10 Reasons to Work Out with Friends

Some days, finding the urge to work out feels like trying to find the missing match to your never ending bag of odd socks. You know that you need to do it, you know that you’ll feel good when you do it, but the couch is so comfortable and Netflix is calling your name. 

The secret weapon? Friends! Working out with a buddy, or a group of buddies, maybe the game changer that you didn’t know you needed. Here’s why exercising with friends is not only more fun, but a lot more effective for your workout goals.

1. You are much less likely to skip the workout. With your friends. If your friend is waiting on you outside the gym or at the park, you’re less likely to bail. It’s so easy to cancel on yourself and promise to back it up next time, but cancelling on your workout buddy is not as easy. Having somebody to count on you and you on them keeps you both more committed and more accountable in your workouts. You won’t snooze the alarm when you know somebody else is lacing up their sneakers and ready for you.
2. It feels like social time. Fun doesn’t need to revolve around alcohol or food. Meeting up for a jog, yoga class, or a boot camp session turns your social life into something that supports your health. Group workouts can be a social hour, and whether that’s a chatty walk or sweaty spin session, you’ll be able to get your movement in and catch up on the latest gossip. That’s the type of multitasking that we can really get behind.
3. All exercise feels so much more fun. You may not be into burpees, but everything is better with friends. When you’re working out with a friend, even the toughest exercises feel a little more manageable, because you can joke about it. You can celebrate the tiny wins, turn it into a challenge of who can do just one more, and you can make up ridiculous names for the moves and the trainer that’s putting you through them. Fun is underrated in fitness, and laughing through the hard parts makes the time fly and makes you feel good about it.
4. You’re going to push yourself. Have you ever noticed how you magically go a little faster or lift a little heavier when somebody is with you and doing the same thing? It’s not your imagination. Exercising with others will boost your performance – this is something called the Kohler effect. We work harder when we don’t want to let the team down, and when your friend is giving it their all, you’ll want to match.
5. It’s all about that friendly competition. Friendly competition never hurts anyone! Whether it’s seeing who could hold a plank the longest or racking up more steps on your smartwatches, challenges with your friends can keep your workouts fun and spicy. It’s all in good fun though, so competing against your friends should be something that’s harmless not something that’s going to hurt your feelings.

1. You’ll be more willing to try new things. If you’ve ever been curious about indoor climbing, boxing, or even goat yoga (yes, it’s a thing!), going with a friend can make you more bold to try it. Working out with somebody else is way less intimidating to explore new fitness things and new fitness classes. You’re far more likely to step outside of your comfort zone and experiment with different workouts when you have somebody going along with you for the ride. Group workouts at local studios or gyms will often offer free trial classes or intro sessions, so grab your best friends and go and explore.
2. That post workout smoothie tastes a lot better with a friend. This ones a little bit cheeky, but here it is. There is something deeply satisfying about sitting on a cafe patio, sipping a smoothie or sharing brunch with your workout friend after you’ve crushed a session. Good food, great company, and the satisfaction of knowing you both showed up and moved your bodies is the ultimate reward. It’s the kind of routine that becomes less of a fitness task and more of a fitness lifestyle.
3. You’ll build a stronger bond. Shared experiences can create deeper relationships and what’s more bonding than that? Surviving leg day, beating your record at your plank, and doing squats together fosters trust, support and even vulnerability. You can both cheer each other on, lift each other up, literally and emotionally, and become a mini team. It helps you to create a sense of community and connection that you need outside of the workplace and outside of your family. It’s good for your mental health, and it’s good for your physical health.
4. It’s so much easier to stay consistent. Staying consistent is one of the bigger challenges when it comes to fitness, and life gets busy and even gets in the way of it. When you have a workout buddy, you’ll be better equipped to build structure into your schedule and go for those regular meetups. You’ll start to associate that time with movement and connection, and that will make you stick with it long term. This way, you’ll both achieve your goals together, too.
5. It’s all about creating memories. Lastly, when you look back on this particular period of your life you’re always going to remember the funny, sweaty, feel good moments. Whether that’s dancing terribly at Zumba class or conquering your very first 5K, these are the memories that will be good to relive and they make your body feel good too. It’s not just because of the workout, but because you did it with your people.

If you want to hit your fitness goals, text your friends and schedule a class. Rope your roommate into a morning stretch, or go solo to a class or a club and make new friends. You don’t have to be in top shape to get started, you just need to make sure that you’re confident enough to get going. Invite somebody that you know is looking for a little motivation to go to a group class, because the chances are, del be just as happy to have you in their corner.