Working out with friends - yes / no?

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  • alyangel123
    alyangel123 Posts: 41 Member
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    If im doing cardio i like to push myself hard, and its the only time i can watch 'my' shows alone. (lots of kids) I would probably be dissapointed if somebody wanted to go with me and irritated if they wanted to talk since id have to slow down to do it. Weights i wouldn't care so much
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I don't have a workout partner, but I have gym friends. We are all serious about training, and if it's Friday night at 8:00pm I'm so glad they're all there. Just keeps me motivated and a little less lonely. We mostly shoot the *kitten* and talking about programming between sets, as well as offering a spot and encouraging PRs
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I recently started meeting a friend 1-2x week. We do 1/2 hr bike and about 1/2 hr on pool. We listen to our own playlists and move at our own pace. It's helps both of us.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    I much prefer alone
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    I've lifted in the gym with friends and I've done it alone. I prefer alone. I'm not much for socializing in the gym beyond a quick hi or "how's it going?". I go in, get my workout done and get out.

    I don't mind bicycling, running, kayaking, etc. with friends as long as we're somewhat close to the same fitness level and have the same goals in mind. If not, you either end up waiting for them or they end up waiting for you, or you both do your own thing - which is pretty much the same as if you'd done it alone in the first place.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,026 Member
    edited October 2016
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    My husband and I go to the gym together but we each do our own thing. When we went to a gym with a pool, he swam laps while I took a spinning class. Then we might walk/run on the treadmills beside each other, and at some point I would go and row while he did a short spin bike workout.

    At the gym we go to now, we walk/run on the treadmill and row, but I generally prefer to row longer than he does.

    For us, that's the nice thing about a gym ... we can work out together but not together.

    We also cycle and walk/hike and canoe together.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,618 Member
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    I do both. I like to lift by myself as well as with a friend, same with a treadmill circuit. We can do side by side treadmills and go at our own pace. Running I like to do alone.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
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    I like walking buddies but not gym buddies.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    It's the exact same. It's nice to have a budy there as a spot or if you haven't chatted in awhile. But when it comes to really bringing the intensity, I do much better on my own. Zero distractions, except when other gym rats want to come up and talk.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,987 Member
    edited October 2016
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    I always work out alone at home and did the same when I use to belong to a gym.

    Working out w/friends or acquaintances is a distraction and a waste of time. Have too often seen people just chatting and not working out at the gym. If you want to socialize, meet your friends for lunch or whatever outside of the gym but, when you're at the gym, focus and get down to business. Otherwise, why are you there?
  • mom22dogs
    mom22dogs Posts: 470 Member
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    I work out at the gym alone. Then I can get in and out and get it done without too many distractions. I tried walking with a friend every other day early mornings. I did it and it motivated me to do it, but I hated it. I am not a morning person at all, and I am just not awake at 8 am, enough to get a good walk in. I'm still half-asleep. So I prefer to walk alone in the evenings.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I generally workout alone, but there are circumstances where I do workout with others. I enjoy both for different reasons. It's nice sometimes to be alone and in your own zone and to just get it done. Sometimes it's nice to have a buddy to feed off of. The only time I have an issue with working out with others is when it causes stagnation.

    For example, I used to do semi-private pole lessons. It was me and another girl. It was great pocket wise b/c it saved me a few dollars, but terrible progression wise b/c I was further along than she was. I ended up stopping the lessons b/c both my instructor and I agreed that it was no longer benefiting me progress wise.

    I'm friends with everyone in my pole class, so it's like going to the gym with friends, plus you kind of have to be friends with the people who are spotting you and who you are spotting.

    I plan on doing duo PT lessons with my coworker once a week. But after that weekly session, I'm going to go when it fits into my schedule and not try to make it a bi-weekly thing. I trust that the trainer will be able to come up with a plan that will benefit us both. The good thing is we're both learning the same things separately right now, which is lifting heavy.
  • PandoraGreen721
    PandoraGreen721 Posts: 450 Member
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    I'm a gym loner.
  • kristenmeleniak
    kristenmeleniak Posts: 46 Member
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    I work out by myself but that's mostly because I don't have any friends who are interested in losing weight or being more active. I've invited friends to the gym, but in the end I prefer working out alone because I can just get things done and do whatever I feel like doing at my own pace. My boyfriend just joined my gym a few days ago, so I guess I'll have to get used to having an occasional gym buddy. Lol
  • spiveaa
    spiveaa Posts: 1,387 Member
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    I enjoy having my partners there, I am always upping my weights and having that person there help motivate me to push myself harder, but if they are not there then I can still train by myself also.
  • Aaisha92
    Aaisha92 Posts: 206 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    I am not a gym buddy kind of person. I don't mind other people around if I can do my own thing and they do theirs, but I feel slowed down or out of focus if I have to do much interacting. I mostly workout at home but when I do go to the gym, I say hi to the person who swipes me in and then pretty much do not talk the entire time I am there. I mean, if somebody says hi or asks the time or something like that I respond but I am not a chatty person. I would say that it is because gym time is me time but the truth is I am not really social like that in general.

    This is basically me... gym time is therapy time
  • curlsintherack
    curlsintherack Posts: 465 Member
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    I work out at home precisely because every time I went to the closest local gym there were large groups of people working out together. It was a ymca if I got in early it was a group of guys in their 30s and 40s that seemed content to stand around the one guy doing some work in the only rack. and later in the evening seemed to be the local high school football team having daily bench press competitions in the same rack even though they could have just used the nice bench for that. Since everyone was so busy standing around and watching someone else lift they never put the plates back. So I spent half a year at this gym circling machinery and doing sets on precor machines didn't really get any stronger or better gavve up and got fat. Now I got a rack for my house so I can train as hard as I want to in the comfort of my own home.

    I run alone although I'd like to run with a friend. My wife would ride her bike along beside me however then who would our very young kids.
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Working out with another person is a drag, IMO, and I've learned to avoid it. Too much comprising; exercise goals are too individualized to make sense as a group.

    I know a few people that go to my gym and we nod when we see each other, or sometimes chat for a minute. Then go our own ways.
  • Gracious_Plum
    Gracious_Plum Posts: 19 Member
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    I'm a loner. I keep thinking how it would be good to have a gym buddy, but then realize that it would slow me down and I wouldn't get the best out of my workout. I started swim/gym with my aunt but noticed that we kept having longer breaks at the side of the pool for a chat! She has since dropped out - It was good to start out with someone to get used to the place and find where everything was, but now I prefer going in the pool/gym myself.

    Added bonus - I'm the only person in the gym whenever I go :smiley:
  • futureicon
    futureicon Posts: 348 Member
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    I've found over the years that working out with friends starts off fun, and if they're dedicated it can even be a great thing in the short term, but inevitably someone's schedule changes and I find that I have real difficulty going solo again after having a partner for an extended period. For that reason alone I've decided to be a solo gym rat. This way I have nobody to blame but myself if I miss a workout.

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