Working out with a partner can make your workout engaging and competitive. You can motivate, support, and encourage each other to do better. When working out with a partner, it’s hard not to ignore the competitive streak in your which can make you push harder than you normally would. There are a lot of fun workout combinations you can do but there are also certain aspects you need to avoid. Here’s are 8 tips to get it right.
1. Turn Your Partner Into A Workout Tool
Using your partner as a weight or prop can add quite a challenge to your workout. The unpredictability of your partner forces your body to work even harder. Here’s how you can use your partner to your advantage.
While partner 1 lowers to a push-up, partner 2 squat jumps over. Partner 1 presses body up to a pike position, while partner 2, does a 180 jump to then crawl under partner 1’s pike position. Repeat back and forth in same partner positions for 45 seconds. Take a 15-second rest and switch positions. Do 4 rounds.
2. Try Planks And Wall Sits
To make your partner workout more dynamic and fun, have one partner work while the other maintains some a static hold. Your reps only count while one partner is holding. You can have your partner row or bike while you hang from a pull-up bar or do wall sits. If your partner (who is doing the reps of a bodyweight move), is a bit slower than you’re used to, it only means you have to do this active move a bit longer, at your desired pace.
3. Sandwich Jump Ropes
Jump ropes are a great exercise to do in-between. If your partner is doing a strength exercise, like a kettlebell swing, you can complete 200 revolutions of jump rope and not compromise form or feel dragged down by your partner. This keeps your routine more dynamic and helps you burn more calories without weighing each other down.
4. Run Line Drills
Partner A can run line drills while Partner B completes 10 reps of a lower body strength move, like barbell back squats. If one partner is slower than the other or less advanced, the only impact is having Partner A run longer. If you don’t want to get bogged down by each other’s pace, you can go by time instead of reps. That way, each partner is able to work at individual intensity, without feeling like they’re holding their partner back.
5. Focus On Form
Partner drills can get quite competitive sometimes but you and your partner must never lose form. Risking some smart move so that you can post it on social media may lead you injury or muscle tears. When you’re using your partner as a weight, make sure you have enough strength to hold or lift them. Be honest about your capabilities rather than risk injury to yourself or your partner.
6. Avoid Partner Deadlift
Partner deadlifts look really great and you may have come across videos of partners lifting each other. However, partner deadlifts can be tricky and should not be attempted if you’re not ready. The move creates challenges due to differing limb lengths and strength levels which can lead to injury if you’re not well adapted.
7. Don’t Do Back-To-Back Squats
Back-to-back squats may look simple, but they are actually extremely challenging to do, especially if you don’t have the right partner. To get your form and alignment right, you need a partner with essentially your exact height and overall size. If you and your partner have very different body proportions, it can lead to knee pain.
8. Strength Levels
If you have the picking your own partner, look for a partner around your size and height. You can still have an effective and fun workout if you are partnered with someone who is not of similar strength or size. But make sure you talk to your partner and make appropriate modifications. You also need to make sure that the weights you pick are challenging but are not causing you to struggle. So not sharing the same weights is perfectly all right if your partner has a different strength level.
