It is a pleasant weekend afternoon, the couch is calling and the next episode is about to start. Sounds like the perfect excuse to skip training. Unless, that is, someone is waiting for you. If you have ever wondered how to stay motivated to work out when willpower runs dry, the answer is less about discipline and more about people. Training with friends, a partner or a class is the most reliable motivation tool there is, and the research backs it up. Here are five reasons it works, from the team at Hammer’s Gym in Nunawading.
1. Fewer excuses, more consistency
Regular training times with friends make it far harder to bail. Choosing the couch over a session is easy when nobody knows; cancelling on a mate because you “didn’t feel like it” is embarrassing. Psychologists at Stony Brook University found that the exercise habits of the people closest to us directly affect our own motivation: when friends and family are active, we do more too. Read why you need a workout buddy.
2. It makes training fun
Many of the best moments in training are only funny with someone to laugh with. Partners also let you play: a plank with hand slaps instead of a plain plank, a ball thrown back and forth during sit-ups, a friendly race on the rowers. Classes such as BoxFit add coached variety on top, and a two-on-one session with a personal trainer gives you and a friend a fresh routine designed for both of you.
3. You push each other
When you are close to giving up, a partner rebuilds your motivation in seconds, and a little friendly competition stretches your limits. In one UK survey, around two-thirds of women who trained with their best friend reported pushing their workouts harder than those who trained alone. No friend available? Our classes are full of like-minded members who are happy to schedule sessions with you and push each other.
4. Exercise brings people together
Dropout tells the story. In one study, more than 40 per cent of people who joined a fitness course alone quit soon after it began; among those who joined with a friend the dropout rate fell to about 6 per cent. Training together creates a group identity, so you no longer feel alone. Achieving something yourself is great; sharing it with people who know how hard you worked is better, and a pat on the back on a bad day makes it half as bad. Those small moments bond people, which is why so many friendships at Hammer’s started on the floor. See why gym community beats solo training.
5. Train together, stay together
Consider training with your partner. Couples who exercise together regularly report being happier in their relationship, and shared goals, a morning run, an evening gym date or a weekend ride give you time together that also happens to be good for you. It is hard to think of a better reason.
Other motivation tools that work
- Book it. A class booking or a PT appointment is a commitment; “I’ll go later” is not. See the timetable.
- Lower the bar. Commit to getting through the door, not to a perfect session.
- Track it. Ticking off sessions and watching numbers climb is its own motivation; see how to track gym progress.
- Set a goal with a date. A vague wish to get fit motivates nobody; a strength target or a first Muay Thai grading does. Read how to set fitness goals.
- Remember it gets easier. Motivation follows action, not the other way round. The habit carries you once the novelty fades.
Bring a friend to Hammer’s Gym
The best thing about Hammer’s is that you never have to train alone. Bring a friend and you both train free for your first session, join a class and find a dozen training partners at once, or ask our friendly reception staff to introduce you to members who train at the same time you do. Claim a free one-day trial in Nunawading, minutes from Mitcham, Blackburn, Box Hill and Doncaster, and bring someone with you.