Small group training

What small group training is

A coach works with a handful of people, often the same faces each week. The sessions follow a program that runs over several weeks, so each one builds on the last. The coach knows your name and what you lifted last time, but splits attention across the group.

It sits between a class and one-on-one coaching. A class is bigger and often drop-in. One-on-one gives the coach's full attention. Small group training trades a little of that attention for company and a fixed time slot.

Where you find it

Strength studios, gyms with a coaching program and some council centres. The City of Sydney's Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre lists small group training sessions next to its group fitness and wellness classes (City of Sydney). The centre, in Zetland, opened on 1 February 2021 with a fully equipped gymnasium and an outdoor training circuit (City of Sydney).

Ask about the group

• What is the most people in a group, and is that number kept to?
• Is it a fixed group, or whoever books that slot?
• Is the program the same for everyone, or adjusted for each person?
• What happens when you miss a session? Can you make it up?
• Are the times fixed for the block, or do they move?
• Can someone new join part way through?

How it is sold, and how to stop

Small group training is usually sold as a block, a term or an ongoing membership with a set number of sessions a week. Whatever the shape, it is a fitness agreement, so read it the same way you would a gym contract.

Two state rules are worth knowing. In Western Australia a fitness supplier must respond to cancellation requests within seven days (WA Consumer Protection). In NSW the government says a term may be unfair if it requires an unreasonably long notice period to cancel (NSW Government).

In Queensland, a fitness supplier must have a complaint handling process (Queensland Government). Anywhere else, ask the studio how it handles a complaint before you need to make one.

Compare like with like

Two small group offers can look alike and be quite different. Line them up on the same points: sessions a week, the largest group size, the length of the block, whether open gym time comes with it and what notice ends it. Ask each studio for those answers in writing, then decide.

Is it a good fit for you?

It suits people who want coaching and structure but like training with others, and who can commit to the same times each week. It suits less well if your hours change week to week, in which case an open gym membership or a class timetable may be easier to keep up.

If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor before you start, and leave health details out of the InterFit form.