Starting a workout routine can be difficult for many reasons, but there are a few ways you can make it easier. One such way is to find a friend you can work out with. In this post, I’ll go over some of the main benefits of a workout partner that are much harder to achieve if you only go to the gym by yourself.
I’m not saying everyone would be better off having a gym buddy; nowadays, I honestly prefer to work out by myself most of the time. However, when I first started going to the gym, I would often go with a friend and it was definitely helpful in getting me to where I am today.
The truth is that for some people, having a workout partner can be very valuable. As there are both psychological and physical advantages, it’s definitely an option worth exploring if you happen to have friends who are also as committed to developing a fitness routine as you are.
A Less Intimidating Experience
The first time you do anything, whether it’s your first time making a new recipe or your first day at a new job, can always be a bit nerve-racking. It’s reasonable that you might also feel this way the first time you go to the gym or attend a fitness class. You could be nervous because you aren’t familiar with what you’re doing, or you think that everyone around you is more experienced.
In this case, having a friend to work out with can make everything a lot less intimidating. You’re no longer embarking on this new journey alone, as you have someone you know and trust to join you at every step of the way. You’ll have someone you can comfortably turn to when you encounter challenges, and someone you can rely on to help and support you through the early stages of your training.
Of course, you’d also be returning the favor, so both of you can help each other succeed in the gym.
Someone to Help You at All Times
When you’re just starting out at the gym, you can benefit a lot from having someone who can provide on-the-spot assistance.
Firstly, a workout partner can help you fine-tune your technique. You can’t see yourself from a third-person view, and it’s not always comfortable or even possible to continuously watch yourself in the mirror as you perform an exercise. Therefore, having someone else monitor you is a great way to learn proper form.
Workout partners can also push you to train harder. In my post How Long Does it Take to Build Muscle Mass?, I mention that the intensity of your workouts is a big factor in how fast you can develop muscle, but that it’s also something you might have a hard time gauging at first. You might not be used to pushing yourself to complete failure, and may want to stop at the first sign of fatigue. However, this is when your partner can galvanize you into doing that extra rep, increasing the weight, or giving that last bit of energy you have.
Lastly, working out with a partner means you’ll always have someone to spot you during your workouts. This is only a minor convenience, since you can always just ask other people to spot you. However, if you need a spot but aren’t comfortable asking a stranger at first, then having a friend to spot you is definitely better than going about the exercise alone.
Increased Accountability and Motivation
All the things I’ve mentioned so far are very real benefits that I’ve personally experienced, but in my opinion, the most significant is the potential for more accountability when you exercise with someone else and share common fitness goals.
When you set goals with a partner and track your progress together, it becomes much more of a common mission rather than an individual endeavor. As a result, you tend to hold each other more accountable for going to the gym and sticking to your routine.
If you only work out by yourself, developing a consistent routine can be very difficult because when you begin to lose interest and motivation, there isn’t resistance from anyone else. On the other hand, if you have a workout partner who can push you through that rough patch, you’ll have an easier time turning exercising into a lasting habit.
In addition to greater extrinsic motivation, you might also have greater intrinsic motivation to work out if you have a partner. Instead of viewing going to the gym as a chore, it can seem more like a social activity, similar to going to the mall or getting food. That’s certainly what it felt like when I worked out with friends, and as a result I very much looked forward to it every day.
With Benefits Come Drawbacks
Despite all the seemingly great things that with having a workout partner, it’s important to acknowledge that there can be serious downsides as well.
Spreading Misleading Information
The first thing is that if you and your partner are both new to working out, it’s critical that you don’t mislead each other and give each other incorrect advice. If one of you doesn’t know the correct technique for a particular exercise and passes that onto the other, now both of you are unknowingly at risk of sustaining a major injury.
Another example is if you give each other inaccurate information about optimal training frequency, proper nutrition and recovery, and so forth, you might end up introducing each other to bad habits and inhibiting each other’s muscle growth. Therefore, although a partner can provide you with guidance, you should still do your own research and never take another person’s word for granted.
Settling for a Suboptimal Routine
When it comes to inhibiting muscle growth, another problem is that if you default to copying your partner’s routine, you might not be training as effectively as possible. In my post How to Create Your Own Workout Plan, I talk about how to find the best exercises for you, because everyone’s body is different and reacts differently.
What’s most effective for your partner might not work as well for you, and vice versa. Therefore, it’s fine to experiment with each other’s routines, but you’ll ultimately need to tailor your workouts to your specific needs if you want the best results.
Letting Distractions Get in the Way
Finally, going back to the point of working out being a social activity, here’s where I want to caution against working out with too many people. I’ve seen when groups of people train together, and not only does it take forever to get through a workout, the social aspect begins to overtake the actual training. With all the distractions, it becomes very difficult to focus on training with maximum effort, so you end up having a rather ineffective workout.
A Double-Edged Sword
Like with just about anything, there are pros and cons to working out with other people. It’s a bit tricky in this case, because many of the strengths you can derive from having a gym buddy are the same things that might lead to its flaws if you’re not careful.
That being said, as long as you don’t lose sight of the primary objectives to maintain your fitness routine and achieve your goals, having a friend to work out with will have a largely positive impact on your progress.
