How to Find a Fitness Buddy
It’s great to have a training buddy. If they are just not much stronger or faster than you, they will inspire you to push yourself a little more . But it’s hard to find someone who is at the right fitness level and whose company you like. Perhaps the best solution is to find yourself an accountability assistant.
In this partnership, you and the other person do not need to match physically. You just have to share the goal of training consistently and keeping each other on track. We’ve already discussed this concept in relation to your finances and work from home . It’s the same with fitness.
It goes something like this: you and your friend – or a small group of friends – agree on your goals for the future and how you will achieve them. Then, you regularly interact with each other to make sure that you are all sticking to what you have planned.
This could be a simple test with a text message: “I did my morning workout, did you?” Or you and your friend can agree to the same training program. You may have set up a Zoom ringer and are doing workouts at the same time. Or maybe you press the Play button on the exercise video at the same time and then talk about how it went. The important thing is that you are accountable to someone. You two can support each other, and you know that if you don’t do your part, you will leave them in trouble.
Find someone who is as motivated as you, or even a little more.
It doesn’t matter if they are stronger or faster than you. You will communicate with motivation and consistency, so choose someone who will push you to do your best. Maybe that friend who gets up a little better in the morning?
If you tend to discourage yourself from exercising, don’t team up with someone who only encourages your laziness. On the other hand, if you sometimes work too hard, choose someone who will remind you of the importance of rest days, rather than someone who will instigate you.
Where to Find an Accountability Partner
You may already be thinking of someone in your life that you would like to pair with. But if no one comes to mind, there are several places where you can start looking.
Check out the fitness communities on places like Reddit first (like r / xxfitness and r / weightroom, or find a group that caters to your favorite sport or activity). Sometimes people write in these groups, ask friends, or ask them to form a small accountability group. You can also just start posting in the Daily Discussions about what you are doing and chances are you will start making friends too.
Likewise, there are forums for every sport and pastime. Peloton allows people, for example, to find each other and form groups and make friends . Search Facebook for your location and your favorite outdoor activities and you’ll find other trail runners, climbers or like-minded fans of whatever you love to do. Another option is to look for Discord servers where people are discussing fitness or a specific sport that interests you.
You can also use other social media platforms like Instagram to start posting about what you do and chat with your friends. Half the point in having an accountability friend is that you have to decide what you want to do and state those intentions out loud. A buddy is just an audience you can talk to; your intentions and your commitment really come from yourself.