Finding a workout group — or creating your own — is the secret formula for maintaining an exercise program, hitting your goals, and becoming someone you never thought you could become, because the people around you hold you accountable to the things you say you want to do. Iron sharpens iron. In this Physical Friday I explain why most people cannot do it alone, where the groups already exist, and the one rule that has kept my own group training together for about twelve years.
Watch now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Because the people around you hold you accountable to the things you say you want to do. You say you want to lose 20 pounds or back squat 300 pounds — are you doing the work to get there? A good group not only checks on you but helps you get there, celebrates your successes, and turns failure into a daily learning opportunity instead of something to fear. Most people need that. The rare individual who can do it completely alone is the exception.
They already exist almost everywhere. F3 is a free men's group that meets in public places — we had the founder on this podcast, and there is probably one in your town. CrossFit gyms, boot camps, personal trainers' morning groups, jiu jitsu gyms, masters swimming, running clubs organized by your local running store, and GORUCK rucking clubs all over the country. Whatever your town has, there is a group meeting this week that would welcome you.
Pick a standard meeting time and place, show up, and start inviting people — coworkers, neighbors, anyone gathering where you gather. If you are genuinely committed to changing yourself, you become like a magnet and draw like-minded people to you. It takes a little time to build, and once it exists you have to nourish it. I built mine, and it has been one of the most important things I have ever done.
Because if the group only works out when the founder shows up, it dies the first time that person travels. My group has lasted about twelve years because it is not my group — it is our group. When I go out of town, somebody steps up and leads the workout, and maybe a different person leads the next day. We never miss a day, regardless of weather, regardless of anything.
In a good training group, failure happens almost daily — a missed lift, a workout you could not finish — and that is a gift. Failure is the best teacher, and when you experience it constantly in the gym, you stop fearing it. When something goes wrong in your regular life, you will not even call it failure. You will call it a learning opportunity and move on. You either win, you learn, or you get stronger.
The group reaches out. In my group, when somebody misses three or four days, people start calling: what's going on, man, why aren't you here? Usually the answer is work got busy — and the response is thanks for the call, I'll be there tomorrow. A lot of times that one phone call is all it takes to pull someone back onto the path.
Here is the path I lay out in the episode, whether you join an existing group or build one from scratch.
Join one or build one, and you will have accountability and discipline you may have never had before — and you will have fun doing it. I tell the full story of my group in the episode above.
What if I told you that maintaining a program, meeting your goals, exceeding them, and turning into a new person were available to anyone? They are. The secret formula is not a supplement or a training plan — it is a group. Iron sharpens iron. The people around you sharpen you, and they hold you to the things you said you wanted. I open the episode with why this matters more than any program you could buy, so press play above.
In my group, failure shows up almost every day — and that is exactly the point. When failing is normal, you learn from it and move on instead of fearing it. Then something goes sideways in your business or your family life and you do not even register it as failure; it is just a learning opportunity. You either win, you learn, or you get stronger. I unpack how that mindset carries off the gym floor in the episode above.
My group has trained together for about twelve years, and the reason is simple: it is not my group, it is our group. When I leave town, somebody steps up and leads. Weather does not matter. Nothing matters — that group is going to work out. Not everyone comes every day, but when somebody vanishes for three or four days, the phone calls start. I explain how that culture got built in the episode above.
If you are the rare individual who can train alone — set a marathon goal, an Ironman, the CrossFit Games, and grind it out solo — good for you. Consider this, though: what if you started a group and gave that discipline to your community? The ripple effect through your town will be bigger than anything you do alone. I consider it my own gift to give, and I make the case for it in the episode above.
If you are struggling on your fitness journey, the missing piece might not be the program. It might be the people. Find the group or build the group, and the accountability, the discipline, and honestly the fun take care of themselves. It is one of my favorite parts of every day.
I would love to hear about your group — the one you found, the one you are building, or the one you are looking for. Text me at (305) 930-7346 or email podcast@saltwaterexperience.com, and press play above for the full episode.
F3 · CrossFit · boot camps · jiu jitsu · masters swimming · running clubs · GORUCK · rucking · iron sharpens iron · accountability · Ironman · CrossFit Games · Physical Friday
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's Physical Friday series I share the training, nutrition, and mindset that keep fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen strong for life — short, practical episodes you can put to work in your next workout.
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