The
Training Partner: Best Friend or Worst Nightmare?
A good training partner can help you immensely
in your workouts but a bad one can spell disaster.
Before you decide if you want a partner, you need
this information.
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A
good training partner can be a great asset to your training
but if you get stuck with a bad one, it could lead you
down the road to frustration. Be selective when choosing
a training partner. Not every person is a good one (some
can be downright horrible!). Here a few things to look
out for:
1.
Punctual - Nothing is more frustrating than waiting
to start a workout when you're ready to go but your
partner is late.
2.
Dependable - Choose someone who you are sure will
show up for every scheduled workout or who will call
you if they can't make it. It is a drain on your valuable
energy (especially before training) to have to constantly
remind and harass.
3.
No personality conflict - It is obviously not a
good idea to train with someone who annoys you, unless
of course you want to focus that negative energy into
your training. If you dread going to work out because
you can't stand your partner, soon you may not work
out at all.
4.
Similar strength levels - Look for someone who is
at the same or a little above your strength level. When
your strength is the similar, you won't have to constantly
switch weights. If they are stronger, it will motivate
you to use heavier weights. It is okay to lift with
someone who is much stronger or much weaker than you,
but be prepared to do a lot of weight switching.
5.
Training level - If you are a beginner, try to find
someone who knows what they are doing. You will get
more out of your training than if you train with another
beginner.
6.
Motivation - Find someone with a similar motivation
level as you. It you are gung-ho and your partner is
ho-hum, you will be dragged down and your progress will
suffer. If you are both "psycho," you can
get some incredible workouts though! If you are moderately
intense and lift with someone who is much more intense
and willing to drive you, it can spur you onto much
greater intensity.
7.
Attitude - Get a partner with a positive attitude.
This is very important. If they constantly say that
something is impossible or that they can't or you can't
do something, you may end up believing them. Do not
train with someone who is satisfied with no improvement.
8.
Open mind - Get a partner with an open mind. Someone
who has to do things his or her way all the time, will
not listen to you and will not change his or her mind
is not a good partner to have. In every partnership,
one person will tend to be the leader. The leader should
take into account the needs and feelings of the other
partner not totally ignore them.
9.
Overpartnering - Do not get too many training partners.
Sometimes a group of friends want to work out together.
This is okay if there aren't too many of you. You won't
get a good workout if you always have to wait for your
partners to do their sets and you will probably end
up talking too much. Three in a group is probably the
most you can deal with and even that is probably pushing
it.
10.
Spotting - Get someone you feel comfortable with
spotting you. One of the main roles of a training partner
is spotting and if you don't trust them, there's not
much point in having them around to help.
11.
Male/female training partners - Members of the opposite
gender often make excellent training partners. Showing
off is good motivator for using heavier weights or working
harder. One of the obvious drawbacks might be the differing
amounts of weight used. If there is only one bench press
available and one benches 300 pounds while the other
benches 95 pounds, changing the weight is going to take
awhile. This can be solved by having one person doing
dumbell presses on the same bench rather than barbell
presses.
While there are a number of advantages to having a training
partner such as spotting, motivation, and companionship,
there are also advantages to working alone, e.g. self-reliance,
self-focus, no hassles over schedule, no one to wait
for, etc. In the end, it is really up to you whether
or not you want or need a training partner.
