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Jun
12
We’re talking about common workout mistakes this week. We discussed trying a bit too hard yesterday . Today, we’re going to talk about another common mistake, picking the wrong partner.
Why a partner?
Many people like to workout with a partner. It’s natural, we’re social creatures and we enjoy being social. If we’re going to spend a good amount of time at the gym, then we may as well do it with a friend. However, there’s one problem here, you’re at the gym to workout. If your choice of a workout partner is not conducive to that, then you made a bad choice. Let’s take a look my own mistake as an example.
My Mistake
When I first started working out, I did so alone. I was a bit embarrassed about how out of shape I was so I didn’t involve any of my friends in my workouts. Then, as I was working out one evening, I met an old friend who happened to frequent the same gym. We chatted for a while and he made some comment about looking for a workout partner. One thing led to another and we decided to workout together. It seemed like a good idea to me, I had always heard about how workout partners can really help motivate and support. Plus I was a bit flattered that someone else wanted to workout with me. However, I quickly found that some parters, you’re better off without.
The Problems
My new workout partner was never on time. I would always spend 10 to 15 minutes waiting for them. Sometimes they didn’t show up at all which was frustrating. I felt like I was wasting my time.
My partner wasn’t supportive at all. He was in much better shape than me and he made me very aware of that time and time again. He would always comment on how well he was doing and how much I needed to improve. Yah, thanks, I was aware of that. How about helping me improve instead of criticizing?
His workout style was completely incompatible with mine. He wanted to do something different each and every day. He had no plan at all for what part of his body he was going to work on or in what way. That method might have worked for him but it didn’t for me, which meant we were always arguing about what exercises to do that day.
Trying Again
It got so bad that I actually switched gyms as a way of starting over on my own. I worked out alone for a couple of years before trying out a new workout partner. This time was much better. Our styles were far more compatible. Even though he was just starting out, he still challenged me into improving my form and routine. As for me, I learned my lesson from my old partner and tried to be as helpful as possible. We usually agreed on what exercises we wanted to do and when, and when we disagreed, it was quickly resolved. Workouts became a fun social activity while still being good exercise.
Lesson Learned
So what’s the lesson learned? Well, the main lesson is to choose your workout partner carefully. Remember that you’re working out because you want to be healthier, not because you want to be more sociable. It’s nice if you can make your workout into a social event and there are many good ways to do this, but this is not your main goal. Your main goal is to get a good workout and that’s what you should focus on.
So what makes for a good workout partner?
Reliability and timeliness - Is your partner going to be there on time? Are they going to let you know in advance if they’re going to miss a day?
Support - Regardless of their fitness level, your partner can be a great source of support or an awful source of discouragement. Are they the type of person who will motivate and challenge you or will they complain about everything and drag you down with them?
Flexibility - Do they insist on doing everything their way or are they willing to work with you and compromise if you disagree? There’s nothing that says you and your partner must agree on everything but you should be able to come to a mutually agreeable resolution when you do disagree.
Compatible workout style - Is your partner all about Cardio while you enjoy weights? Do they insist on doing 1 hour of jazzercize while you want to do push ups and sit ups? It’s great to have a partner with different ideas on what makes a good workout. Those ideas can inspire you. However, if you and your partner think of working out in completely different terms, that might be an issue.
Summary
As always, the best solution is communication. Make sure you and your prospective partner talk before you agree to workout together. Make sure each of you understands the other’s priorities and preferences. Talk about scheduling and what time works for both of you. If you work all of this out ahead of time, you’ll end up with a partner that makes your workout more effective and a lot more fun.
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