working out hard

I'm good either way.

I concur with the OP. My workouts are tough but they regularly reach another level when I'm working out with a partner. A MUCH higher level.

I wish I could find a workout buddy. But unfortunately nobody I know will come to the gym at 4am with me lol. So I'm my own workout buddy.
But yay you! We all have to do what works for us and you found yours! Congrats on your hard work

To each there own but every body builder, strength trainer, power lifter I've ever read from highly recommends one. The psychological benefits are huge as are the physical ones. You help each other through plateaus I.e. Helping you push through a failed rep or two or psyching you up on a down day. I know people will reply that others at the gym will help but nothing like some one that's willing to get in your face.

But again, to each their own and I'm happy that you found something that works for YOU.

I'm a complete slacker on my own in the gym and get thoroughly bored! I don't have an exercise buddy so I've found group classes are my saviour! I have to book in advance so then I feel I have to go even if I'm not in the mood. I then work hard because I have motivation from others in the class. I also enjoy the social aspect of meeting new people who enjoy working out. I do one or two group exercise classes per day and my fitness has increased massively. I would like to do some heavy lifting but there are no classes for that so may have to get a PT once a week to do that. No funds currently so that'll have to wait!

Glad you found something that helps you!

I've also found that it helps me stay consistent if there's some kind of commitment involved. So, I go row with my rowing buddies routinely, even if I might (occasionally) slack off if I didn't have a specified time when we meet. Or, I sign up for spin class, both because I love it & because there's that fixed appointment on my calendar - I can't tell myself it's OK to let it slide until later in the day.

And a little bit of built-in competition can be encouraging, too: In the winter when I do a lot of rowing machine workouts (not as fun, truthfully, as being on the water), it can help to compete with team-mates for intensity, or with online groups for more meters.

Mostly, I'm pretty self-motivated about exercise (because I make it a point to do things I think are *fun*). I assume you're pretty self-motivated, too, since you say you're generally active.

But I hear what you're saying about a little bit of competition, a little bit of time-commitment, some in-person support being helpful.

I hope that some of the people on the forum saying "I can't get motivated to exercise" will consider your advice - so far, it seems like a lot of the replies on this thread are from solo exercisers. Solo is great, too, if it works for a person. But there sure do seem to be a lot of folks posting who need some ideas to motivate themselves and commit to being active.

I wish I had a workout buddy