Struggling to hit that final rep? Or maybe you can't even be bothered to get yourself down to the gym? This is where a workout buddy really comes in handy. They're your personal hype man/woman and, whether you've hit a plateau or can't even find the motivation to pull on your gym leggings, you know they've got your back. Team Grenade®'s Hayley Madigan knows a thing or two about the power of the workout buddy. As a personal trainer and lover of getting sweaty, Hayley has shared five reasons why she believes you need to bag yourself a training partner today!
"Working out doesn’t need to be boring nor does it need to be lonely. Training with a partner has exceptional benefits and it could be the one thing that your exercise programme is missing.
The perfect training partner can not only push you further than you ever thought possible, but it also does wonders for increasing your happiness within your relationship. Be it your gym buddy, best friend or romantic partner, working out together can benefit both of you physically as well as mentally. Here's why!
1. You'll push each other's limits
A training partner is one of the best ways to push your own limits by driving one another to keep going. The psychological positives that come with training with someone makes the perfect training partner worth their weight in gold. Whether it’s putting 10kg on your squat weight because you have a spotter or 10 extra seconds of max effort on the assault bike because your gym buddy is screaming at you to keep going, each training session with your workout buddy will allow you to push yourself further than you could ever do on your own safely.
2. Accountability
Staying accountable to your training programme or regime can be difficult when going it alone. When you plan a time and date to train with your gym buddy it reduces the chances of cancelling and missing the gym; especially on those days when you’re feeling stressed and drained from life in general. A workout buddy can keep you on the road to success, similar to a personal trainer. This is more apparent when your partner's goals are similar to your own and you are more likely to encourage one another to do your best, displaying positive outlooks that genuinely lead to positive results. Accountability is one of the most important aspects to achieving a health and fitness goal and when your friend or partner can help with this, you’re more likely to succeed.
3. Friendly competition
There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of competition! When you find a suitable workout partner who shares similar goals to you, the healthy competition will encourage you both to bring your ‘A Game’. Having someone you know and care for who supports you along the way will make reaching any goal more enjoyable and a rewarding experience. Additionally, if you both have opposing strengths and weaknesses, the friendly competition will come hand in hand with each other’s abilities, allowing you both to benefit in a similar way.
4. It'll make your bond stronger
Whether your workout buddy is a friend or your partner, training together has been proven to develop your relationship in many ways. Studies show that when romantic couples participate in an exciting physical challenge or activity, they both report the feeling of being more satisfied with their relationship as well as being more in love with their partner*. Additionally, when you train with a partner, studies show you will mimic one another’s actions, and these creates behaviours which will benefit the couple’s emotional bond†. This may refer to mimicking each other’s form and control by lifting weights at the same time and rhythm or even a similar running pace. When exercising in conjunction with one another, it provides an opportunity to develop a better understanding and connection between each other that encourages your emotional relationship to become stronger.
5. You'll reach your goals quicker
When your training partner cares about your goal, they will want to see you succeed and vice versa. Whether this is training or nutrition or a combination of the two, you’ll want each other to do well and if that means supporting one another to make sensible choices when you’re eating out or catching up over a long walk instead of a slice of cake, then you know you will reach your goals much quicker than if you were going it alone."
Who's dragging their bestie to the gym tonight?! Trust us, you'll both benefit! And it's the perfect way to catch up while being productive - it's a win-win, right?
If you're after more training advice, you can always head over to Hayley's Instagram, where she offers daily training tips and wisdom. You can also find more training info over on our blog - check out these 4 essential fat burning exercises today.
*Aron, Norman, Aron & Heyman, 2000
† Stel and Vonk, 2010