Do you want to stay active and achieve your fitness goals? If yes, then you should combine your workout routine with a partner. When you have a friend as a workout partner, you can meet your goals faster and stay motivated. Furthermore, socializing during a workout will drastically improve your mental health.
Benefits of a Workout Partner
Many people think that exercising alone is more beneficial, but many studies suggest otherwise. These studies highlight the importance of working in a group or with a partner. When you exercise with a friend you can stay motivated and focused.
Furthermore, it boosts overall performance and helps you achieve fitness goals quicker. Also, working and socializing together is more entertaining. Below you will find some benefits of exercising with a workout buddy:
1. Commit with the Goals
Many people include exercising as their New Year’s resolution. But among them, 50% quit the gym by summer. If you also quit the gym within the first half of the year, you should consider getting a gym buddy. Exercise partners motivate each other towards their fitness goal. Without motivation, you cannot succeed to achieve your goals. If you want better results and motivation, having a workout partner is important.
That said you can easily miss your fitness sessions without a partner. On contrary, when you have a partner, you can commit to your goals and push harder to lift heavyweights.
2. Make Exercising Fun
When you exercise alone, you are more likely to get bored and quit the gym, because you have no one to communicate with.Also, exercising shouldn’t be boring or else you will get bored easily.If you want to get into an exercise rut, you should have a workout partner.
A workout buddy can listen to your daily routine and motivate you to reach new limits. If you have emotional support at the gym, you can push harder.
3. Feel Less Stressed
Heading to a gym every day is a remedy to cure depression and stress. By collaborating with a friend, you can double the effects of this therapy. It acts as a bonus point to stay happy and healthy in life. While working out you can talk with a friend about your day, life, and career goals. Multitasking will move your concentration from painful exercises and offer emotional stress relief. When you have a friend in the gym, you can reduce stress and distract from difficult exercises. Thus, you will lift more, while improving your mood.
4. Push Harder
Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology published a study about high school athletes. It suggests that participants who practiced for an event in a group performance well. Meanwhile, students who preferred individual training sessions couldn’t make among the top performers.
Clearly, when you have a helping hand in the gym, you can try harder than when you are alone. A workout buddy will be a motivation, support, and accountability. They will encourage you to go beyond your comfort zone and achieve your fitness goals.
5. Stick to Weight Loss Goals
Do you want to lose weight and couldn’t achieve your target whenever you head to the gym? If that’s true, you need a fitness partner. A workout partner will keep you accountable for your exercise. Keep in mind, losing weight is difficult but it is not impossible. Then why overweight people can’t lose weight? It is because they don’t have a fitness partner. So, having a good training partner is important if your goal is to lose weight.
Emotional support is important when it comes to achieving difficult goals such as losing weight. You have to focus on your diet and choose effective exercise. Another important thing is consistency to achieve your daily targets. If you can’t accomplish your tiny goals, you won’t achieve your major goal which is weight loss. So, if you want evident results and lose significant weight, you shouldn’t head to the gym alone.
6. Improve Your Life’s Longevity
If you include social interaction with your fitness routine, it improves your life span. There is a large study that found this benefit of working in a group. In 2018, Mayo Clinic found that people who participate in fitness activities with more social interactions live a few years longer. On the other hand, people who participate in solo activities such as cycling and running don’t increase longevity. Thus, if you workout in a group, you can live a bit longer.
7. Develop Support
When you exercise with your friend or significant other, you can hold on to your daily workout routine. Fitness partners keep each other accountable and head towards progress. Furthermore, challenging each other is essential to meet major fitness goals. Having a partner will reflect on your friendship as well as your relationship goals.
8. Make it a Competition
You cannot stay motivated without competition. Challenging yourself helps, but you will lose motivation quite easily.When you compete with your friend in strength training, you will get extra motivation. The results are promising when you add a little competition to your workout routine.
Conclusion
Having a workout partner is important to gain progress and achieve fitness goals. But, if you don’t have a friend who wants to join at the gym or lives too far, you can talk with your co-workers. Your colleagues can become compatible workout buddies. Also, you can learn more about each other better.
You can ask your trainer, fitness professional, and coach to support you as well.The trainer will look for a perfect workout buddy that matches your schedule and goals.
If you still cannot find a workout partner, you can try GymBet. GymBet is a fitness training app that helps you collaborate with your friends. With this app, you can invite your friends to your group and share exercise routines. The app has a wide range of features where you and your friend can keep each other accountable.