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- I enjoy working out. In fact I love it. The rush of endorphins, the sense of achievement, the increased energy it gives me, the list is almost endless. But that doesn’t mean I always have fun working out. Going out for a jog on a cold wet evening isn’t fun. Running around playing football with friends, even on a cold wet evening, on the other hand – yes please. Exercising with friends can be a great way of merging calorie burning and socialising into a gloriously healthy lifestyle.
- Opens up more exercise options and possibilities. Every workout you can do by yourself, can also be done with a friend. But, there are plenty of activities you can’t do alone. Bringing in a training partner opens your workout up to a variety of exciting new exercises. Not only that, it’s a fantastic opportunity to teach each other new moves and try new workouts.
- Competitive element creates a potentially higher level of intensity for the workout, meaning you work harder, burn more calories and get fitter quicker.
- Less likely to submit to poor excuses or laziness. It can be very easy to cancel a training session because you just can’t be bothered. It’s happened to all of us I’m sure. It’s much more difficult to cancel that session if you have a partner relying on you to train. You don’t want to let them down. And it works both ways, creating a sort of joint accountability to keep each other on the right path. Plus, you know having them with you will be more fun (see first point) so even if you don’t fancy it beforehand, you know you’ll enjoy it once you start.
- Become a better, healthier influence on each other. According to researchers at Harvard University, lifestyle choices are often influenced by friends. If your friends are all overweight or unfit, you too are more likely to follow suit. If your friends are fit and healthy, likewise you are more likely to be fit and healthy. That doesn’t mean you need to go out and find new friends in order to lose weight or get fit.
- Cheaper. Share the cost of, for example, personal training by joining up with a friend. In some cases, the overall price may increase from say £35 and hour to £40, but if you split that with a friend you’re actually only paying £20 – saving yourself £15. LaW Personal Training is such a big fan of clients training together that his rate doesn’t actually change at all.