Calisthenics classes in Singapore are getting more popular in the past few years. As more Calisthenics studios have opened, and even the big fitness gyms started offering these classes, the price range has become wider to attend these classes.

Generally, the cost of a Calisthenics class in Singapore ranges from $10-$150. The price difference can vary significantly from a group class or personal training. A group class averages around $25 per session.

Keep reading below to learn more about the factors you need to consider when attending a Calisthenics class.

Group Calisthenics class or Personal Trainer

Hiring a one-to-one coach for your Calisthenics training will cost you a lot more compared to just attending a group class. So, is it really worth getting one? 

Let's look at what you need in a session:

1. Customization of the exercises 

To progress faster, the exercises have to be suited according to your level. Depending on the size, some group classes will modify the exercises accordingly, whereas, in a Personal training session, you will get full customization of the exercises.

Winner: Personal training

2. The Schedule that suits you

A group session is generally fixed in a certain timing compared to full flexibility for a one-to-one session. At UMove Fitness Singapore, we don't accept payments for private training sessions unless we can match the compatibility of our teachers time and our students preferred timing.

Winner: Personal training

3. Social benefit

This one depends on you if you prefer a more private training class or you prefer to work in a community where you get motivated and inspired to do your training.

Winner: Group class

4. Safety and injury prevention

The trainer has to look after more people in a bigger class, which will limit the teacher's time to correct your form and watch out for your safety. You will have 100% attention from your coach in private training.

Winner: Personal training

5. Accountability to learn the exercises

Calisthenics is a skill-based training approach, and it will take time to achieve the skills that you aim for. The more accountable you are with your own training, the faster you can progress. Since you are left on your own in a group class to do your exercises, you will develop a good level of accountability compared to a personal training session where you are fully dependent on your coach.

Winner: Group class

Here is a table of comparisons between both classes:

	Group Class	Personal Training
Price range	$10-$50 per session	$60-$150 per session
Customization	none	Full customization to your level
Schedule	Fixed	Full flexibility
Social benefit	High	Low
Safety and injury prevention	Low	High
Motivation and inspiration	High	Depends on the trainer
Attention from your trainer	Partial attention - depending on the size of the class	100 percent
Accountability	Full accountability	Creates dependency
Faster progression/Results	Slow	Faster

Recommendation: If safety is your first priority and you want to progress faster and afford the cost, personal training should be your first option. Just make sure you stay accountable to learning, and really owning the exercise as dependency on your personal trainer can hinder your progress. 

Is it ideal to combine group class and personal training?

This is probably the best approach to training and learning in general. Take advantage of the full guidance of your coach in a personal training session to learn the movements properly. Then you can attend group classes safely and learn to be accountable for doing your own exercises properly.

We offer a 3-session Group Introductory package here, where you can meet our team personally and experience our small-sized group classes. Once you have tried us out, you can decide to either stay in the group or progress towards personal training sessions to customize your program.

4 Factors that influence Calisthenics group class pricing

1. Indoor vs. outdoor

Outdoor is always my first choice if I practice Calisthenics, but the main drawback is the weather. Especially here in Singapore, where it is very humid all year round, and it is also not practical to train outside in the rainy season. Outdoor group classes can be canceled last minute due to weather changes, affecting your practice's consistency.

One big advantage of doing Calisthenics class indoors, especially for beginners, is the accessibility of these small pieces of equipment. Most likely, you will need boxes, elastic bands, stools, parallettes, stall bars, and more items to assist you with the exercises.

In general, indoor classes will be more costly compared to outdoor classes as you have to factor in the utility bills, admin, and rental cost into the pricing.

2. Trainer's qualification

Calisthenics exercises might look very simple and straightforward as it only requires body weight as the resistance of the exercises. It is very easy to attempt advanced movement as it is readily accessible to anyone just getting started with Calisthenics. All you need is the floor or a pull-up bar to try it out, which can cause serious injury.

You will need a coach with at least 5 years of experience in teaching, with qualifications to teach Calisthenics and preferably more matured to guide you with the exercises. Calisthenics and fitness, in general, is a long-term lifestyle commitment, and time is the best teacher for the coaches to learn how to best teach the method.

An experienced coach with a variety of qualifications in rehabilitation and other types of training methods will charge more for the session, but the premium guidance and teaching you will get will be worth it.

This is even more important if you are a beginner with a lot of aches and pains in your body or if you are over 30 years old. You will need a more systematic progression with the exercises as your body is a little slow to progress and, at the same time, a little more vulnerable to strain and injuries.

"You just don't want to be your coach's first Guinea pig in his fresh teaching career."

3. Class size

Experienced teachers can always handle a bigger group without losing the quality of the teaching, so first, you need to go to the right coach that can guide you well. But no matter how good the teacher is, if there are 30 people in the group, it will become a monkey-see-monkey-do class. The quality of the session will be greatly compromised, and so goes your progress and safety.

A group class with a smaller size will be more costly, but the price will be worth it in exchange for the safety you will get.

4. Equipment used in the Calisthenics studio

Though Calisthenics exercises don't require that much equipment, you may need some accessories to help you learn the exercises faster. Investing in these pieces of equipment can add up to the cost of the session. And also, a more qualified coach is needed to handle the group training.

So perfect scenario for you will be finding an indoor Calisthenics class that has a maximum group size of 10 people handled by a coach with more than 5 years of experience in teaching.

Which Calisthenics class should you attend first?

There are different types of calisthenics classes offered in Singapore, and if you are a beginner, you should attend a class that is meant for newbies. It usually comes with either of these words: Intro, Fundamentals, Beginners, Preparatory, Foundation, Starter, etc... which means that these classes are beginner-friendly.

Some of the Calisthenics classes are named according to the skill that the class is targetted to like Handstands class, Gymnastics Rings, Planche, Muscle-ups and so on… so if you have a goal in mind, you might want to consider attending these classes but bear in mind that the level of the class may not suit you, especially if it is your first time.

If you are not sure which class to attend, it will be worth your time giving them a call first to check if it is suitable for you. Here is an article I wrote that goes in depth about the best approach for beginners to start calisthenics training.

If you want to get started with Calisthenics at home, here are some articles you that can help you get started:

How to do push-ups correctly
Step-by-step guide to your first pull-up
Wrist preparation for Calisthenics