Some people like working out alone, whether this is by choice or you don’t have anyone to work out with, you’ve become accustomed to your own company. Don’t get me wrong, solo workouts do have their benefits. For one, they’re more time-efficient, but working out with others can be extremely beneficial in numerous ways.
So, perhaps it’s time to ditch solo workouts and find yourself a gym buddy or a class to attend? Here’s how you can benefit from doing this and working out with others:
Increased Motivation
Being around other people gives you a real sense of added motivation when working out. You have others that are cheering you on and encouraging you to push yourself. You can do the same with them as well; give them words of encouragement, urge them to get that one extra rep in. You don’t have to become a personal trainer to have a positive influence on someone’s fitness journey.
When you work out with others, you all benefit from feeling more motivated by getting this encouragement and seeing one another grow and achieve your goals. When you’re alone, you only have yourself to psych yourself up.
Push Yourself to the Limit
One of the fundamental rules of fitness training is that you need to achieve progressive overload. In simple terms, this is where you progressively push your body and its muscles further and further. Let’s say you did 10 bodyweight squats one session, you’d try to get more than that in the next session. Anyway, working with others allows you to push yourself to the limit and achieve progressive overload via spotting. When you’re on your own, you always have to leave one or two reps in the tank as your form gets a bit shaky and you could injure yourself. With a gym buddy, you have someone standing over you to assist if things get dicey. Therefore, you have more confidence to push yourself further and get an extra rep or two out as you know you have a spotter to take over if you start failing.
More Accountability
Another benefit of working out with others is that you have a greater sense of accountability. You have to go to the gym when you book a class or agree to go with someone else, otherwise you’re letting other people down. When alone, you only have yourself to disappoint. It’s easy to talk yourself out of going to the gym because you know no one else is depending on you. If you have a class, you risk letting the instructor down and maybe leaving them with too few people to even bother running the class.
With a friend, you have to deal with telling them you can’t go, which might make them not want to go, so you’re stuttering their fitness journey as well as your own.
At the end of the day, working out alone can be beneficial in some senses. However, if you want more motivation, a greater sense of accountability, and the potential to push yourself further, working out with others is the way to go.
*Photos by Yaroslav Shuraev
