Are you working out alone? Do you prefer that or have you not found the right workout partner yet? Honestly, if you aren’t training with someone else, you might be missing out on some amazing progress. The key, however, is to find the right person. In this article, we are going to discuss how you can get the results you want faster with a workout partner and what you should be looking for.
Applications Welcome
Don’t be afraid of the process. You need to find a workout partner who is just as crazy, ahem, I mean as dedicated as you. If you’re high energy and want to push yourself to the max and you are training with a sloth, nothing good is going to come from that duo. Maybe workout with a few people periodically to get a feel for how they are and if they are a good match for you. Do they have the same drive, do they want to get results, or are they just there to talk?
Just because you train with someone once doesn’t mean you’re dedicated to them for life. You can bounce around until you find the right person. It’s not like you’re marrying your workout partner. However, if your significant other or spouse works out, you might want to use them as your workout partner – I’ve found that works extremely well.
Key Factors To Look For In A Workout Partner:
Reliability
You are going to want someone reliable. There’s no reason to be waiting at the gym to train with someone who is always late and wastes your time. Detach yourself from those individuals and find a new workout partner. You want someone who shows up on time and is ready to crush a workout at the time you scheduled. It’s easy to skip the gym when you are working out alone, but when someone else is counting on you to be there, it pushes you a little harder to make sure you show up and are accountable.
Motivation
The best type of workout partner is the person who is motivated to be there and who wants to see results. You want to push them as much as they want to push you. You should feed off of each other’s energy. If your workout partner is just there to chit-chat and not train intensely, it’s going to affect your workouts and slow down your progress.
Goals
Make sure you are on the same page with your goals and expectations from the training sessions. You don’t both need to be working towards the same goals, but you do need to have an understanding of what you are both trying to accomplish through your workouts so you can help each progress throughout your journeys.
Abilities
Tying into the goals mentioned above, you don’t need to have the same abilities as your workout partner. What I mean by that is you don’t need to push the same weight, the same number of sets, the same rep range, or even be doing the same exercises. The purpose of a workout partner is to have someone by your side who can push and motivate you, give you a spot, help you with some forced reps or other training techniques where a partner is needed, and someone to help keep you accountable and on track.
Trust
Just like when picking a boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, or even friend in general, you need to trust the individual. If you are counting on them to spot you during a heavy set, you better fully trust them that when you hit the wall that they are going to be there to help you complete the rep or pull the weight off of you. For instance, if you are benching and you take the bar down to your chest and get stuck, is your workout partner there immediately to help you, or are they checking out the people walking by and not even paying attention to you? There are some inherent risks involved with exercise and you need to know you can trust your workout partner when you get jammed up and need help.
Enjoyable
Finally, you need to enjoy working out with your partner. If the conversation is awkward or you just don’t seem to be jiving, it’s ok – you don’t need to match up with everyone. You should look forward to working out with your workout partner. If you’re on the way to the gym and you’re dreading seeing this individual and working out with them, then part ways and move on. No harm, no foul. If you aren’t enjoying your workouts, you are less likely to go to the gym and when you do, you’ll be less likely to push yourself and will simply be going through the motions.
Don’t Forget About Post-Workout Nutrition
After finishing up your fun yet intense training session with your workout partner, you can’t forget about post-workout nutrition. You’re going to want to get in a quality source of protein – preferably in liquid form, so that it can quickly be digested and shuttled out to the muscles to kickstart the recovery process.
