By Travis
What is one strategy to enhance your motivation, ensure consistent gym attendance, stick to your diet, and achieve better results?
Find a training buddy.
It’s true: having a consistent exercise partner or being part of a workout group offers incredible advantages.
- You’ll be more likely to show up for your workouts.
- You’ll have a more consistent schedule for exercise. You can plan everything else around that.
- You’ll stick to your good habits when you’re tempted to ‘cheat’. You might cheat on yourself, but you won’t cheat on your buddy.
- You’ll try harder at your workouts. Sometimes you’ll want to beat your buddy; usually, you just want to keep up to them. Sometimes a cheerleader makes all the difference.
Yesterday in our group, five people hit a personal best in their deadlift because everyone around them was cheering them on. We were inspired by each other, electrified by the atmosphere and spurred forward by the “go for it!” feeling of the group.
That never happens when you train alone.
Training with a partner, or in a group, isn’t about comparison or competition. It’s about collaboration.
Becoming your best self means enrolling a team to help you. That can mean a coach or a training partner or a group.
Every cyclist knows: when you ride alone, your wheel is always at the front. But when you ride together, you can rest while your partner is working, or pull harder when it’s your turn. You can joke around on the flat parts and cheer each other up the steep parts.
For me, having partners and training buddies pulls me out of my head, and totally changes my day. I stop ruminating on work stuff. I start talking, then I start having fun. Before I know it, I’m having the best hour of my day. That almost never happens alone.
Don’t have a training buddy or partner? Don’t worry – we have one waiting for you. You’ll love them.