Working out with a friend may involve some extra hassle, but there’s plenty of reasons why it’s worth the effort.
Here are five benefits you can expect when you exercise with a workout buddy.
Accountability
When you decide to skip a solo gym session, no-one will ever know. It’s so easy to talk yourself out of it, especially if you’re ill-disciplined.
Yet, if you’d potentially be letting down a good friend, the guilt is often enough to get us into that gym when we said we’d be there.
Good gym buddies hold each other accountable to their goals. They motivate each other to succeed, so going back on your word feels like letting down the team. The fact that you’re making success more difficult for your friend can be too much to bear for lots of people.
Failing publicly is far more embarrassing than being the only witness to our weaknesses.
That’s why it’s recommended to publicise all your goals, whether they’re in fitness, business or something else.
Having even one person that believes in us can be so powerful. The accountability drives us to do better than we could have done alone.
Competitiveness
Some friendly competition between you and your gym buddy can also spark motivation that wouldn’t have otherwise existed.
Maybe you can see who loses the most weight. Perhaps you’ll compete for who can bench the most by Christmas. Make the rules fair, then let the banter begin!
For a lot of people, the pain of losing to a good friend is far worse than the struggle of sticking to your workout plan.
To add some extra spice, why not throw in some money for the winner or an outrageous for the loser.
Of course, friendly competition will serve to motivate you if you start on a level playing field. If the task ahead of you seems impossible, it’ll actually have the opposite effect.
Another way to leverage your competitive streak is to organise a sports event to compete in.
If you’re running a marathon or competing in a charity boxing match in the future, you’ll be far less motivated to miss a workout. After all, the result of skipping too many is that you’ll be embarrassed in front of everyone on the big day…
Spotting
It’s convenient to have a friend spotting you when you’re lifting weights at the gym. Don’t overlook the safety benefits of having someone support your lifting. You’ll have someone to point out if you’re showing bad technique. You can push yourself when someone is watching you lift. Plus, you’re less likely to slow down your cardio if your friend begins to speed away from you.
Measure your progress
The only person you should compete with yourself, but it’s not always easy to notice or be impressed by your own gains.
For some, it can be motivating to watch themselves progress faster than their friends.
You’ll be inspired to make massive progress if you see your mate doing the same. See yourself as teammates pushing each other.
You’ll have fun!
On some solo days, the gym is a grind.
You just want to get in, get out and go do something more fun afterwards.
Yet, when you have a good friend to hang out with, this part of the day can be something you look forward to.
That alone makes you less likely to pussy out.
There are plenty of people who enjoy the social aspect of the gym, and if you use it as an excuse to catch up with your best friend, you can be one of them.
