Reasons Why You Should Work Out With Friends More Often

Posted: April 15, 2017 at 12:43 am

Before college, I always thought I did not like working out with people. Personally, I did not see the benefit of it. The best way of explaining the feelings I had back then are that I simply felt it was my own personal journey, and I genuinely liked the time to myself. However, after being in college for a while, I have realized just how much I actually like working out with my friends and how much I benefit from doing so. I have compiled a list of reasons as to why I believe people should work out with their friends more often.

  1. They Keep You Motivated

While I would say that most group exercises have the power to keep you motivated, I think there is something about working out with friends that is extraordinarily motivating. Personally, when I work out with my friends, it is not only that their presence itself is motivating, but they give me words of encouragement as well. It feels good to have your friends encourage you during your workout as it pushes you to do more especially when that encouragement comes from them.

  1. It’s Fun… and Funny

I can’t speak for all groups of friends, but I know that when my friends and I work out, we have fun. We are usually doing something with equipment, playing really good music, and singing along the entire time. We also crack jokes at each other the entire time, so we end up laughing the majority of the workout. It can make it a little harder for me to focus sometimes, but we do it and it makes it so much more enjoyable.

  1. Healthy Competition

I won’t say that when I work out with my friends that we are all trying to “one-up” each other, but there is a sense of healthy competition (whether we want to admit it or not). I think this sense of competition can be beneficial, fun, and motivating (as long as there are no hard feelings).

  1. Accountability

When you know that you and a friend are meeting up for a workout, you are more likely to actually show up for the workout. Friends hold you accountable. They are there to ask you if you are “still coming this Friday”, and what would it look like if you didn’t show?

  1. Recovery

If you and a friend go to a super intense yoga class, it’s more than likely that the two of you will be extremely sore in the coming days. You two are feeling the same pain, so you can recover together. After the super intense workout, you guys can recover together and plan the next shared gym session as well.