Finding motivation to get in shape can be difficult, but what if that could change? Walking around Tech’s fitness center are students working out with other students. But does having a work out buddy benefit a workout more? Or is working out alone more beneficial? “Work out buddies can be an enjoyment,” said Ramona Mahood-Pennington, health promotions coordinator. “The social part of working out with them can relieve stress in your life. You are meeting people and having fun.”
“Having a work out buddy can help people stay consistent in their work out.”
Working out with someone can be motivating and bring accountability. When students want to back-out of working out, having someone can bring encouragement and accountability to their work out.
It can also challenge a person to have a partner to work out with. People can challenge others to attain certain goals, and they are more likely to reach those goals because of the challenge and motivation.
Working out with a buddy can also raise self-esteem with their up-lifting and encouraging words. Having a partner tends to make a work out feel less like work.
Working out by oneself is still beneficial. People will still get the same benefits, but they may not have as much motivation to keep going. They hit a plateau more quickly without a work out buddy.
“Working out with a buddy or by yourself is based on your personality, ” said Mahood-Pennington.
“You can only keep yourself motivated so long until you need someone to challenge you, and working out with someone you can go off of each other strengths,” senior Josh Malone said.
“There are always more things to learn; you can’t know everything about fitness.”
When trying to find the right people to work out with, it is ok to be picky. Make sure to look for people who have somewhat of the same schedule, the same goals, and the same level of motivation. This can become a problem if they do not have these things.
People will find themselves with no one to work out with because their schedules don’t match up. If their goal is to do cardio and the others are to weight train this causes conflict.
“Make sure to have a variety of work out buddies,” said Malone “Have some with different personalities and goals. I have one for cardio, weights and both.
“The reason behind this is, when I don’t feel like doing cardio, I got my cardio group because they are gung-ho about cardio, and they motivate me to work harder. Plus schedules change and you always have someone to work out with.”
The fitness center also offers several fitness classes that provide great opportunities to meet new people who are interested in similar fitness goals. For more information on these classes, visit www.tntech.edu/recreation/fitclasses or call 372-6511 for pricing and scheduling.
