Should I Train with My Significant Other?

by Christian Duque

 

First off, I don’t want to be sexist. This topic could deal with the non-training boyfriend, as much as the non-training girlfriend. I’m a huge advocate of spending time with your significant other. In fact, I would say the single most common reason relationships fail is because there isn’t enough quality time set aside. Hanging out is great, but working out is a very important part of an athlete’s day. While it would be good to do things together, for a lot of people, anything shy of 100% could result in utter failure on the playing field, the powerlifting meet, or the bodybuilding stage. Some days could even be potentially dangerous for newbies (e.g. squat or deadlift day). What intermediate & advanced lifters fail to realize, is that it’s utter madness to put a newbie through their workouts & not think something could go drastically wrong.

 

The athlete should not train at a beginner’s level. They not only won’t get their pump, but they won’t grow. Further, we know that beginners should not train at advanced levels. The magic solution could be to train different muscle groups; this way you love birds can both be in the gym, but you’re doing different things. We’re all different & even if both partners are at the same level, it’s unlikely then men & women will train the same way.

 

Overall, I would say that training together is not going to work. Even cardio, could be a bad idea. Some folks are natural born speed freaks – they want to run. Others love the incline & the resistance that that provides. Some folks only do the bike (for warm-up & cool-down), but others love spin classes. Ultimately, if you choose to workout with your significant other, someone is going to get short-changed in the process. There’s plenty of time in the day. Try to figure out something else to do together. Just my two cents.