Faster than a competitive treadmill runner, bolder than a know-it-all personal trainer, kinder than a back-stabbing Mean Girl: Who are these people who are so wonderful that they sweat rainbow Gatorade and spit sunshine loogies? Why, it’s the Gym Buddies!
This rotating cast of characters begun at my first gym and continuing through to this very day are probably the single most reason I love exercising so much. Everybody needs a Workout Buddy of their very own. Not only are they good for kicking your butt in a workout (sometimes literally) or for an early a.m. phone call if you don’t show up but mine have done everything from tucking in a stray bra strap to letting me weep tragically on their shoulder for 2 hours during a “run.” They also lend me books, clip magazine articles for me, and bring me jelly beans, not to mention get indignant on my behalf, babysit my kids and – for the most part – laugh with me, not at me, when I embarrass myself in any one of the multitudinous ways that I am wont to do.
I do not tell them enough how grateful I am for their kindness, friendship and, when necessary, tough love. I was reminded of this egregious error today while reading Seabreeze’s post about her happy reunion with a long-lost Workout Buddy of her own. While there are certainly times when one needs a nice long solitary run to sort things out or a good heavy weight session with nothing but the sound of your own heavy breathing to interrupt your sets, there are times when most people seek out some kind of social aspect to their exercise. Group fit classes, running groups, neighborhood walking associations, group personal training sessions, boot camps – all fill the need to get your sweat on in the company of people who won’t mind it.
Benefits to Working Out With Others
Research has shown that people who work out with a buddy, not only stick to their exercise plans better but also work out longer and feel more positive about the experience afterward. So what is the magic of a Workout Buddy?
1. Courage. Gyms can be scary places. So can running trails. It’s so much easier to get out there for the first time and just try it if you’ve got someone by your side cheering you on. To be honest I’d still do most of the crazy stuff I do even if I were alone but I would feel a lot dumber doing my Karate Kata all by myself. Plus I’d end up talking to myself. Nobody wants that.
2. Variety. People like different stuff and seeing someone else try something may inspire you to shake up your workout. And we all know that the single best principle of exercise is change! I got all the Gym Buddies to try handstand pushups and they, in turn, have challenged me in their own ways to run 26.2 miles, to try kipping pullups, to eat white rice (and it was SO yummy Krista!).
3. Accountability. It’s easy to blow off your 6 a.m. training run if it’s just you and your sneakers but add in a hyper dog or a friend on your doorstep and you’ll be out the door, even if it is looking a bit like rain. I have learned to always let the Gym Buddies know if I’m going to miss a workout else I’ll be flooded with “Are you DEAD?!?” texts within the hour.
4. Fun. The Gym Buddies and I laugh a lot. We laughed when Lisseth got a power wheel stuck up her butt, when Candice couldn’t lift facing the mirror because she thought her knees were making angry faces at her, when Allison rolled her ankle but insisted on working out anyhow doing all her jumping jacks and squats one-legged, when Megan made innuendos about gym equipment, when Jennie helped me come up with 5 different slang terms for inappropriate sweat stains, and Sunny – well, we can’t even look at each other without giggling … I could go on but I’ll stop so that they’ll all still be talking to me tomorrow. And we won’t even get started about all the opportunities we get to laugh at me (pretty much the entire purpose of this blog).
Giveaway
I’m not giving away the Gym Buddies. I’m sorry. You will have to find your own. However, Franklin Antoian of iBodyfit would like to add a personal touch to one of your workouts with free online personal training. His company offers “custom online personal training workouts designed, monitored and updated by professional personal trainers. Your workouts change and
improve based on your results. Whats best, you can always talk with a real Trainer from iBodyFit.com (email, IM, text and even phone) whenever you have a fitness question!” All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave me a comment telling me who your workout buddy is (feel free to use a celebrity of your choice if you currently don’t have a buddy) and why you love them! Winner will be announced Monday.
In addition, Whooga – maker of super comfy footwear – wants everyone to feel like a winner, or at least wants your tootsies to stay cozy and are offering all Great Fitness Experiment readers a $30 coupon to use in their online store! (Not 30% – but 30 DOLLARS). Just type in the code: THEGREATFI during checkout. Neither offer is restricted to the US.
PS> Admit it – you can’t stop watching the ball flip guy, can you???
My boyfriend is my gym buddy for the summer. We've been running every morning. He's a terrible morning person, but once we are out on the road it's a blast and the run goes by in a heartbeat.
How do you practice a trick like that?!
I have several workout buddies…Kanae and Sarah for long Wednesday evening runs, Naz for saturday surfing, and about 5 people for sunday hiking.
Hmmm…maybe this free givaway thing would help with the whole "working out in a gym" idea?
– Yasmin in Japan
I watched that video a few times! I bet he doesn't get it right every single time… How did he even get the idea to try that? Some people have way too much time on their hands!
I work out with a new buddy, Jeanette. Although she's much leaner than me, we're very compatible. I love how she lets out a loud whoop! when the going gets tough… It really encourages me to know that I'm not the only one being challenged.
This post makes me a little sad because my gym buddy left the country last week and will be gone for 6 months!!!! I think I've become a bit depressed as a result. I don't have lots of friend never mind ones who are into exercise so I'm really, really, missing her 🙁
Thankfully your post did remind me however that my hyper little dog can be and is my gym buddy too… well I can't take her to spinning class but you know what I mean. 🙂
Love the ball flip guy, but I'm with Rachael, how do you practice that one?!
My workout buddy is my 2.5 year old daughter 🙂 She plays in the playroom next to my gym while I work out. Some times she can be a distraction but other times she tells me to go faster, counts my reps and encourages me with "good job mommy!"
As I watch her try to exercise on her own balls and imitate my stretches, I know that not only am I exercising for my own health, I'm also giving her a good example of being healthy.
(husband. when we get there.)
I have said it before and I wanna say it again:
Im jealous of your gym buddies.
The camaraderie.
The laughs.
My husband is GREAT but he's once a at best (weekends).
*sigh*
The Lobster (my wife) (and God, it feels weird to say "wife" after so many years of saying "partner") has been awesome at getting my butt to the gym as I've gotten increasingly Cranky about it.
I can't NOT go if she's going and she's getting really good about keeping on track.
My gym buddy is a friend and coworker who lives in the same building. Since we have similar schedules, we both motivate each other to get up at the crack of dawn and hit the gym every morning.
e.estt[at]yahoo[dot]com
Ball flip was cool. The first time I tried a core strengthening balance move on the ball (which meant sitting on it with my feet 2 inches off the ground,) I fell over backwards and hit my head on our family room table. His trick was way cooler.
The ball trick was pretty awesome.
I don't have a workout buddy, but I like the time to myself.
my gym buddy is my friend emily, who is AWESOME because she's always kicking my butt to get out there. definitely she's the reason that my gym membership has been used at ALL this year! i'm quite concerned that she's moving further away from me in a few months, and i'm going to have to start working out on my own more. 😛
I watched the ball flip guy 7 times! That's cool.
My workout buddies are my new found friends whom I discovered over at Cranky Fitness this morning: the Italian Men's Soccer Team. THAT'S some mighty fine motivation!
I have a whole bunch of gym buddies at the Y. I can barely remember when I first signed up and didn't know a soul in the place.
In the weight room, Terrell and Dave are my two hard-core lifting buddies who are always ready to spot me or share a funny story.
Brooks plays chicken-ball with me in the gym to keep up his skills for baseball.
Ginny, Lori, Katrina, Paula and Tracy are the other females who dare to tread the hallowed ground of the free-weight area, and we're always offering each other encouragement and advice.
And I can't forget Lorenzo, Coast Guard Instructor and boot-camp ass-kicker extraordinaire, who can always get me to go a little faster or lift a few more reps than I really want to.
My gym buddy is Katrina, who posted a couple of comments up. She's the one who got me running outside (and I've even been known to do it on my own!) and into Pilates and yoga – both of which have been awesome additions to my fitness routine. Our differing interests have suited us both well, since we're both also game to try new things… don't worry K, we'll still work out together after I move!
Ball flip is too cool.
I live near a different gym than my friends, which is a bummer. But Hubby and I try to go together on the weekends. He is great for getting me to try the scary looking gym equipment I would never have the guts to try on my own!
I love the ball-flip guy!
My workout buddy…well, sometimes when I walk at the local walking trail I run into my parents. When I'm at home, on the carpet, trying to do crunches or push ups, one of my cats usually gets on top of me or starts pulling my hair with their claws. Do either of those count?
Love working out with you, Char! You are right! Gym Buddies are the best!
I have a few different workout buddies- I like to run with either my boyfriend or my friend Margee. I like running with my boyfriend b/c it is another way to spend time together and he is really good about helping me concentrate on my form and on keeping an even pace.
Margee is great because she pushes me to run further than I otherwise would on my own.
At the gym, my friend Bonnie is my awesome weightlifting buddy. She teaches me new exercises and inspires me b/c she can squat 95 lbs!
When I'm home for the summer, my sister is totally my workout buddy 😀
I wish I has a gym buddy! I have tried hard to find one but to no avail. I finally found a walking buddy but she belongs to a different gym so we only workout together when it's nice and we can walk/run outdoors. She's great because she has long legs and can keep up! I had a couple of other friends but they were short it's fun to walk with them but NOT a workout at all.
My workout buddy is Daisy. She's on the short side and is rather hairy. And she meows a lot. Every time I do yoga or get on the floor to stretch she is right there to assist me (or interrupt, depending on how you look at it!). 😉
I was all distracted by the fact that you have a gym buddy named Candice and my name is Candace and I was caught off guard by the knees making angry faces…Hilarious!
Sadly, I have no gym buddies. Maybe some day.
Well I guess my gym buddies are my Step class participants when I instruct! Though I do push them, (and they push me sort of, I don't want to look lame in front of a class) but I don't get a lot of the tough love from them which I thrive on.
I have 2 great workout buddies who run with me and 1 who walks with me but the rest of the time my workouts are solitary. Which is probably why those workouts don't get done as often.
I usually work out alone but my fiance has started to join me occasionally biking with me on my long runs. After the half marathon we are going to try to train a bit together, though his workout of choice right now is yard work and biking to Lowes to get replacement parts for sprinklers, heh.
Man, I miss my gym buddy. Our schedules don't QUITE line up anymore, so I go in an hour before she gets there.
Sometimes we see each other as I'm leaving and she's coming in.
*sob* 😉
My workout buddy is one of my best friends, Alana. She's the one who convinced me to take up aikido; she's great at strength training and lifting weights so she encourages me with that, and I'm pretty good with core work so that's what I lead the way in. Each of us having our own strengths is super useful to keep each other motivated and help each other out! Working out at the gym is FUN when we're doing it together.
My workout buddy is my sorta sister-in-law (her brother and I have lived together for over tow years, so close enough). Aside from regular workouts, she's always up for trying something new up to and including taking rock climbing lessons (and sparking a new love) and white water rafting (which left both of us bruised, but laughing).
my co-blogger and boyfriend brandon is my workout buddy.
two years ago, when i was training for my first tri, i did it by myself. it was hard, but i got lost in my own brain and it worked out. i also occasionally lifted with a girl i worked with at the gym which was AWESOME because she taught me tons of new things.
last year, when brandon first moved out here from minnesota, we worked out some, but we hadn't yet found the proper workout buddy groove (and my tri performance reflected that BIG TIME). i found that i loved having a workout buddy so much … that i didn't work out unless i had him.
this year, we've both found a good balance between training together and training apart. i do just fine on my own, but sometimes having him there running alongside me to help motivate me during my tough runs lately helps a TON.
sniff My workout buddy used to take me for four-mile walks every day. Now the vet has to give her drugs before she'll walk four blocks with me. She says I can get exercise by rubbing her belly and giving her lots of treats.
I don't have anyone to work out with, but if I could work out with a celebrity it would be MERRY!
..why would you want your buddy to kick your butt, when she's willing to give rubs and treats instead! 😀
I guess it's the loneliness of the long distance runner, but I don't have a steady workout buddy 🙁
I have run with folks over the years, but not presently.
I do have friends at the fitness center, and it's always nice to see them, but we work different things and different schedules.
I LOVE THAT BALL VIDEO! How would anyone even start wanting to do that! I would be in a brace of some sort!!
As for the workout buddy, mine is my mind saying "you can do it" and the FoodNetwork channel at the gym. I work out when it is pretty empty & none of my friends are gonna work out when I do BUT I am the exception. I like going it alone cause I have a crazed workout & a plan ahead of time that always changes & I also like going when it is empty so I can do whatever I want(most of the time.. yes, there are more crazy people like me working out at crazy hours. Used to be just me when the 24 HR gyms started.)
Although, I do have people I know & see & I do watch for moves that I have not seen & incorporate them into my workouts. People at my hours are pretty serious about their training!
I envy you your gym buddies. I think I might have an easier time dragging myself to work out if I had someone there to share, sweat and laugh with.
Right now, I don't have a gym buddy. My hubby will walk with me, and I walk the dog, but basically I have no friends whose schedules click with mine.
My girls and I used to get together once a week and do the "downtown death march", which was a 6-8 mile walk with hills, stairs and all kinds of cool stuff … plus blab about life and everything to keep our minds off of the 2-3 hours.. was wonderful! Everybody's too busy lately, tho! 🙁
I'm a pretty solitary fitness fan (I run), but without my husband, I'm pretty sure I'd never leave the house and would be rather slothlike in my physique. We encourage and motivate each other, which works wonders for the both of us. He pretty much gets us to the gym through prodding, and I keep us there by running 30 miles per week, which means he has to spend nearly 5 hours at the gym. It's a win-win for everyone.
My Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning pilates classes are my workout buddies. I have 4 clients in each class, and we have a great time!
Gym buddies make everything better. When I started going to the Y, I would go take some classes, work out by myself, pick up the kids and head home without talking to anyone. It has become so much more than a place to work out since I found the Gym Buddies. I miss you guys! Can't wait to get back into the routine of working out, sweating, chatting and laughing soon!
My gym buddies (my 2 sisters) always ditch me when i try to make them come to my A.M. workouts… so i guess my new workout buddy is my ipod (Madonna, Britney and Fergie!)
oh well… i wish i knew people who exercised…
i want to BE that ball flip guy.
My husband is my workout buddy. I love getting to spend alone time with him and he knows a ton about weights that I would never know. He is amazing.
I can totally do that trick! This blog is so awesome. I'm very highly motivated (Just got back from a 2 hour and a half workout), but I do think it would be great to find a workout partner…
I'd say my workout buddy is my pilates instructor. We'll go crazy on the weekends doing spinning and hot yoga all in the same day.
Maybe I'm the exception but I don't really have a workout buddy. Haven't had one for many years. Not that I haven't sometimes worked out with others (I have) or that sometimes exercising with others (in my case other trainers, athletes etc) won't help us all out as we advise each other, but I get great results and have no problems exercising on my own.
One problem with the workout buddy/partner….is lets say the workout buddy is not around. I have sen people use that as an excuse to not exercise. I personally don't want to be caught in that trap! If I am on vacation, for example, or on a road trip I want to be able to exercise whenever/wherever.
One positive is the "pushing" effect though. Many times the other person or person's pushes us to greater effort. The African distance runners have certainly used this strategy with spectacular results.
HMm. Got to make sure I pay attention how hard I push myself in my own workouts I guess??
I'm glad my post helped to inspire yours. I have felt less than inspired in my workouts lately and its my partners that have made them worthwhile.
I like this blog and its information
sara
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