4 workouts you can do with friends
Hitting the gym alone at 6 a.m. can get pretty old pretty fast, even if you’ve resolved to make 2016 the year that you finally get into a set workout routine. It’s much easier to get your sweat on when you have your squad at your side. It’s also easier if you skip the gym and do something fun and social instead. Burn calories with buddies by trying one of these unconventional, social pseudo-workouts instead of just going to spin class together.
- Rock climbing. A few years ago, yoga was all the rage. Then CrossFit took over the fitness scene. And now it’s rock climbing, which you can do indoors or out. Rock climbing gyms are popping up all across the country, bringing the traditionally fresh-air exercise indoors. Chances are people you know are already members at one of them, so stalk your sportiest friends on Facebook to see where they’re climbing. Or just hit up Yelp. You’ll probably stumble upon rock climbing gyms that offer not only walls and walls of climbing space, but also extras like a bouldering room, a typical fitness room with cardio and weight-lifting equipment, and maybe even yoga classes.
- If you’re set on sweating outdoors, then check out your local parks and rec website. Any lakes open to the public probably offer boat rentals, including kayaks, and there’s no better way to get to know a friend than by flipping a tandem kayak with him. On a clear day when the water is calm, kayaking can be as relaxing a workout as it is an intense one. So don’t be surprised if your arms are sore the next day. If you have three or four people in your crew, rent a canoe instead and take turns paddling and reciting dialog from The Notebook, obviously.
- Ping pong(-ing). Maybe you weren’t the star athlete in high school, but every non-athlete shares the same superpower: they’re awesome at ping pong. If you and your bestie took out every other pair in high school gym class, it’s time to get the band back together. Find a local community center or YMCA with a ping pong table to spare, send out some Facebook invites, and launch a tournament that spans the month (or a single weekend). This might be just the push you need to start playing ping pong on the reg again, and you really couldn’t ask for a more Instagrammable cardio workout.
- Basically anything if you download Cody. Forbes describes Cody as “Facebook for fitness,” an app that connects you to other exercisers no matter where you’re sweating up a storm. The free app allows you to get plugged into a community of other fitness enthusiasts who share workouts, log their progress for everyone to see, and encourage each other by commenting on their activity for the day. So whether you go to a spin class or complete an intense set of burpees, you can do it with friends when you open Cody on your phone.