The best training is the kind you keep doing. That is usually less about the programme and more about whether the format matches your temperament and your week.
What classes give you
A time, a place and someone expecting you. No decisions once you are in the room. Built-in social pressure, which works. The cost is flexibility: if the only class is at six on a Tuesday and your week moves around, you will miss it.
What solo training gives you
Complete control of time, pace and content, and the ability to follow a plan for months without interruption. The cost is that every session starts with a decision, and that decision is where most people quietly stop.
A workable middle
Two booked classes a week for the commitment, plus one or two open sessions for whatever the week allows. Or a personal trainer monthly to write a plan you then run on your own. Most gyms will sell you this combination.
Signs to change format
If you are skipping booked classes and paying for them, switch to open access. If you are going to the gym and wandering between machines without a plan, book something. Neither is a failure of willpower, they are just the wrong format.
Published September 21, 2026
