We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

If you’ve ever politely laughed at a terrible joke or told your brother-in-law that his botched haircut really “brings out his eyes,” then you won’t be surprised to learn that a new study from Florida State University confirms our aversion to offering up negative feedback. The problem? It can lead people to have undeserved overconfidence in their skill set – which is dangerous when it comes to your workouts.

“People who set overly optimistic fitness goals or exercise plans might invite injury,” says Joyce Ehrlinger, PhD, the study’s lead author and assistant professor of psychology at FSU. So you’d hope that if your goals are too ambitious - or not ambitious enough - that your workout buddy or your trainer would tell you, right? Not so, says Ehrlinger. “My research suggests that people aren’t comfortable giving negative feedback and, instead, remain polite. As a result, we might not receive the negative feedback that we sometimes really need.”

Why You Need a Workout Buddy

Having an inflated opinion of your fitness ability isn’t only bound to be hazardous, but it’s also likely to prevent you from seeing results you want. In order to make those gains in the gym, it might take a little tough love instead of meaningless cheers.

Jeff Halevy, behavioral health and fitness expert and CEO of Halevy Life in New York, shares three things your trainer isn’t telling you but should:

Find out the secrets trainers keep from clients after the break!
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