Five benefits of training with a partner

1. Accountability Perhaps the best aspect of training with someone is that your partner provides instant accountability. We’ve all been in a situation where we know we need to work out, but one of a number of excuses has got the better of us and we've skipped the gym. Making plans with a training partner makes it much harder to cancel a workout as you know you’ll be messing up their plans too. Imagine all the extra progress you would have made just over the course of the past 12 months if you'd never missed a workout! 2. Outside perspective It’s not uncommon for men to be overly critical on themselves when looking at workout progression (or when looking at their physiques in the mirror). You may just be your own worst critic. A good training partner will always be able to look at your concerns through fresh eyes and give a healthy second opinion. 3. Healthy competition We humans (especially men, it seems) tend to work harder and perform better in competitive situations. Training with a partner can unlock your competitive drive no matter how chilled out you usually are. There’s nothing like a training partner looking great or making serious progress in the gym to fire up your desire to do better. One word of caution though: if your partner is considerably stronger or fitter than you, don’t be sucked in to trying to perform the same workouts. Your partner won't progress, and you'll likely get injured. Instead, try to compete on degrees of improvement relative to your own current ability. 4. You’ll be able to spot each other Those incorporating weightlifting into their training regime will benefit greatly from having a training partner who can act as a spotter on those big lifts. Depending on the type of training program you are using, reaching or approaching concentric failure on a set may be necessary to make progress. Having someone there to help control the weight means that you can push further than you could alone and have a safer workout. It’s common to hear people ask for a spot on the bench press, but it shouldn’t stop there: you can get more out of almost all free weight exercises with the help of a spotter. 5. Celebrate successes together One of the greatest parts of having a good training partner is the ability to share each other's successes. Setting training goals and edging closer and closer to their attainment alongside someone else is very motivating. It’s also a great idea to plan rewards together. A previous training partner and I used to book a weekend trip away to let our hair down each time we finished a 6-8 week training phase. It helps to balance all the hard work with a worthy reward. Read more here :