6 Benefits of Working Out With a Partner

Sticking to an exercise routine isn’t always easy. Schedules shift, motivation dips, and doing the same workouts over and over can start to feel like a chore. Over time, even the best intentions can fade. One simple way to stay on track—and actually enjoy your workouts more—is to exercise with someone else. Having a partner can make a big difference in how consistent you are, how much fun you have, and even how safely you train. Here’s why teaming up might be the boost your routine needs.

Six Reasons to Exercise with a Partner

Make Your Workouts More Fun

One downside of working out alone is the increased risk of boredom. When you’re on your own, the same old sequence of exercises can become tedious. By contrast, working out with a partner can add some fun to the process. It may even make your workouts longer and more effective because you're not watching the clock to hit the required minutes per day. While talking and engaging, your mind isn't focused on how far you need to go or how many reps and steps you need to do. The interaction between you and your partner creates mental stimulation that keeps boredom at bay.

Amp Up the Motivation

Staying motivated with an exercise routine over the long run is challenging and typically is one of the most significant factors in people giving up on their workout commitments. By exercising with a partner, however, you can encourage one another to keep pushing forward. You'll be able to add some competition to your workout routines, which for many people can be a much more enjoyable process and keeps you more engaged in the activity. Another aspect is that studies have shown that working out with a partner or group leverages our natural tendency to seek alignment with others. This impulse toward social harmony can provide an additional incentive to keep up with others and maintain a feeling of belonging.

Increased Accountability

When you exercise alone, you are the only person to whom you’re accountable for staying on track with your physical fitness goals. However, human nature being what it is, it's all too easy to make excuses to yourself for not working out. Exercising with a partner keeps you more accountable because it’s tougher to make those excuses to someone else. A partner will encourage you to stick to your goals and help you get back on your routine if you falter. When you're motivated by working out with a partner, you're more likely to complete your workouts, thereby adding more physical activity to your day.

Build New Relationships

Working out with a partner or a group provides the opportunity to expand your social circle and make new friends. A terrific outcome of the fitness boom is that exercise has become a mainstream social phenomenon over the last sixty years. What was once a niche activity has blossomed into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Fitness clubs have become gathering places for people with common interests. The focus on improving health and well-being makes this setting an ideal place to foster new relationships.

Reduce Your Injury Risk

As our bodies age, the risk of exercise-induced injury increases. There are several reasons for this. Starting around age 40, a gradual loss of bone, joint, tendon, and muscle tissue begins to occur. In particular, bone density diminishes, which increases fracture risk. Our coordination and balance also decline with age, ultimately leading to a greater risk of falls. Tendons and ligaments lose elasticity, which can increase the likelihood of tears and sprains. Then, to compound the problem, injuries heal more slowly than in our younger years. So, how can a partner help? Just as a partner can encourage you to increase your workout intensity, they can also coach you on taking it easy when you’re trying to do too much. Sharing your respective health situations with each other can keep you both safe and avoid unnecessary injury.

Increase Your Workout Options

Working out with a partner can introduce you to new fitness ideas and techniques. You and your partner can share your favorite exercises and activities, and your healthy habits might rub off on each other. Also, certain exercises are best done with two people. For example, having someone to provide support and protection to lift a little more weight or set up different challenging exercises for yourself. Having a partner might also give you the courage to join group activities, such as yoga or spin classes, that you've wanted to do but struggled to find the motivation or courage to step out of your comfort zone. Another advantage is having a wingman or wingwoman to help push you into social interactions, meet new people, or spark new relationships.

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