Couples who sweat together, stay together: 4 ways to spice up your workouts with your partner
They say “Couples that sweat together, stay together”.
When arranging time off with your better half, exercise is probably not the first thing that comes to mind after a busy week at work. However, if you are both health conscious or have decided to change your lifestyle for the new year, it may be a good idea to fit a workout into your hectic schedule and spend time with your loved one at the same time.
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If both of you are experienced in weight training, training together can be a great way to bond especially as you will have to provide physical and mental support. If one of you is a beginner, the other can take them through a session and show how exercises should be done. If both of you are beginners and unsure what to do, consider hiring a trainer or joining a group class at the gym.
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Partnered workouts can be structured in different ways: you could both train and do your own thing while enjoying each other’s company, do the same programme but provide help for each other if needs be, or to add a fun element you can try exercises which require two people.
1. Nordic curls
A great exercise for building up your hamstrings and reducing the risk of hamstring injuries. The focus of this exercise is on the eccentric portion (when the hamstring is lengthening) of the lift so ensure that you maintain good control.
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– Start by kneeling on the ground and have your partner secure your feet by pressing down on them, placing your feet on top of a roller on the ground may be more comfortable.
– Engage your hamstrings by pressing up against your partner’s hands, keep your body in an upright position, engage your glutes, and lower yourself as slowly as possible.
– Keep your hands up in front of you and be ready to get into a push-up position to break your fall as you come close to the ground.
– When you reach the bottom use your hands to help push yourself back up into the starting position and repeat.
2. Plank with reach and touch
This adds some difficulty to the plank by making it more unstable but can be a way for you and your partner to add a fun element to your core training.
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– Assume a plank position on your forearms or hands while facing each other and ensure that you are actively engaging your core and glutes throughout.
– With as little movement in your body as possible, both reach forward with your right hand and touch them together.
– Bring your hand back to the start position and repeat for the left hand. Keep alternating for 60 seconds.
3. Banded sprints
If you want to add some high intensity cardio to your workout but you don’t have any cardio machines available you could try using a thick band.
– The person sprinting stands in front and places a thick band around their waist which the partner behind holds onto it with both hands and pulls back to create tension in the band.
– The person sprinting starts by leaning forward slightly, with hips back and braces their core against the band.
– Now sprint against the resistance of the band for 15-30 seconds, you can either do this on the spot or by moving forward slowly.
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4. Stretching
This is an important part of maintaining good mobility but people often find it boring and tedious, so helping each other stretch can be a good way to make it more enjoyable. The person being stretched is able to relax into the stretches a bit more and increase the range of the stretch. If you are the one doing the stretching, remind your partner to breathe deeply and slowly to help stay relaxed.
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Nordic curls, plank with reach and touch and banded sprints are exercises which require two people to work together