Surely you have already left home with a previously defined training. You know exactly what you are going to do: number of sets, number of recovery exercises, total training time … and suddenly you get a message from a colleague asking if you’re going to train – that colleague who crushes you on the climbs because he imposes a rhythm too strong and you end up feeling that you didn’t do anything to what you had proposed.
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These kinds of situations happen constantly and we hardly see them being shared with the community. Since cycling is an individual activity, the question remains: is it better to perform the training alone or with others?
If it were possible to give a unique answer to this question, experts would say that it is better to perform group exercises than to train alone – studies indicate that interacting with others improves the sense of well-being, reduces stress and arouses more motivation among practitioners of physical activity.
The benefits and disadvantages of group training
It is impossible to deny that having company makes physical activity more enjoyable, as it is good to have someone’s support when something seems very painful and complicated.
In general, follow-up workouts are better because they are more enjoyable, people feel more motivated, and the presence of other individuals improves the satisfaction response. The truth is that riding on the side of better people makes you better your performance.
But be aware that not everything is a sea of roses in group workouts! Despite the advantages we mention, group workouts are not for everyone, as they can not meet the specifics of health and physical conditioning of each one. It is necessary to take into account the taste and personality of each one, since many people may feel embarrassed to perform exercises that can not respond with such capacity.
The crossing of individual and group workouts
It is important to understand and discuss with each responsible person the best strategy to achieve the expected goal. If the focus is on improving endurance, it is not recommended to just cycle, pedal or run, it is necessary to do weight training to help prevent injuries and increase energy expenditure.
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In this case, cross training is recommended, which associates the benefits of group and individual classes. In this way, the training becomes more complete, because the challenge between people and energy is equivalent, while individually we learn to overcome the difficulties of executing movements and improving the level of physical conditioning.
