Gym-goers and clubs realize the rewards of fitness friendships

from msnbc.com

Denis Barry, a former champion bodybuilder, is a man on a mission: to get his fitness clients in the best shape of their lives. Through a high-intensity training program called Power Hit at Edge gym in New York City, he sends clients new workouts every week via e-mail, cracks the whip during workouts and administers weekly and monthly tests — a series of timed drills including dead lifts and bench presses — to chart their progress and make sure they aren't slacking off.

The program is so grueling that participants have started bonding together in solidarity, planning to work out together and cheering each other on during the tests. More