Semi-Private Training vs. Personal Training: how to choose

Semi-Private Training (SPT) is a structured program, run in groups of up to six, where a coach adjusts a proven system to your fitness level. Private Training (PT) is built from the ground up around one person, with no shared program at all. The choice isn’t about how much attention you want — both get real coaching. It’s about whether you want a system a coach shapes around you, or a program built with no one else in mind.

That’s the answer. Here’s what it actually looks like in practice.

What Semi-Private Training is

SPT at EMBODI runs in groups capped at six. It’s a fixed, structured program — the same well-built system every member moves through — but the coach tailors it to where you are: your fitness level, your experience, what your body can and can’t do that day. You’re not doing your own workout in a room full of strangers, and you’re not doing an identical workout to the person next to you either. You’re doing the same framework, adjusted.

Sessions run 50 minutes. Most members train two to three times a week. Every SPT member starts with a Day One assessment, the same as PT members do.

What Private Training is

PT is one coach, one client, no shared program. There’s no template being adjusted — the entire structure is written around you from session one: your goals, your schedule, your history, your limitations. It’s the right fit when the structure itself needs to be custom, not just the coaching cues inside a shared structure.

The real difference, in one line

SPT tailors a proven program to you. PT builds the program around you. Both are coached — the difference is whether the structure existed before you walked in.

Who tends to choose which

Someone who wants the accountability of training alongside other people, who’s coming from an inconsistent gym habit or a boutique class format and wants real structure without training completely alone, usually starts with SPT. It’s also the more common starting point for members who aren’t sure yet exactly what they need — the program itself does some of that work.

Someone managing a specific injury history, training around a competition or event with a narrow timeline, or who simply wants zero shared structure and full scheduling flexibility tends to choose PT. It’s also common for members who started in SPT and want to go deeper on something specific for a stretch.

Neither is the “serious” option and neither is the “beginner” option. They’re solving different problems.

What Day One looks like either way

Every new member at EMBODI — SPT or PT — starts with a Day One session, led by one of the two founders, Diego Poma or Michael Almeida. It’s an assessment, not a sales pitch: where you are physically, what you’re training for, what’s realistic. That session is what determines whether SPT or PT is the better starting point, so you don’t have to guess before you walk in.

Common questions

Can I switch between SPT and PT later?

Yes. Some members start in one and move to the other as their goals or schedule change.

Is PT more effective than SPT?

Not inherently — they’re built for different situations. SPT members get real, consistent progress inside a structured program. PT members get a program with no shared structure at all. The better question is which structure fits your situation right now.

Do I need to know which one I want before booking?

No. That’s what Day One is for.

Book Your Day One Session — 373 Bloomfield Ave, Caldwell, NJ