To Train Alone Or With A Group?

MUSINGS FROM A COACH - 13 May '25

Ah, yes, always an interesting question! Different athletes for different reasons ask me this quite often.  Some beginner athletes want to know if it’s OK that they train with a group while some more experienced athletes want to know if they will lose fitness if they train too much with groups. My answer is usually “both”, but really, it does depend on several factors. First, let’s talk about the pros and cons of each.

GROUP TRAINING

– Pros

• Motivates you to GET to the training session

• Can learn by observing and training with more experienced athletes

• Fellow competitors can push you to effort levels you may not achieve by yourself

• Discover new places to train

• Have fun seeing athletes and creating new friends outside normal work, neighborhood or religious circles

– Cons

• Potentially train on someone else’s plan: i.e. you’re supposed to ride at an endurance effort level and the group is hammering!

• You’re the most fit and have to wait constantly for the group to catch up

• Group training plans don’t match your training plan

• Unskilled members of the group could cause dangerous situations

• Poor attitudes could constantly bring you down emotionally

• Members of the group are just Jerks!

SOLO TRAINING

-Pros

• You have to do all the work on your own – there is no hiding behind another rider or swimmer

• Learn to spend time in your own head

• Learn to push and motivate yourself each session

• Enjoy those training sessions when your mind relaxes and your daily stressors seem to fall away

• Follow your own training plan, not someone else’s

-Cons

• Much easier to “skip” a session when no one else is holding you accountable

• May not push yourself as hard during the hard sessions

• Don’t learn from other experienced athletes

• Easier to get “stuck” in the same routine that oftentimes prevents improvement

Using triathlon's three sports, you can understand these pros and cons a bit better.

Swimming: This is an excellent “group” training segment of triathlon. If you can find a Masters program (or even better, a program coached specifically for triathletes), I highly encourage it. Because most of us have to travel somewhere early morning or on a break from work, swimming is an easy target for blowing off. If it’s a good program, the coach will keep you accountable and not let you slack off. And competition with the guy/gal in the next lane is priceless!

Biking: I find that group rides larger than a few similarly fit athletes can be effective social and aerobic rides. Certainly, there can be interval work and super hard efforts, but the breaks can be longer and there is typically no system for the increased effort levels. While this is perfect for roadies, it’s not as ideal for triathletes who need to learn how to keep the power on and steady. But, the camaraderie and learned bike handling skills are wonderful.

Running: I can go either way with running in a group. If you can find a group that has members a bit faster than you, it may be a perfect supplement to your solo sessions. Like cycling, group running is perfect for easier runs. It’s extremely social and becomes a wonderful way to experience the outdoors with other like-minded folks. I have written and participated in speed sessions with smaller groups. This is actually quite easy and beneficial as you can “regroup” during the rest intervals, thus allowing everyone to go “hard” at their own different pace.

So really, there are a great many factors that I take into account when advising athletes on this issue. Ideally, in most cases, it’s good to have a bit of both. Always talk to your coach and get his/her input. If you are self-coached and are not training with any groups, then I’d say give it a shot!

Gratefully,

Mark

CEO Team MPI