Army Of Two

Training Partners, the pro's

I think we have all been there and yes, it is hard to work through, things can get in the way, work, commitments and life in general. That's right, it's time to train and your get up and go has get up and gone. That's when you have to find that way through, that vital missing ingredient.

For some this is finding the right playlist or podcast, for some this is focusing on a goal that you need to achieve to push that sense of ennui aside and get on with it.

But have you ever thought that the path through that does not have to be the vestige of one lone individual. We are not all Ogami Itto¹, pushing our baby cart along day after day, in fact neither was he because he had a partner in his self-imposed mission.

And this is the nub of the solution. We have all heard that ‘a problem shared, is a problem halved’, well this is the training equivalent. What you need, my friend, is a training partner, yes that’s right, someone with which you can share your pain and your triumph with day after day and week after week.

You will become each other’s driving force, you will possibly compete with each other, you won’t be the only one in the gym at that hour of the day.

A training partner can be anyone, but you must both have motivation to train. This can be a sister, brother, girlfriend, boyfriend or that weird bloke that always seems to be in the gym when you go. (Disclaimer: The writer of this blog does not suggest walking up to strangers and asking if they want to see your pecs) But you get the idea.

There is always rivalry between siblings so that’s an easy one, hell I used to train with my sister long ago, but she is a moon-faced girl that quickly threw in the towel gym wise, who prefers baking so kudos to her.

I would keep it friendly if you are using a spouse or significant other, no one wants to have that argument in the car on the way home and no one wants to spend the night on the sofa, because you can do more squats. That is not a reward.

But if you hit that right blend of competitiveness and friendship it can be a wonderful experience, you can push each other, make plans together. All that good stuff. Try to beat each other’s Personal Bests (PB) if that’s your thing. But do encourage each other.

In fact, this can be safer too, in that your training partner can ‘spot’ you when you are using free weights, which is a very safe way to train. No injuries, no bars being dropped on anyone’s head or chest.

You can make sure that your partner is hitting that right form and it would be like having your own mini-Ryan, helping you out all the time.

In fact, here are some articles about the power of two:

https://liftbigeatbig.com/bene...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/r...

https://www.bulk.com/uk/the-co...

https://believeperform.com/psy...

So why not saddle up with your compadre and hit the gym tomorrow, just think of all of those classic teams you will be joining

Kobe Bryant2 and Shaquille O’Neal3

Michael Phelps4 and Ryan Lochte5

Wayne Gretzky6 and Mark Messier7

Usain Bolt8 and Nesta Carter9

Babe Ruth10 and Lou Gehrig11

Hawk12 and Animal13/14

Cannon and Ball15

So why not send that message, make that phone call, dash off that email, send up that smoke signal or arrange that day release today and start building your goals together. You'd be surprised what two can do together.