Why Who You Train With Matters More Than You Think

When we think about getting fitter, stronger or healthier, we tend to focus on the obvious things.

What training should I be doing? How many times a week should I exercise? What should I eat? How many steps should I get?

All of those things matter.

But there’s another part of the equation that doesn’t always get as much attention:

The people you surround yourself with.

At 10X, we believe the environment you train in — the coaches, the people around you and the feeling you get when you walk through the door — can have a huge impact on your ability to stay consistent.

And consistency, ultimately, is where results come from.

It’s easier when you’re not doing it alone

There will always be days when training isn’t particularly high on your list of things you fancy doing.

You’ve had a busy day at work. The kids have been driving you mad. You didn’t sleep particularly well. It’s raining outside and the sofa looks considerably more appealing.

That’s normal.

But there’s a big difference between trying to motivate yourself entirely on your own and knowing there are people expecting to see you.

Sometimes it’s a coach asking where you’ve been.

Sometimes it’s the person you normally train alongside wondering why you weren’t there.

And sometimes it’s simply knowing that once you walk through the door, you’ll be surrounded by people getting on with it too.

You still have to make the decision to turn up.

But the right environment can make that decision a little easier.

The right people bring more out of you

Training alongside other people doesn’t mean you have to compete with them.

In fact, we’d argue the opposite.

Someone might be working towards their first 30kg bench press while the person next to them is chasing 100kg.

One person might be building confidence after years away from exercise while another is preparing for an event.

Those goals are completely different.

But there’s something powerful about seeing the people around you working hard towards something that’s important to them.

It encourages you to do the same.

An extra rep. A slightly heavier weight. Finishing something you might have stopped early if you were training alone.

Not because you need to beat the person next to you but because you’re both trying to get a little better.

Enjoyment matters more than we sometimes admit

Health and fitness is often made to sound incredibly serious.

Discipline. Sacrifice. Hard work. No excuses.

And yes, there are times when doing something you don’t particularly feel like doing is part of the process.

But if you absolutely hate your training environment, how likely are you to keep going for the next five or ten years?

We want people to work hard at 10X.

But we also want to hear people laughing between sets.

We want people chatting before sessions, taking the mick out of each other, celebrating someone’s achievement and hanging around for five minutes afterwards because they actually enjoy being there.

That isn’t getting in the way of the training.

We think it’s part of what makes the training sustainable.

Community doesn’t mean everyone has to be the same

One of our favourite things about 10X is just how different our members are.

Different ages. Different backgrounds. Different levels of fitness. Different personalities. Different goals.

Some love lifting weights.

Some love running.

Some definitely don’t love running.

Some want to take part in fitness events, while others couldn’t think of anything worse!

And that’s absolutely fine.

Being part of a community doesn’t mean everyone has to want the same things.

It’s about creating an environment where people feel comfortable being themselves, working towards their own goals and supporting the people around them with theirs.

The Autumn Games was a pretty good reminder

Our Autumn Games summed a lot of this up perfectly.

Yes, there were finishing times and placings. People wanted to perform well and there was some healthy competition.

But that wasn’t the bit we enjoyed watching most.

It was seeing people encouraging their partners through a tough section of the workout.

People who had already finished staying around to cheer on those still working.

Our judges and volunteers giving up their Sunday morning to help us run the event.

People laughing, struggling, celebrating and supporting each other.

And plenty of people doing something that, at one point, they probably wouldn’t have imagined themselves doing.

That’s the stuff we’ll remember.

Health. Coaching. Community.

We’ve used those three words at 10X for a long time.

They’re not three separate things.

Health is ultimately what we’re trying to improve.

Coaching gives people the knowledge, structure and support to do it.

And community creates an environment where people actually want to keep showing up.

You can have the best training programme in the world written down on a piece of paper.

But you still need to do it consistently.

So when you’re choosing somewhere to train, don’t only think about the equipment, the exercises or what the programme looks like.

Think about how you feel when you’re there.

Think about the people around you.

And ask yourself:

Is this somewhere I can see myself continuing to show up?

Because who you train with might matter more than you think.