Motivation

There are several advantages to performing your workouts with a training partner. One is motivation. It is often times easier to get motivated about working out if you do it with someone else. And finding training partners is getting easier thanks to the popularity of bootcamps, group training and CrossFit.

You can choose a friend, family member, or someone who is as equally enthused about exercise and fitness as you. Whomever you choose, make sure to set a schedule you can both meet easily. Time conflicts can make it more difficult to workout regularly.

Working out with a partner is always more fun. The two of you can continue to motivate each other, which is especially important on those days when one of you doesn’t feel like exercising. You may also find it easier to stick to a set schedule because you know someone else is relying on you to do so.

Safety

If you are strength training with free weights, it is always recommended to have another person there with you at all times. You may need a partner who can spot you should the weight become too heavy or should you do too many reps. Likewise; you can be there to help your partner.

Your partner can also help ensure you are performing each exercise correctly, and vice versa. Exercising incorrectly can also result in injury. Should you or your partner become injured, both your workouts would suffer for the amount of time it would take to recover.

Variety

Because many great body weight exercises require two people, you will have resting periods in between. It is recommended each of you perform these exercises one minute on, one minute off. This will allow you to take turns and rest while your partner is exercising. Others will require you to exercise for a longer period of time, but you will still have the same amount of time off.

Taking time out to rest during body weight training is essential. Failing to do so can result in inadequate muscle recovery and poor performance on the next round. This is because you are using weights and over time will increase not only the amount of weight you use, but also the number of reps you perform. Depending on your specific fitness goals, you may even begin pushing your muscles to the max. The rest periods will allow them to momentarily recover.

It’s best to train all your muscles and not just the ones you want to focus on. A training partner will often be able to help you keep your workouts balanced. Muscles need to recover between workouts. That is why you don’t do the same body weight exercises every day. Recovery promotes growth and is when your muscles really become stronger. You and your partner can encourage each other to rest when necessary. This will prevent the two of you from pushing yourselves too hard.

Your partner should know as much as you about the body weight exercises you are performing. If either or both of you are unsure about a particular exercise, ask a trainer at the gym. It’s always better to ask then begin doing an exercise incorrectly and risk injury.