Need some extra motivation for your next workout? There’s one thing you can add to your routine that should help shake things up: a partner.
Whether that’s your other half, a family member, a colleague, a friend – hey, maybe even an enemy – couples workouts can be a great way to revitalise your fitness habits. Working out with others means keeping each other accountable. Even if a trip to the gym is the last thing you feel like after a long day at work, you won’t want to let your workout buddy down.
What’s more, working out in a pair means you can really lean into the social side of exercise – and that can have significant benefits for your emotional wellbeing.
Of course, you’ll need to make some adjustments to your routine in order to work out as a pair instead of as an individual. That’s why we asked Jack Claxton, Master Trainer at David Lloyd Clubs, for his must-know tips for working out as a couple.
Make it interactive
“Doing exercises in a pair is a great idea to keep each other motivated,” says Jack. He suggests introducing some movements you can do together, in order to keep that enthusiasm high:
- A plank where you’re high-fiving each other.
- A plank where you’re rolling a medicine ball to each other while trying to keep the hips as still as possible.
- A Russian twist where you’re sitting next to each other, passing a medicine ball to and from one another.
- A squat where you throw a medicine ball to your partner, and they catch and twist or press overhead.
Consider a distance challenge
You also need to take into account potential differences between your fitness levels – but there’s a way round that.
“Another way to look at partner exercises would be to set a distance challenge on certain cardio equipment, like the SkiErg or Stepper,” says Jack.
“This would also overcome the difficulty if one of the individuals is considerably fitter than the other as it would be more of a team method than someone having to keep up.”
Use each other’s energy
“I like training in a pair because it stops you from resting too much,” says Jack.
“Some may think it will have the opposite effect because you’ve got someone to talk to, but actually I think it keeps you focused and motivated – when they stop you tend to be working and when they stop vice versa.”
You can feed off each other’s energy and effort to achieve more than you realised you could.
Choose an exercise you both enjoy
It may sound obvious, but it’s worth spending time planning the kind of exercises you’ll do as a couple. “It needs to be a type of exercise both people enjoy so that they’re more likely to continue it and build a habit,” says Jack.
“In terms of whether strength or cardio is better, that is purely down to preference and what the individuals goals are at the end of the day.”
Don’t forget the cooldown
As with any workout, make sure you factor in cooldown time to avoid injury. However, that doesn’t mean using each other to go deeper into stretches, as that could lead to the very injury you’re trying to avoid! “There are partnered stretches you can do, but I would recommend sticking with a trainer to do these,” says Jack.
Instead, do your normal routine but use it as an opportunity to catch up.
“With regards to stretching as a pair, it’s as simple as doing them next to each other on a mat,” says Jack.
“Stretching may feel slightly easier because you can talk and distract yourself from the pain of it! It would be good to set a timer to make sure you’re doing this for an adequate time for a cooldown – I would recommend 60 to 90 seconds on each muscle group.”
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