Looking to get your significant other or friend into exercise?  Try doing some fun partner exercises to start out with!  Having a training partner can definitely benefit your workout.

1) Being accountable to more than just yourself.

Even if you already have a trainer, sometimes it can still be easy to say “I don’t feel like working out today.”  Having a workout partner that you’re also accountable to will increase your chances of sticking with your program and maintaining that motivation to come to the gym.

2) Extra Motivation

During a workout, it’s easy to sometimes lose motivation and decide to not do your last set if fatigue sets in.  Sometimes it’s easier to motivate someone else than motivate yourself.  If you’re not with your trainer, having your partner to make sure you’re pushing each other will make sure the intensity stays up the whole time!

3) Spotter Confidence

When performing a set of heavy bench press or squatting, it helps to have a spotter.  On the bench press, a spotter can help you unrack the weight and also lets you push yourself to your limit by helping you re-rack the bar if you fail the set.  A spotter on the squat can as well help you with the weight if you push yourself to failure on a set.  Knowing that there is a ‘safety net’ with a spotter increases your confidence while lifting and helps to make sure you get every last rep out without worrying about how you’ll get out from the weight if you fail.

4) Fun!

Having a friend to workout with can make the sessions seem to fly by.  You can laugh during the workout, and commiserate afterwards.

So take a look at our video HERE for partner exercises that are easy to perform and require minimal equipment.  (Thanks to our intern, Brie and Tom for demonstrating!)

1) Rope Pull – Grab some sliders or socks on a slick floor and hold tight! The partner pulling should focus on initiating the pull with the shoulder blades, thinking about pulling them back and activating the lats as the prime mover.

2) Partner Pickpockets – Activate your core and obliques!  Try to keep your hips and legs relatively steady for the most challenge in this exercise.  If the version in the video is too difficult to start with, you can lower your feet to the ground to regress it.  Another way to regress it is to sit up straighter rather than lean back as in the video.

3) Side Tosses – Make sure that you get both sides with this exercise, get 10 reps on one side then turn around and do 10 reps on the other!  Take care to turn the direction of your feet as Tom does in order to prevent strain on the knee, as well as to make sure to engage your obliques for the most force in your toss.

4) Squat to Push – Make sure to perform the squat properly, sitting back into your hips without letting the knees come too far forward.  Use the momentum and force from your squat to try and knock your partner over!

5) Leg Toss –  In the video Tom pushes Brie’s legs straight down each time, but you can also push them down to the right and left to keep your partner guessing and to hit the core from different angles.

6) Glute – Hamstring Raise – It’s important to make sure you’re applying enough force to your partner’s legs so they don’t topple over in this exercise! Grab their ankles and try to anchor them to the floor, and if need be you can sit on their feet with your knees. The partner performing the exercise should lower themselves to the ground with as much control as they can, and at the ground perform a push-up to help themselves back up. The amount of force in your push-up depends on the strength on your gluteus and hamstrings!

7) Tom’s Body Bar Partner Exercises – Tom is extremely creative in his workouts, especially working with groups! These exercises come straight from his sessions and classes so give them a try with a Body Bar or other straight object such as a broom handle.