One of the biggest resolutions with each New Year is to join a gym, get a personal trainer, or simply exercise more! For some we immediately jump in and sign a gym membership based on the closest location. Some ask friends and try out a recommended personal trainer. And for a lot of us we get a couch to 5k pamphlet online and try to stick to that.

So, with a multitude of options how do you decide what’s the right fit? We recommend asking yourself these few questions. It is a list of considerations to ask yourself to ensure you are giving yourself the best chance at success with your resolution!

1. Am I willing to really financially invest in myself for at least 6 months? No groupons, discounts etc., really invest.
2. What membership does this gym cater to and will I relate to them?
3. Are there any special programs or classes offered I would like, such as yoga?
4. Am I willing to prioritize my fitness so it is a non negotiable in my daily schedule?
5. Are there any additional features to a gym membership such as nutritional counseling or personal training?

All of these are important considerations when choosing the right fit for you, because making sure they each meet your needs will partially determine your own success. There are three major forms of training for individual attention; personal training, semi-private training and small group training. Personal training is one on one training with the highest rates. Typically in our Virginia Beach area a single hour long session can be between $60 and $80. Semi-private training is when a personal trainer works with 2 to 4 clients at once with a discounted price to one on one. Small group training typically is the lowest cost of the three and involves one trainer working with 10 or more individuals. This type of training has consistently been on a rise in the past 10 years.  Truly effective coaches can give individual attention in group environments.  

So what do we at CrossFit Rife think of this increasing demand of small group training?

We have found that our program provides tremendous ROI when it comes to  providing personal attention and group accountability to an individual. When you show up to our gym you have an hour long class led by an instructor with anywhere between 10 to 15 other students. Everything from the warm-up to the workout and cool down stretching is controlled by our Coaches! We take the thinking out of exercise for you while giving you time within each hour to develop relationships with other members and create a support group for you to reach your goals. This combination of exercise variety, camaraderie and professional instruction leads to results!

Ultimately, when we make a resolution this New Year we want three main things. We want to see results, we want the value to be worth the price, and we want to enjoy our fitness so we are likely to maintain our New Years goal!

• Nicole Tsetsilas
• CF-L2, CSCS