Why building a fitness community is the key to achieving your exercise goals

It’s all about team spirit

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What’s the secret to rippling abs and a chiselled jawline?

It’s all very well to say you’ll hit the gym four times a week, but if you lack the motivation to actually get there, your athletic aspirations might as well be obsolete.

That’s why the trick to reaching your fitness goals is to build a community around your routine, says Barry’s Bootcamp CEO, Joey Gonzalez.

As the head honcho at one of the world’s most gruelling - and effective - workout classes, Gonzalez clearly knows a thing or two about honing your muscles.

Writing for Well + Good, the Los Angeles-based trainer revealed how he’s seen the benefits of group training firsthand at Barry’s, where classes typically consist of 40 people.

According to the former theatre student, community spirit “develops naturally during classes” and encourages people to return because they develop close relationships and look forward to catching up with their new friends.

“People love to work out with each other because when something’s difficult and requires discipline,” he writes, “you just naturally bond with one another.”

In terms of getting started, Gonzalez advises identifying a common goal with your chosen fitness buddy, whether it’s wanting to lift a bit heavier or run a little faster. This might provoke a little “friendly competition”, he says, which is no bad thing when trying to get fit.

Obviously it helps to be confident too, so you don’t feel shy when approaching someone you've spotted attending the same class as you for the last few weeks. For example, if someone on the treadmill next to you is working really hard and inspires you to keep up with them, thanking them for motivating you could be the beginning of a blossoming fitness friendship.

Take your community spirit out of the gym too, Gonzalez suggests, this could either be by arranging plans pre or post-workout; if it’s the latter, involving food might be a good idea, whether that’s grabbing a protein shake at a nearby cafe or sitting down to a leisurely breakfast together to talk dumbbells and deadlifts - or other things, if you like.

“That can make someone feel more comfortable if they’re not already immersed in the fitness world,” he says, “and with any luck, it can turn into a regular thing.”