Why do you need a gym buddy?

A lot of people work out alone, myself included. Sometimes it makes sense to exercise without a partner.

You need a partner with similar goals, and sometimes at a similar fitness level, and those can be hard to find. But are those of us working out alone missing out on some possible benefits of having a partner? And when working out with a partner, what’s the best way to get motivated?

There are a lot of ways working out with a partner can help you. Your partner can spot for you, and otherwise make your workout safer. They can check your form and make sure you’re not letting it slip as you fatigue. A recent study took a look at the effects of training with a partner on your cardio work. They discovered that doing your aerobic work with a partner improves your results. On the surface what they found might not be exactly controversial, but the extent of it might be surprising, and some of the methods they used are important to those looking for the best results.

Many people work with a partner to increase their motivation. Having someone meet you to exercise sometimes makes the difference between showing up and not exercising at all. Just getting through the door is the most important thing, but the researchers in the partner training study showed that the motivation to work harder was also increased. The study showed that solo riders made it an average of 10.6 minutes on the bike before stopping. Pretty good. Group two, the ones that rode with a partner on screen, went on for an average of 19.8 minutes. That’s an 87% difference. Imagine how much better your performance would be if you always exercised at a rate that much higher than you do now. Tell me that’s not impressive.

Not only did research demonstrate working with a partner, especially in a team format, improves performance, but the researchers also went on to measure this motivational boost over time. Doubling your performance for just one workout is good, but not ideal. Doubling your workout every time you exercise over time means major gains over working out alone.

One warning though, that I learned from one of those survival shows: sometimes a partner can push you too hard. If you’re in a survival situation, that could mean death. In the gym, hopefully it only means some over-training or mild aches and pains from time to time, but it could mean worse. Using a partner to push your aerobic cardio is a pretty safe bet so long as you keep it aerobic, as it won’t likely push you into over-training. But working with a partner on any kind of high intensity training has a good chance of pushing your body too far, so be aware of just how much you’re doing. Be sure to take it easy if you begin experiencing over-training symptoms. Shy of that, reap the benefits of having a training partner.