You’ve got two options. Option A: you go to the gym alone, do roughly the same routine you’ve been doing for months, check your phone between sets, and leave feeling like you did something. Option B: you show up to a coached session with a group of 12-15 people, someone programs the workout for you, corrects your form, pushes you when you’re coasting, and you leave having worked harder than you would have on your own.
Option B wins. Here’s why.
The Problem With Training Alone
Solo gym sessions work for some people. If you’re highly self-motivated, know exactly what you’re doing, and have the discipline to push yourself without external accountability, more power to you. But most people aren’t that person.
Here’s what typically happens: you do the exercises you like (and skip the ones you need), you rest longer than necessary, you don’t push past comfortable intensity, and when you’re having a rough day, you either skip entirely or phone it in.
There’s no one programming your sessions, so progressive overload is haphazard at best. There’s no one watching your form, so bad habits build over months. And there’s no one who notices when you don’t show up, so skipping feels consequence-free.
Why Group Size Matters
Not all group training is created equal. A class of 40 people with one instructor isn’t group training. It’s a crowd following choreography. You get the music and the energy, but you don’t get coaching.
At Rush PT, Sakaja deliberately caps his sessions at around 12-20 people. This isn’t arbitrary. It’s the sweet spot where you get:
- Individual attention. With 12-20 people, your coach can see everyone. They can correct your squat depth, adjust your push-up form, and modify exercises for anyone who needs it. In a class of 40, you’re invisible.
- Community, not anonymity. In a smaller group, people know each other. They notice when you’re not there. They celebrate your wins. That social connection is one of the strongest predictors of long-term adherence.
- Competitive energy without ego. A small group generates enough energy to push you harder than you’d go alone, but it’s small enough that it stays supportive rather than intimidating.
The Accountability Factor
This is the big one. When you train alone, the only person who knows you skipped is you. And you’re very good at rationalising it. “I’ll go tomorrow.” “I need rest.” “One missed session won’t matter.”
When you’re part of a group, people notice. Your coach asks where you were. Your training partner texts you. That gentle social pressure isn’t annoying. It’s the difference between showing up 40 weeks a year and showing up 48.
Better Programming, Zero Thinking
One of the most underrated benefits of coached group training: you don’t have to think. You show up, the program is written, the coach guides you through it, and every session is balanced, progressive, and purposeful.
Compare that to standing in the gym wondering what to do today. Decision fatigue is real. Some days you just don’t have the mental energy to program your own session. Having that taken care of removes a barrier that stops more people than they realise.
The Outdoor Advantage
Add the outdoor element and it gets even better. Training in a park, breathing fresh air, moving on natural surfaces. It beats staring at a gym wall under fluorescent lights. Research consistently shows that outdoor exercise improves mood and reduces perceived effort compared to indoor exercise. You work just as hard but it feels easier.
Small group, coached, outdoors. It’s not the only way to train, but for most people, it’s the most effective and sustainable approach going.
