Movement
REFERENCE: Supervised exercise versus non-supervised exercise for reducing weight in obese adults. Nicolai SP et al. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009 Mar;49(1):85-90. This research study looked at the effects of training with supervision/instruction (i.e. a qualified trainer) versus “advice.”
Group one met a trainer twice a week for 4 months (as a group).
Group two received basic advice to increase physical activity and were given access to a fully equipped gym (any exercise they did was unsupervised).
The group with supervision lost on average 362% more fat over a 4-month period. (Total fat loss of 13.4lbs in the coached group – and only 3.7lbs in the advice-only group).
Interesting Side Note: They made these improvements without ANY dietary advice given.
This is not a new finding, nor is it that surprising as a good coach or training partner/team can really help with your results. The fact that the group exercised together only served to improve those results further (as social support is one of the key variables in fat loss success) so I’m not sure that the supervision and instruction alone was entirely responsible for the enhanced results – or the social support was part of it. However, it’s clear that together it’s an unbeatable combination. And perhaps that’s one of the reasons why small group training seems to get better results than one-on-one training.