New research reveals a fitness partner who keeps verbal encouragement to a minimum might be a better motivator than one who is more vocal.
Conducted by Brandon Irwin, assistant professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University, the study got participants to exercise with a looped video recording.
Participants were split in two groups and exercised with a partner in a looped video recording, who they were told was slightly more skilled than them.
The video recording played to participants in the second group offered verbal encouragement, whereas the one played to the first group did not.
Irwin said: "When exercising with someone who is slightly better and who is not verbally encouraging, participants exercised longer than if conditions were the same but that person was verbally encouraging them."
He said the results were unexpected but speculated participants may have interpreted the verbal encouragement as condescending.
"If two individuals are exercising together and one is constantly saying 'you can do this' to the other, it may be taken at patronising."
In a separate study Irwin found the optimal exercise partner is 40 per cent better than the other.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
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Safe Space Lockers
We provide a full turn-key solution for clients from design and consultation, through to bespoke man [more...]
New research reveals a fitness partner who keeps verbal encouragement to a minimum might be a better motivator than one who is more vocal.
Conducted by Brandon Irwin, assistant professor of kinesiology at Kansas State University, the study got participants to exercise with a looped video recording.
Participants were split in two groups and exercised with a partner in a looped video recording, who they were told was slightly more skilled than them.
The video recording played to participants in the second group offered verbal encouragement, whereas the one played to the first group did not.
Irwin said: "When exercising with someone who is slightly better and who is not verbally encouraging, participants exercised longer than if conditions were the same but that person was verbally encouraging them."
He said the results were unexpected but speculated participants may have interpreted the verbal encouragement as condescending.
"If two individuals are exercising together and one is constantly saying 'you can do this' to the other, it may be taken at patronising."
In a separate study Irwin found the optimal exercise partner is 40 per cent better than the other.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
CoverMe, the global leader in fitness workforce management, today launches CoverMe PT, an
on-demand personal training platform that connects the right personal trainer to the right
client in under 10 seconds. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Safe Space Lockers We provide a full turn-key solution for clients from design and consultation, through to bespoke man [more...]
