions one week? 

We noticed. Text sent. 


Didn’t show up for a scheduled session? 

Unacceptable. Text sent. 


People just need to be held accountable and see that someone  cares.


Some might hesitate to join small group personal training due to  what they think will be a lack of attention during their workout as  compared to one on one.


Our rule is one coach for every five clients.  Our members get the attention they need, when they need it. 


There is often an awkwardness with one-on-one training because  if you have the form down and don’t need a spot, it’s basically  just you and your trainer trying to make conversation until you  get through all your reps. 


Far too often, entry level trainers feel the need to provide a  never-ending array of new exercises and simply pushing clients to  work harder and faster.


When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.


In small group classes, trainers can bounce around from client to  client so you don’t feel like you’re getting stared at every second  of your workout. 


There is also a higher standard that’s required to coach at a small  group training facility versus becoming a personal trainer at a big  box gym. 


In terms of coaching qualification, it is very common for big box  gyms to have personal trainers who quickly receive online certs  and have one year or less of experience. 


Big box gyms care more about the sales, so nobody is teaching  the coaches on how to coach or let alone looking at how they  program their workouts for their clients.


I worked at a big box gym for three years and my certification  was never once looked at.


At No Limits Fitness, our coaches average more than 6 years of  experience and are constantly working to improve their skills.


Each coach continues their education by reading, attending  conferences and getting hands-on experience at workshops. or  acquiring more certifications to help our clients in every way  possible. 


We have our own CEU fund in the gym for coaches to better their  education because the better the coaches are, the more help they  can be to our clients. 


The programming is constantly reviewed and designed to  guarantee that members keep improving. 


This isn’t something big box gyms and group fitness classes even  consider. 


Now let’s talk about arguably the most powerful benefit to joining  a small group personal training facility.


The community within.


When you want to achieve something, one of the best things you  can do is to surround yourself with people who have already  achieved the goal or are on a similar path.


Training with other members in a smaller setting allows genuine  connections to take place. 


Members get to know each other on a personal level, holding  each other just as accountable as the coaches hold them. 


People get excited to show up and workout with the friends  they’ve created inside the gym. 


It also challenges members to push themselves more than they  would without their buddies by their side. 


Difficult things seem much easier when you have someone doing it with you. 


Small group personal training sessions produce a level of energy  that simply cannot be matched by a one on one session or a big  box gym.


When the room is hype and the energy is high, it’s contagious  and it puts people in a great mood!


We should all be excited to go to our workouts versus dreading  them.


Small group personal training is a great option to consider when  you’re ready to dive into fitness!


About No Limits

No Limits Fitness provides step-by-step programs to help busy adults get the body they’ve always wanted, without restrictive diets or time-consuming workouts, so they can lead more fulfilling lives. Life is a much better experience in a strong, healthy body!

Recent Posts

By Juan Perez 03 May, 2024
Every year millions of people make the resolution to improve their fitness. It’s not exactly a secret that the majority of these good intentions will quickly turn into empty promises. When you first get started, your excitement and energy are high and it’s easy to feel like you’re in control and that your will power alone will help you through the difficult days ahead. The reality is that you’ll probably have more days when you don’t “feel” like training. This is the reason we preach Standards Over Feelings because we understand how fundamental this is for human behavior. There have been several studies on human behavior that have helped identify the single biggest predictor of success when it comes to long-term consistency with your fitness. It’s not keeping a gym bag ready and with you at all times…although this helps. Setting your gym clothes out the night before is a great idea…but it’s still not the determining factor. Surprisingly it’s not even having an accountability partner. Schedule in advance when and where you’ll do your training. Everything else is simply in support of this habit. Being accountable to someone you don’t want to disappoint is incredibly helpful, but if you haven’t taken that first step, accountability falls short. Having been that accountability piece for hundreds of people, I’ve been ignored and ghosted more times than I can count. Even my sister stopped responding to text messages and phone calls at one point. (I called our mother but apparently you can’t put an adult on restriction). Scheduling in advance WHEN and WHERE you’ll workout is the single most important step to developing consistency with your fitness. This helps you develop integrity with yourself…if you say you’ll do something, that thing gets done. Period. Show up like a boss and bosses don’t cancel. Your training is time on your calendar dedicated to getting better. The workouts on your calendar become non-negotiable. You don’t wake up and see how you “feel” because you already know there will be days you don’t “feel” like it. In advance, you schedule your training where it best fits into your life with your responsibilities. Once you’ve planned your work, you show up and work the plan. If you fail to plan the work, you’re significantly increasing the likelihood of failure. Ask someone that has been remarkably consistent with their fitness if they know when and where they’ll workout.  This has already been decided. Their feelings aren’t involved in the process. If you truly want to be consistent with your fitness, this habit is a must: Schedule in advance when and where you’ll workout.
By Will Matthiessen 19 Apr, 2024
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By Juan Perez 05 Apr, 2024
One of the first recommendations you’ll hear for someone wanting to lose weight is to begin by counting calories. Although weighing your food and counting calories does work for some people, the reality is that this approach to weight loss has an astonishingly high failure rate. If this strategy is “based in science”, why does it fail more than 95% of the time? The Top 3 Issues With Counting Calories The number of calories in the foods you eat are estimates. This is where the concept of counting calories being “based in science” can be misleading. The FDA allows companies to use 5 different formulas to estimate calories and a standard deviation up to 20% is acceptable. This means that something listed as 150 calories exists on a range between 120 calories and 180 calories. How ripe is your banana? The ripeness affects caloric availability. The second issue is that as individuals we each absorb a different amount of the calories from the food we consume. Thirdly, Americans are notoriously bad at determining healthy portion sizes. Our super-sized culture has heavily influenced our concept of a normal sized portion. The good news is that there is another way to lose weight without counting calories. The Three Pillars of Nutrition Whether or not you’re a card-carrying member of Camp Calorie Counters, the foundation of your nutrition is built upon three pillars: Food Quality, Food Quantity and Food Timing. Food Quality All calories are not created equal. The popular 100 calorie snack bags do not offer the same nutritional value as 100 calories from fruits or vegetables. When the majority of your meals are composed of minimally processed single ingredient whole foods (lean protein, fruits and vegetables), you’re more likely to get the micronutrients your body needs to thrive. Food Quantity As mentioned earlier, Americans aren’t known for our skills at eyeballing healthy portion sizes. Although using a food scale to determine portion sizes can be helpful, it isn’t always practical. This is the reason we recommend learning to use your hand as a guide to determine portion sizes. You can’t take a food scale with you everywhere you go but you’re always allowed to bring your hands!
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