List: Five reasons to exercise with friends

Checklist

This post contains a list of reasons you should not be exercising alone.

Exercise with Kettlebells
Exercise with Kettlebells

Exercising alone stinks and it is not easy. We have all experienced that time when you hit a wall and just can’t make it to the finish of your workout. You just quit early. Heck, other times it is hard to even get started and this is especially true when it is cold and dark outside.

Training with a partner or group of friends can help because it opens up a whole new range of possibilities for motivation. Your training partner can help you hang tough and achieve your goals, regardless of how far away they may seem at first.

Here are five good reasons to exercise with a friend or group of friends:

  1. Exercising in a group builds motivation. It is Sunday and all you want to do is sit on the couch and watch TV. You could be going to the gym or going for a run. An exercise buddy or group of buddies can help keep you motivated. When you feel close to giving up, a training partner will push you to do more. No matter whether it is the strength or endurance training, having someone yell at you or push you to complete it with all your effort motivates you to work out harder and faster.
  2. Exercising with a group is more fun. Face it, exercising alone is not exciting. Exercising as a group adds conversation and challenge between exercisers. It just makes it more fun. Hands down one of the most commonly cited reasons people choose to exercise with a group are because of the fun factor.
  3. Exercising with a group builds accountability. The group will make sure you show up and give it a complete effort. I am not talking about exercise classes. It does not have to be a formal group. People naturally struggle with workout consistency and group exercise build consistency and calls you out when you are not.
  4. Exercising with a group allows you to learn better techniques. Not everyone has equal knowledge of exercise techniques. Workout with a group will allow for a diversity of knowledge. There will be less guesswork when it comes to how to structure your workout session.
  5. Exercise builds stronger friendships. Exercise does more than strengthen your muscles. If you work out with a friend, you are less likely to quit the exercise program and friends who exercise together are more likely to remain friends over a longer duration. Exercise bonds people together and makes their friendship that much stronger.

The bottom line: Exercising in a group will improve both your performance and the exercise experience. The group will help you build accountability, challenge you and motivate you to give exercise your best effort. The motivation of the people closest to you will have a positive influence on you and encourages you to do more. If results matter, exercising with a group will help you attain the best results.

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About the Author

ChuckH
I am a family physician who has served in the US Army. In 2016, I found myself overweight, out of shape, and unhealthy, so I made a change to improve my health. This blog is the chronology of my path to better health and what I have learned along the way.

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