The question “who do I train with” seems social, but it’s actually a performance choice. Training alone, in pairs, or in a group is not better or worse in absolute terms. It’s simply different. The key is choosing the right mode for the right session, so the plan stays coherent and training becomes more effective and more sustainable. Below you’ll find pros, cons, and practical rules to make them work in your favor.
Choose based on the session’s purpose
- Technical or quality session. Intervals, threshold, specific work: here it matters to respect intensity and recoveries. Usually it works better alone.
- Easy or volume session. It must stay easy. It works very well in pairs or in a group, as long as there is self-control.
- Session at risk of “I won’t go out”. If you feel you might skip it, company is an accelerator. Better a simple session done well with someone than zero training.
- Different paces. It’s not a problem in itself. It becomes a problem when no one sets the rules before leaving.
Training alone
Training alone is often the most effective choice when you want to build real quality. It lets you do the training you need, without adapting the session to someone else’s needs. It also gives you something valuable: your own space where you truly switch off, create distance from the day, and sort your thoughts while your body does its work.
Pros
- Total control of pace and intensity. If you have precise zones or targets, you can respect them without adapting. This matters most when the workout has a clear objective and doesn’t allow compromises.
- Listening to your body. Alone you notice breathing, tensions, and movement economy better, because you’re not distracted by other people’s pace. It becomes easier to realize in time if you’re pushing too hard or if today is a day to manage with more caution.
- Time to reflect. The session also becomes quality time for you. You can unload stress, put things in order, or simply stay in the rhythm. It’s a huge advantage for consistency, because training stops being only “effort” and also becomes “benefit”.
- Logistical freedom. You choose route, time, and duration based on what you need. If you have repeats to do, you find a suitable stretch. If you need an easy endurance run, you choose a loop you like that helps you stay calm.
Cons
- Less sense of commitment. If you don’t have an appointment with someone, postponing becomes easier. It’s not about personality. It’s simply how motivation works when an external commitment is missing.
- Mental push is harder in the tough moments. When the hard part of the session arrives, you don’t have the group’s draft and you don’t have an external reference. You have to manage yourself. It’s training, but not always pleasant.
- Safety and logistics. Alone also means that if something happens, you have to deal with it yourself. This is about personal safety, so choosing well-lit routes, reasonably frequented areas, sensible times, a charged phone, and maybe shared location if you go to isolated places. It’s also about the unexpected, because a sprain, a sudden dip, or a mechanical issue on the bike has a different impact if you are alone.
When to choose it
- When the session requires precision. Repeats, threshold, well-built progressions, technical work.
- When you want to train autonomy. Knowing how to manage pace and sensations without external support is a skill that also helps in racing.
Training in pairs
“Pair” here also means a friend, a colleague, a teammate. You need a person with whom you can share the session without turning it into a constant negotiation about pace. When it works, it’s one of the best ways to build consistency without feeling crushed by the plan.
Pros
- Higher consistency. If you know someone is waiting for you, it becomes easier to go out even on days when you’d have a thousand excuses. You train more regularly and waste less energy convincing yourself to start.
- Session feels lighter mentally. Talking and sharing the time makes it easier to get volume and easy work done.
- Practical support. Route management, safety, and small details that are easier to neglect when you’re alone. Even just having someone next to you changes the experience.
- Stronger relationship. If you train together because you truly share this passion, training also becomes quality time. The efforts toward a common goal, memories from sessions, time outdoors, and the relax after training create shared ground to reconnect on. Communication also improves naturally, because during a run or a long ride you absolutely find time to talk.
Cons
- Different paces. Pretending you’re at the same level only creates tension and poorly executed training. The fitter person can’t slow down too much every time, because it becomes frustrating and the session loses meaning. At the same time, the less trained person can’t push beyond their abilities just to stay together, because training becomes counterproductive and increases the risk of stress and overuse injuries.
- Constant compromises. Small adjustments seem harmless, but added up they make a difference. A slightly shorter recovery, a slightly faster pace, a climb done “in control” that turns into a hard pull. In the end the training is no longer the planned one
Practical rules if levels are different
- Same session, personal intensity. You set one clear duration, for example 60 minutes. Everyone works in their own zones. You start and finish together.
- Rejoin points. On intervals or split work, the faster person manages recovery and loops back so you can restart together.
- Shared middle part. The fitter person adds time before or after. The core of the session stays together.
When to choose it
- When you want to maximize consistency and easy volume.
- When you need solid and controlled training, without the rigidity of timed intervals and recoveries.
Training in a group
The group can be the best medicine against laziness and the best trap for recovery. It works when everyone respects the session’s purpose. It becomes a problem when the pace is decided by pride instead of the plan.
Pros
- Energy and motivation. The group pulls you along. Often it gets you out even when alone you would have bailed.
- Fixed appointment. The week is easier to organize and consistency grows.
- Learning. You see how others move, you pick up good habits, you compare notes on race and training management, you push your limits.
- Strengthening friendships. The time we spend with our sport friends every week gives us the opportunity to make new friends or strengthen existing ones.
Cons
- Pace rises without noticing. It was supposed to be easy. It becomes “lively”. And you pay for it the next day.
- Group not very homogeneous. If you’re always at the limit to stay in, stress and overload risk increase. If instead you’re always held back, the session loses stimulus.
- Less attention to details. Technique and sensations often become secondary.
- Time and route constraints. Sometimes the group is motivating. Sometimes it becomes a scheduling knot that feels heavy.
When to choose it
- For sessions that build habit and miles, and to share your passion with other people.