What are the benefits of working out with a partner? 4 reasons to train together

Many people think that the gym is not the best place to meet with friends or your other half. It seems that you will be constantly distracted and will not be able to focus on the workout. In fact, it works the other way around.

Neuropsychologist

Psychologically speaking, working out together is an awesome extra motivation.

Mutual motivation and competitive effect

If you’re just starting your journey in the sport, it’s easier to do it with a like-minded person. Find a companion who is serious about improving and maintaining their fitness. Mutual accountability for the quality of your exercise will strengthen your motivation.

You’ll be more diligent in your exercises so that you look stronger and more resilient in your partner’s eyes. This psychological phenomenon is called the competitive effect. It is what makes you show your best side and awakens the competitive spirit.

Asya: When we go together with a friend towards common goals, the risk of “blending in” or “slacking off” is lowered. Of course, you can get distracted from your goal. That’s why it’s important to consider how similar your goals are when choosing a partner.

In a single training situation, we have no visual reinforcement of our motivation and no one to compete with. So we often start to negotiate with ourselves, feel sorry for ourselves and do less than we could. If you still prefer to exercise alone, a good incentive is a public commitment. The unconscious fear of not keeping your promise will work for you and become an additional motivation.

Working out together will also build trust between partners, if you include exercises designed for two people in the program.

Asya: Pair exercise is one of the tools in psychotherapy. Firstly, a common activity and a tangible goal bring partners closer together. Secondly, during physical activity dopamine is produced in the body, the heart rate increases, and breathing is thrown off. The brain reads this reaction as a “symptom” of falling in love. And if you are close to your partner, it has a great effect on the relationship.

An occasion for lively communication

In the accelerated pace of life, we often forget to socialize live. And while some people think that couples workouts are distracting, the gym is the perfect place to combine the pleasant with the useful.

Asya: By all accounts, working out together with friends, partners or in large groups is much more effective than working out alone. If you make them regular, you will have every chance to make new acquaintances, color your life with bright emotions and make yourself happier. After all, as we know, man is a social creature. All the more so, joint trainings improve communication and teamwork skills, as well as relationships between people.

Exchange of experience

Another plus of joint training is the exchange of knowledge and experience. To stay on top of things, you need to constantly improve your skills and organization of the training process.

By practicing fitness or sports together, you can share theoretical and practical knowledge. In addition, in the gym you can meet representatives of different sports, which will allow you to broaden your horizons and try a new discipline.