Finding Your Fitness Tribe

If you are not part of a “fitness community,” you’re missing out.

How do you know if you’re part of a “fitness community?”

Oh, you know.

If you aren’t 100% sure, then you most definitely are NOT.

First, let me define what I believe qualifies as such a thing.

FITNESS COMMUNITY AKA “FITNESS TRIBE”: a group of people (group = 5 or more) who hold a common interest in fitness–crucially, both an interest in general fitness as well as a passion for a specific mode of fitness. Ideally, the group members share a larger philosophy of general health and wellness.

This community interacts regularly, sharing life stuff, as well as fitness and nutrition stuff. The members ask for advice and critique, as well as provide guidance and support. The members jointly innovate ways the group can push themselves just a little bit further. There are no allowance for excuses; only acknowledgement of temporary failure and encouragement to rise up again.

They hold dear the belief that success is something reachable for all. They build one another up, knowing that one person’s success is never at the expense of another’s–but, rather, one person’s success will blaze the path for the others. When Person A stumbles on the same day Person B experiences victory, both are equally tended to.

This tribe could meet IRL (that’s cool-talk for “in real life”), attending a fitness class regularly, meeting for group bike rides, doing hill sprints together every Tuesday at dawn…

They could meet online. (“Pat Flynn’s Secret Group,” anyone?)

Especially if you’re one who prefers–or is otherwise forced into– working out at home alone, there’s huge value in finding your fitness tribe (i.e., joining an online fitness community), collaborating with others who are doing what you’re doing, working towards what you’re working towards.

Why bother finding your fitness tribe? Glad you asked.

Lists are all the rage these days, aren’t they? Let’s make one!

The Perks of Finding Your Fitness Tribe

Success inspires success
- You watch people transform from what you were to what you want to be. Every small victory provides proof that you, too, can be successful.
Constant stream of fresh ideas for workouts & nutrition
- Boredom and stagnation have no place in an active fitness community. You’ll get more novelty than you’ll know what to do with!
- Workouts? Check! Recipes? Check! Challenges you never imagined existed? Check!
New information–tips, tricks, & science
- I would never assume that you’ve been wrong before. BUT, just in case you have, being part of a fitness community gives you access to new approaches and perspectives.
- Especially online, you’ll find true professionals who have backgrounds in everything from psychology to sports medicine to physical therapy to nursing to nutrition (and most fields in between). You’ll connect with moms, dads, shift workers, and active military personnel. Loads of personal experience and scientific expertise pair up perfectly here.
Personalized advice and guidance
- I’ve seen many members of online fitness communities get–FOR FREE–fitness and nutrition coaching that far surpasses what I’ve seen in commercial gyms.
- This is especially true in Pat’s groups, where he and other coaches will review your video postings and provide critiques and corrections.
Motivation and pep-talks
- Feeling depleted? Had a crappy week? Falling short of your goals? There’s no shortage of people who want to pick you up and throw you back in the game. Talk about it, acknowledge it, and let your friends support you.
No room for excuses
- Relatedly, your tribe won’t let you get away with slacking. If they entertain your excuses, you need to find another group.
Challenge and competition
- Members of a fitness community post their goals and challenge others to do the same. There is a spirit of friendly competition, a bit of pride at stake.
- Sometimes entire communities adopt week-long or month-long challenges within their goals, like 1 week of no added sugars or one-month of 300 swings a day. Misery loves company, right?
Accountability
- This cannot be overstated. Get invested. Be part of a group where you and your goals are known. Show up.
Straight-Up FUN
- Sometimes people post pics of their dogs. Or funny gifs. Or share stories that give you all the feels. Just the other day, one Jump Rope Fitness Community member challenged another to a jump/dance-off. Pure gold, folks.

One last piece of advice:

The key to connecting meaningfully and squeezing all the value from these communities is to find one that is specific enough yet broad enough. For instance, don’t JUST join a “Paleo Vegan Kettlebell HIIT Moms Group” and call it a day. You want to be in a group that has the mentality of healthful & nutritious eating, wherein members share their experiences with Paleo, Vegan, Keto, and High-Carb, where they exchange scientific articles and engage in friendly debate.

You want your participation in the community to stretch and inspire you, not to confirm all of your biases and turn you into a bigot.

5-Minute Sweaty

I’m throwing in some JUMP ROPE moves this week. Feel free to use a jump rope (any weight will do) OR NOT. Pretend jump-roping is great, as long as you really do pretend-spin the rope, holding tension and keeping your body in proper jump-roping alignment.

Set your timer to 300 seconds and get to work!

ROUND 1: 30 standard hops + 20 jack hops (alternating feet together & feet about 1.5-feet apart) + 10 mountain climbers;

ROUND 2: 30 standard hops + 20 jack hops + 10 bodyweight squats;

ROUND 3: 30 standard hops + 20 jack hops, + 10 push-ups.

REPEAT ROUNDS 1-3!

Then, if time remains…

“free style hops” (anything you want, e.g., alternating foot hops) until the timer dings.

P.S. If either of the online communities I mentioned are of interest to you, here’s how to check them out…

Pat’s Secret Group members start by signing up here. You’ll get an email with 101 kettlebell workouts and then get info on joining the Facebook group.

The Jump Rope Fitness Community is a closed Facebook group that can be joined by clicking here. DID YOU KNOW? There’s a Kettlebell Jump Rope Challenge going on NOW! FOR FREE!

P.P.S. I’m friends with a dear 87-year-old woman who has a group of friends with whom she has exercised for DECADES. Somewhere at a nearby YMCA, there is a group of 6 blue-haireds taking their one-millionth water aerobics class together. If that isn’t an effective, committed tribe, I just don’t know what is.