A Thought on Gym Buddies

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FrnkLft
FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Yesterday I overheard two friends who do not go to the gym regularly, making plans to go to the gym together. You could hear both of them trying to figure out when it was going to happen...

A gym buddy should be someone who will at least keep up with you, or is more interested in the gym than you are. Even if you have a buddy, you should have your own individual schedule regardless of theirs, and them joining you should only be a bonus.

If not, they become a couch... another excuse why you're not going or putting in the kind of focus and intensity you need.

Replies

  • hopefaithlove24
    hopefaithlove24 Posts: 454 Member
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    And.......???
  • itsmyvwbeetle
    itsmyvwbeetle Posts: 272 Member
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    Thats my deal, I dont wanna go alone but my friend always finds excuses for not going. That leads me to finding excuses to not going. I need to find joy in going and get my rear there regardless.
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Indeed. I like company working out, but I HATE it when the person who said they'd go with me backs out. Not because I won't go without them. I go regardless. But, because I usually have to move my schedule around for whoever, and when they back out, my whole day has been twisted around for no reason.
  • brattyworm
    brattyworm Posts: 2,137 Member
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    Thats my deal, I dont wanna go alone but my friend always finds excuses for not going. That leads me to finding excuses to not going. I need to find joy in going and get my rear there regardless.

    and this is why i pay a trainer... he is always there, and he still gets my money whether i show or not. and since he is not cheap i go and if i miss without letting him know you can sure bet he is blowin up my phone.
  • tomwatso
    tomwatso Posts: 1,304 Member
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    I go alone and i am fine with it.
  • caramelgyrlk
    caramelgyrlk Posts: 1,112 Member
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    A gym buddy is only good if they are dependable, focused, your schedules coincide and you both push one another to excellence and you see results.

    I am not fortunate in that regard, and realize I am doing this for ME and waiting on someone else will not get me where I need to be. 3 years later I am still working out alone and I am perfectly happy with it.
  • NoeHead
    NoeHead Posts: 516 Member
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    I go alone and i am fine with it.
    ^ what he said. I like going alone now, both to the classes and to work out. I like knowing I don't have to talk to anyone(I listen to music the whole time when not in a class) and I don't need to ask if they want to do this workout or that workout. It may be selfish but I like focusing on me and what my goals are for that workout.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    I sort of agree. IMHO, it's not so much that your buddy should keep up with you or be more motivated - it's that you should be motivated enough on your own to go regardless of whether or not they do. You cannot depend on them or use their lack of motivation as an excuse.

    I've had some crappy gym buddies and used their lack of motivation as a crutch in the past. When I started back up, this was one of those things that I refused to do so I mostly went on my own and if someone wanted to join me that was fine too. In fact, when I made a new friend and she wanted to workout together, it kind of made me nervous - what if I fell back on my old ways?

    Thankfully she was just as committed as I am so it was never a problem. And my current gym buddy is the same way. We try to meet up every day and are great motivators to each other when needed. Sometimes life and work get in the way but that doesn't stop us from hitting the gym or the pavement on our own. For instance, today, I dropped my car off at the shop so I can't take the hour break to go to gym (we workout during work hours) so she'll go on her own and I'll try to get a workout in later.
  • bernied262
    bernied262 Posts: 882 Member
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    I used to go with a couple of girls I know, and honestly, it was a PITA! It became quite clear that one of them in particular, was only going to check out the guys, flirt, you know the kind of thing. I was going to get fit and shift the weight. After a couple of months I told them that I was going to start going on my own. That allowed me to focus on my workouts and get the results I was after, without the constant interruptions to " check him out", or listening to every single detail of that person's day!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,523 Member
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    I've trained alone for most of my gym life. Had a gym buddy once, but drama with his girlfriend (she kept saying he was in love with the gym more than her) kept him from being consistent.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • FitJen8704
    FitJen8704 Posts: 12
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    I have found that when I have a gym buddy and they make an excuse not to go, I would also make an excuse to not go that day. I have just started back at the gym consistently in the last month and I go alone. I find that I don't have to worry about changing my schedule around to fit someone elses and I am actually more focused on what I am there to do and less social. I also started writing my gym schedule in my planner to hold me accountable for going.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
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    I hate going to the gym with a "gym buddy." If I have a friend who happens to be going at the same time, that's fine, but I don't want to have to work out with them too.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    Thats my deal, I dont wanna go alone but my friend always finds excuses for not going. That leads me to finding excuses to not going. I need to find joy in going and get my rear there regardless.

    and this is why i pay a trainer... he is always there, and he still gets my money whether i show or not. and since he is not cheap i go and if i miss without letting him know you can sure bet he is blowin up my phone.

    LOL!!! This is why I :heart: my time with my trainer. In 6 months he has only had an issue 2x. One time he double booked, so he did a 2 person session...and the other time he spilled his drink all over him on his way into the gym ( that time he texted me to reschedule, then took the time to write me up a quick routine for the day). All my other gym buddies are so unreliable! They show up late, or cancel at the last minute. I realized about a month or two into my journey that I could not let my gym buddies derail my progress--it was giving them permission to keep me fat.
  • Hollywoodm55
    Hollywoodm55 Posts: 155 Member
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    I like going by myself. I don't have to talk to anyone, and can have my music as loud as I want it. I also got tired of people bailing and trying to keep them motivated.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    Go alone- you get more done and you don't have that whole pesky inter-reliance thing going on.

    Stand on your own two feet and deiced to go b/c it's what you want to do. Learned that lesson a LONG long time ago- it a galaxy- far far away.
  • mdizzle99
    mdizzle99 Posts: 169 Member
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    My wife is my gym buddy and it's great. We work out at home. It's great to have someone to motivate you to get up in the morning when the alarm goes off and also keep you on track nutrition wise throughout the day. We do the same lifting programs and generally follow similar bulk/cutting cycles. So for us, having a gym buddy is great.
  • mimi337
    mimi337 Posts: 107 Member
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    I've never had a gym buddy nor has it ever occurred to me to have one. I love being alone at the gym. There are a few people I say hi to but that's it. None of my close friends know how much I'm into my training and that's fine with me. It's like my private time and the one time I can focus on nothing but what's in front of me. Then again, I think doing stuff solo is always fun. :wink:
  • manique45
    manique45 Posts: 99 Member
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    Yesterday I overheard two friends who do not go to the gym regularly, making plans to go to the gym together. You could hear both of them trying to figure out when it was going to happen...

    A gym buddy should be someone who will at least keep up with you, or is more interested in the gym than you are. Even if you have a buddy, you should have your own individual schedule regardless of theirs, and them joining you should only be a bonus.

    If not, they become a couch... another excuse why you're not going or putting in the kind of focus and intensity you need.

    I have never had a gym buddy... While I like the idea... I just dont like that some one would have to wait on me or me wait on them... I like going to classes and its cool to say hi, but I LOVE the gym and to allow some one else to motivate me... umm just not for me.. lol

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