For the past few years, gyms have been losing members to highly-focused competitors running outside boot camps and online programs. It would be natural to think boot camps in parks and on beaches don’t’ pay any rent and so they must be cheaper. But there are successful boot camps around Australia charging up to $100 a week, so it’s not about the money. People are paying for a different experience and (hopefully) better results. THE TEAM TRAINING DIFFERENCE There are small but powerful differences between attending a small group training program and joining a team. Some small group training programs hardly change; the workout on Monday is the same as the workout on Thursday. Some have a focus on one piece of equipment such as suspension training or kettlebell workouts, and at some you find yourself lost in the crowd and never see a familiar soul. With many small group training programs, people can just come and go as they please and rarely connect with other members. They don’t develop the team camaraderie where they get to know each other, push each other and support each other during the workout and even between sessions online. All of these things add up to create a stronger commitment whereby the members become regulars and consistently work hard – two essential ingredients for great results. If you’re a member at a gym, you have two options: you’re on your own or you pay for a personal trainer. Of course, larger gyms also offer group exercise classes, but in a large class, there’s no accountability or teamwork, and frequently no connection or camaraderie with others. You can slacken off, or don’t turn up, and nobody notices. BACK TO RESULTS Great results are a function of the program design: how it changes session to session, how regularly you show up and how hard you work. Most people feel they train harder when they train with a buddy, and even harder under the motivation of a trainer. In a team environment, you have the peer pressure of the team as well. ENTER TRIBE TEAM TRAINING Created in New Zealand, TRIBE Team Training® is exploding in fitness clubs in the USA, Canada, UK and now Australia. TRIBE offers five programs to choose from, depending on your training goal and fitness level. Members sign up for a small team (max. 10) that meets twice a week at the same time for six weeks with the same coach. One program for the very fit meets three times per week. Each team member’s space is pre-booked so they don’t have to stress about losing their spot, booking online or turning up to find the session being overcrowded. All of the programs are designed by a world-leading team (two from Canada and one from NZ). The TRIBE guarantee is: “You’ll never do the same workout twice.” Every session is different with small changes to build on the previous session as your fitness and exercise skill improves. What’s more, being inside the gym provides the comfort of all-weather training with the advantage of the variety of special equipment during the sessions. If your club doesn’t have TRIBE Training you may want to look into it. Article by Jamie Hayes
