The Best Exercises To Do With A Partner
Let's just call it like it is: the gym is way more fun with a friend. Not only are there proven benefits to working out with a partner, but it's also just a lot more fun (via CDC). Having two people at the gym together means collaboration and trying new workouts. Bonus points are that it also helps to ease the gym anxiety you might be experiencing. The best way to take advantage of your gym buddy is to make sure you have some workouts on hand to do together. Because not only will it be way more fun, but you might even get a better workout.
In fact, according to Insider, working out with a friend or significant other is the No. 1 thing you can do to enhance your workout. "Nothing works as effectively as exercising with friends," Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard paleoanthropologist and author, tells the publication. The CDC agrees as well, saying that working out with a partner will help you feel more motivated to work, be a little more adventurous at the gym, and help keep your workouts consistent.
After hearing all those benefits, you can't tell us that you're not sold on working out with a buddy. Whether you're a first-timer or you just need some new two-person workouts, here are the top workouts to do with a partner.
Sit-up pass with a buddy
If you're tired of doing the same old ab workout, adding a friend into the mix is a great way to switch things up. Planet Fitness suggests a sit-up pass, which is, well, sitting up and passing a medicine ball between you and your partner. You both lay on your backs with your feet facing each other in a sit-up position. You're both going to do sit-ups at the same time, but the twist is that one person who has a medicine ball.
On your way up from the sit-up, the person with the medicine ball passes it to their partner. Then the partner passes the ball back on their way up. Not only is this a great way to switch up your ab routine, but it actually hits different muscles than if you were just doing regular sit-ups. It's a win-win! Just make sure your gym buddy is coordinated, because we'd hate for someone to miss a pass.
Level-up your plank with a clap
If your workout partner isn't the most coordinated, this is the move for you. According to Healthline, a plank with a clap is, well, exactly what it sounds like. You and your partner face each other in a plank position. Instead of just sitting there and counting down the seconds, you each pick up the same hand, clap them together, and then set them back down. Then, you do the exact same thing with the other hand. It's that simple!
There's not much to do when you're in a plank position. So anything you can do to make it a little more fun and pass time quicker is a great option. Planks are already a full body workout, and they add to your balance as well (via Healthline) especially with this added move. Not to mention it's hard not to smile when you're high-fiving repeatedly in the middle of a workout.
Wall balls with a friend
If you haven't heard of wall balls before, prepare for your life to be changed. Basically, you take a medicine ball and face a wall. Then you go into a squat and throw the ball up onto the wall before you catch it and go back down into the squat. If it sounds hard, that's because it is. But, as Workout Digest notes, it's a whole lot better with a friend.
Instead of throwing the medicine ball onto the wall, you throw the ball to your partner who is facing you. You don't do the squat until the ball is thrown back to you. As Workout Digest added, doing this workout with a partner is great because you get a little break in-between squats, which means you can do more reps before getting tired. Also, it's a lot of fun to root on your workout buddy in-between squats.
Partner push-ups
Push-ups are a classic workout, but that also means that they can get dull from time to time. Healthline suggests trying partner push-ups to switch things up. One person gets down into the classic push-up position and the other person stands at their feet. Then, the person standing grabs the ankles of the person on the ground and lifts them into the air. It's your classic push-up with a little twist.
This type of push-up is actually a pilates move and gives you a deeper chest workout (via Exercise.com) because it's more involved and you're at a higher angle with your legs in the air via your helpful partner. Not to mention that it also makes a great workout buddy trust you. Because nothing says trust like having your feet held in the air while battling gravity. You'll want to believe in your workout partner for this one!
Squats and abs with rotational pass
You've likely seen and maybe even tried the ab workout where you sit back-to-back and pass a medicine ball back and forth. While Workout Digest does suggest this as a great partner workout, there's a way to take it up a notch.
Greatist recommends doing rotational squats with a partner as well. You're still back-to-back with your partner, but this time, you're squatting instead of sitting on the ground. Basically, it's like a wall-sit mixed with an ab workout. Talk about efficiency! Just make sure that you and your partner aren't actually touching backs, as you'll need some room to move.
Whether you're looking to try a new workout or it's your first time with a gym buddy, these moves will instantly make you look like a pro. If nothing else, you'll have a whole lot of fun with your friend at the gym.