From CrossFit to Soul Cycle to early morning running clubs, all the trending exercises these days seem to have a group mentality — and for good reason: Working out with others can help stave off a fitness rut and keep you accountable to your exercise regimen; not to mention, it’s a great way to catch up with friends and tone your body at the same time.

But sweat and socialization don’t do it for everyone all of the time.

“Group exercise is a good match for people who are outgoing or looking to meet new people, who benefit from structure, who find solo exercise boring or who have difficulty maintaining motivation by themselves,” says Eric Endlich, a psychologist in Boston who helps people with healthy lifestyle and sports concerns. Solo exercise, on the other hand, “is a good match for people who are shy, busy, self-starters or highly motivated,” he says.

[Read: Need Fitness Motivation? There’s an Avatar for That .]

Here are five other benefits to working out alone:

1. It’s flexible.

As a personal trainer and gym owner in Richmond, Virginia, Justin Weis works when most of the (physically active) world works out. That’s just one of the reasons why Weis, 32, often prefers to exercise alone.

For Jeremy Austin, an IT contractor in the District of Columbia, working out solo means greater flexibility to come and go to the gym as he pleases — a benefit he values since he can’t always predict when pain from his tendinitis will flare up. “Sometimes, if I’m not feeling it at the gym or I have something to do right after, I will just get my big lifts in and then do the small stuff later in the evening at home,” says Austin, 34. “Things like pushups, curls and ab work I can do in the evening after dinner, in front of the TV, even.”

Hitting the gym or the running trail buddy-less also allows for greater spontaneity: 15 minutes here or 10 minutes there can be great opportunities for a power walk or a set of squats in your office’s gym. But if you’re tied to coordinating with others, those may be opportunities lost.

[See: 7 Mind-Blowing Benefits of Exercise .]

2. You can spin to the beat of your own drum.

The music in Austin’s work gym is similar to what they play at the dentist’s office: light and poppy. Not exactly motivating for Austin, who prefers his workouts with a side of rock. “The music has to be stuff that I like, stuff that’s stimulating,” Austin says. “I have to keep it fresh.”

Creating your own playlist is another perk of exercising on your own. More than simply appealing to your own taste, research suggests that crafting beats that mimic your workout’s rhythm make the exercise seem easier. And Austin, whose iPod currently pumps out music by the female-led rock group Halestorm, seems to have the right idea: A 2011 study found that people tend to find biking or walking to music with a fast tempo more enjoyable than exercising to music with a slower tempo.

3. You can take all the credit.

Accountability and motivation are two common arguments in favor of group exercise. But if fear of being reprimanded is the only thing keeping you active, you’re standing on a weaker foundation than someone who exercises for the mood boost and stress relief, for example.

“Whether it’s waking up at 6 on a Saturday to go for a run or not cheating on a nutrition program even though nobody will know, it always has to be that person” holding himself or herself accountable, Weis says. He’s seen plenty of clients who stop showing up to group exercise programs because their friends dropped out. “They haven’t invested in it for themselves,” he says.

To keep yourself accountable, Endlich advises, consider exercise a standard part of your routine — “not an optional add-on” — just like brushing your teeth and showering. And make it easy on yourself: Keep your gym bag packed and commit to a time and place that’s most convenient for you, he suggests.

“It takes a lot of personal fortitude, personal strength, to take that journey on your own,” Weis adds. “But ultimately, you’ll have more success.”

4. You can look a fool.

Whether you’re embarrassed that your only “exercise” shirt is a tattered freebie or you’re intimidated by your gym’s towering equipment, fear of looking like an outcast is a common — and dangerously self-perpetuating — excuse for avoiding the gym.

“Some people feel self-conscious in front of others and are more relaxed when exercising alone; for example, because of their physical appearance or level of skill,” says Endich, who’s been a solo exerciser for decades. For the self-conscious type, a video workout in the comfort of their own home or a less competitive (and cheap!) type of exercise like walking can be a good fit.

Working out alone can also help keep you focused on your own progress — and no one else’s. “There’s a very high tendency to compare yourself to others” when you’re exercising with a group, Weis says. That can be good or bad: A 2010 study in the Journal of Social Sciences found, for example, that participants who biked next to more fit people pushed themselves harder, while those who biked next to weaker riders were more likely to slack off. The healthiest way to size yourself up? “Comparing yourself to yourself,” Weis says.

[Read: No Gym Necessary: 4 Anywhere-Exercises .]

5. It relieves stress.

Teal Burrell, a runner in the District of Columbia who’s training to qualify for the Olympic marathon trials in 2016, joined a running club several years ago to improve her times and enjoy company during long runs. But Burrell, 29, still appreciates the few days a week she hits the pavement solo. “One of the reasons I like running is as an anxiety release and a time away from stuff,” says Burrell, who graduated from a neuroscience Ph.D. program in May. “It’s nice to zone out and go for a couple miles and run as slow as you like.”

Weis says it’s common for students and other people with high-stress careers to enjoy working out alone because it gives them a chance to decompress. “There’s something very therapeutic about running, having that solo time,” he says.

[Read: Beat Work Stress in a Minute or Less .]

Indeed, exercise is a well-supported treatment for stress, anxiety and depression, and has numerous other mental health benefits. In some research led by Santa Clara University psychologist Thomas Plante, for example, he’s found that people who exercise alone report feeling calmer and less stressed than people with workout buddies.

That’s not to say sweating pairs miss out. “The bottom line here,” Plante says, “is that if you want to have a low stress, contemplative, relaxed experience, then you want to exercise alone. But if you want to have an energizing, engaged and socially uplifting experience, then exercise with others.”

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The Case for Exercising Alone originally appeared on usnews.com