The Perceived Benefits of Exercising with a Partner

The benefits of exercising with a partner have often been used as a technique to motivate people to start exercising or to continue exercising. Both theory and applied research have presented variables examining the benefits of exercising with a partner. The purpose of this study was to measure the benefits of exercising with a partner when comparing the perceptions of males and females who are physically active. The methodological tool used to investigate these perceived benefits was a survey which included demographic and background questions along with scaled and open-ended questions. Based on available literature, the null hypothesis was offered such that it was predicted that there would be no significant difference in the perceived benefits of exercising with a partner when comparing male and female college students who are physically active. Eight variables were examined. These included intensity, motivation, mood, adherence, social interaction, stress reduction, enjoyment, and partner’s fitness level. The null hypothesis was supported in that no significant differences were found at the .05 level. However, the variables of partner’s fitness level and mood approached a significant difference at the .056 and .085 level, respectively. Mean scores for these two variables were slightly higher for the males. For all eight variables, mean scores were higher for the male subjects compared to the female subjects. For both male and female subjects, additional perceived benefits included such variables as safety, having similar goals, guilt, and not feeling self-conscious about one’s fitness level