The Pros And Cons Of Personal Training: And How To Hit Your Goals

Caitlyn Davey • July 8, 2025

There are many differences between training in a group setting versus training with a personal trainer – and both have many benefits and some drawbacks. Personal training and group fitness offer different benefits – what you need will dictate what is more effective for you. There are excellent personal trainers and excellent group coaches in the industry – but there are also bad PTs and bad group training facilities. While the two are not mutually exclusive – many programmes supplement one another, this week on the Rebuild Health & Fitness podcast, the coaches are talking about which suits what goals. Personal training – getting coached in a one-on-one setting - offers individuals personalised programming to suit your goals. It’s a great starting point if you’re nervous about joining a gym or are unfamiliar with a style of exercise. It’s also beneficial if you have outcome-based goals, like building up to a pull-up or hitting a set weight on a lift. Here are some of the pros and cons of personal training to consider. The benefits:Benefits to personal training are plentiful – you get more coaching time, so you can be sure that you’re moving correctly, provided you have a good personal trainer.There’s flexibility in scheduling too – personal training can be based around the times suited to the client. James says: “You do have more individualised programming, more individualised coaching and more coaching minutes per hour.” Personal training will get you bigger results, faster than training in a group setting. Stylised programming will get your results quicker as you’re getting direct input from the coaches. Sean says the relationship building and companionship is also a positive for personal training. He says: “A big one is that you get to develop a genuine relationship with a person. You are getting that personal touch – you get to know them; it almost becomes like a therapy session for some people. It gives someone you can trust and vent to.” Darius, a Rebuild coach and personal trainer says one big benefit is that programmes can be adapted to suit the person’s needs on the day. He says: “You might have something programmed for that day – but they walk in and you can see and understand that they’re not in the mindset for that given task, so you’re able to adjust that session and still get a result from it.” Sean explains one client he had was a member that had been training at the gym for years, however had to stop training after getting sick – and needing surgery on her spinal cord. Personal training enabled the client to return gently to training without pushing too hard, improving strength and mobility in her back. Sean explains: “One of her biggest goals was getting back into the group fitness style of training. But after going through that surgery and recovery she just wasn’t ready for that, so one of our processes was gradually just building up her strength with the end goal in mind. And we got there – we also were reframing her mentality. One of the biggest things, is when you get injured, you aren’t going to be able to do what you want to do – you feel like your body has failed you. Having someone to guide you through that process gets you that valuable experience and that’s a very powerful tool.” The drawbacks:The main downside of personal training is cost. You are paying for a one-on-one session and program to be created based on your goals. But as James says, “People who pay, pay attention”. Personal training can add up – and one session per week is just not going to cut it to make progress for most people. Sean explains: “That’s a big one - thinking one or two PT sessions a week is enough to make good progress – it might be initially but long-term you need more than that.” Personal training improves your bond with a coach, however, there are fewer social aspects, as we see in Rebuild – members bond in classes and group settings.Because of the intimate relationship with trainer and client, it can feel difficult to stop personal training. James says: “It sometimes is harder to stop, because you build up that relationship with your PT so much – that you may not be getting what you need from that trainer anymore or your results might have slowed or things have got stale – because you maybe love the PT and have built this connection with them that it’s hard to quit.” There’s also the matter of quality – a good PT can get you excellent progress, but a bad PT can do damage. Sean says: “We’re assuming that all PTs are great, but the fact of the matter is, there’s a massive quality control issue within the industry. There are a lot of poor PTs in the industry – there are good ones, but there are a lot of poor ones and quite often people get paired with the poor ones. “Just because you like the PT as a person, doesn’t mean they’re a good PT.” There are many benefits to group training, personal training and various exercises - it's important to find what's right for you. Personal training is ideal for those who are new to a gym, coming back from an injury or looking to hit a certain goal.  Tune in to the Rebuild Health & Fitness podcast for more insight into personal training, group training and mentality around it.  

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Why Strength Training Might Be the Missing Piece in Your Health Routine

February 16, 2026
If you live in Wynnum or Capalaba, you’re not short of fitness options. There are 24-hour gyms. Bootcamps. HIIT studios. Yoga classes. Running clubs along the waterfront. But despite more access than ever, many people still feel stuck. Tired. Plateaued. Unsure whether what they’re doing is actually working. For many adults across Brisbane’s bayside suburbs, the missing piece isn’t more cardio or more intensity. It’s structured strength training. What Strength Training Actually Does (Beyond “Toning”) Strength training isn’t just about lifting heavy weights or looking muscular. It is one of the most well-supported interventions in exercise science for improving: • Lean muscle mass • Bone density • Insulin sensitivity • Resting metabolic rate • Functional capacity • Injury resilience When you lift weights progressively, your body adapts. Muscle fibres increase in size. Neural drive improves. Connective tissue strengthens. Bone responds to load. This isn’t aesthetic. It’s physiological. For adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s — especially busy professionals and parents — maintaining and building muscle becomes increasingly important. From around age 30 onwards, we gradually lose muscle mass if we don’t train against resistance. Strength training slows — and can even reverse — that decline. Why Many People Plateau in Traditional Gyms Joining a gym in Wynnum or Capalaba is easy. Progress is harder. Many people follow random workouts. They jump between machines. They try classes without a long-term plan. They train hard, but without structure. The body adapts quickly to repeated stimulus. If load, volume or intensity don’t increase over time, adaptation stalls. This principle is called progressive overload — and it is fundamental to strength development. Without it, workouts feel hard but don’t necessarily lead to measurable progress. That’s why tracking lifts, planning training blocks, and adjusting volume matter. Effort is important. Structure is essential. Strength vs “Burning Calories” A common goal across the Wynnum and Capalaba community is fat loss. Many people default to high-intensity cardio to “burn more calories”. While cardiovascular training improves heart health and work capacity, resistance training changes body composition in a different way. Muscle tissue is metabolically active. The more lean mass you maintain, the more energy your body requires at rest. Strength training also improves glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity, which influences how your body uses carbohydrates. In simple terms: Cardio burns calories during the session. Strength training improves how your body uses energy long term. The most effective approach often combines both — but strength should not be overlooked. The Importance of Coaching in Strength Training Not all training environments are equal. There is a difference between access to equipment and access to coaching. Research in motor learning consistently shows that technique improves faster and more safely when feedback is specific and timely. Good coaching reduces injury risk, improves force production and builds confidence under load. For beginners, this means learning correct movement patterns. For experienced lifters, this means refining efficiency and progressing safely. In both Wynnum and Capalaba, more people are moving away from “do it yourself” gym models and towards coached environments that prioritise progression and accountability. Because consistency — not intensity — predicts long-term success. Strength Training for Real Life The real benefit of strength training isn’t what happens in the gym. It’s what happens outside it. Carrying children. Lifting groceries. Walking the stairs without fatigue. Reducing back pain. Improving posture after long desk hours. Strength improves quality of life. For people living and working in Brisbane’s bayside suburbs — balancing work, school runs and community commitments — training needs to support life, not compete with it. Two to four well-programmed sessions per week is enough to create significant improvements in strength and body composition when done consistently. You do not need to train every day. You need to train intelligently. What To Look For in a Strength Training Gym in Wynnum or Capalaba If you’re considering starting strength training locally, look for: • Structured programming rather than random workouts • Progressive overload built into sessions • Coaches who adjust for injury, mobility and experience • A community that supports consistency • A clear pathway for beginners Strength training should feel challenging — but sustainable. It should build confidence, not intimidation. A Quiet Shift in Fitness Across Wynnum and Capalaba, there is a noticeable shift. People are moving away from extreme short-term “transformations” and towards long-term strength development. They want: Energy that lasts. Bodies that feel capable. Training that fits into real life. Strength training isn’t a trend. It is one of the most researched, effective and sustainable forms of exercise available. If you’ve tried everything else and still feel stuck, it might not be motivation you’re missing. It might be structure. And structure changes everything.

Join Rebuild Capalaba's Free Week Feb 2-8

January 19, 2026
If you’ve been thinking about getting back into training — or starting properly — this is your chance. From February 2–8 , you can train free for a full week at Rebuild Capalaba with unlimited access to our group sessions. No pressure. No judgement. No gimmicks. Just well-coached training, intelligent programming, and a community built around progress — not perfection. What Free Week Includes • Unlimited group training for 7 days • Coaching-led strength, conditioning, and cardio sessions • Scaled options to suit all experience levels • A supportive, ego-free training environment Whether you’re returning after a break, testing something new, or simply curious about what training should feel like — Free Week lets you experience it properly, without committing upfront. Free Week runs Feb 2–8. Spots are limited. Book your week and see how it fits into your life.

Join Rebuild Wynnum's Taster Day

November 24, 2025
Try a Session. Meet the Coaches. See What You’re Capable Of If you’ve been thinking about starting, restarting, or finding a gym that actually supports you — Taster Day is your opportunity. This is a free, one-day event designed for real people. No pressure. No expectations. Just great coaching, a welcoming community, and a chance to see whether Rebuild is the right fit for you. December 6, 7:30am at Rebuild Health and Fitness - 10 North Road Wynnum West. This session is FREE for people to join.
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