A Physio's perspective: 3 reasons to workout together
My wife and I have been working out together a lot lately and it’s honestly been one of the best things we have started doing together since COVID. Prior to quarantine, we never really worked out together. I want to encourage you to give it a try!
No gym? No problem.
Working out with someone else during COVID can have huge benefits. Since most of us miss lifting weights and heavy things at the gym, why not lift your partner? Hopefully my wife doesn't kill me for saying that. Pray for me guys.
Other than using your partner as a heavy weight, they can also be useful in other ways. They can help spot you as you try a new exercises (such as handstand pushups on the wall), and even time and measure you (e.g. sprints, number of repetitions, rounds). Check us out doing some partner squats and single leg balancing.
Live alone? The wonderful news is that virtual partnership has been shown to be beneficial as well (1).
Hold each other accountable
Having a partner during your workout makes a lot of sense when you consider the aspect of accountability. My wife has a quote plastered on our home office wall: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. There’s a lot of truth in this statement.
In older adults, commitment to regular physical activity is often difficult to achieve. A German study reviewed papers from 1997-2017 (almost 3,500 studies!) that looked at different interventions to promote physical activity in older adults (50+). Guess what? They found that accountability in the form of networking and training were probably the most important in helping them with exercise (2).
Setting both short term and long term goals are key in achieving healthier lifestyles. When we internalize these goals, it’s easy to give up on ourselves and sell ourselves short. Having an accountability partner keeps us from straying from our goals.
This is why I recommend good personal trainers to my clients who have trouble staying the course. Accountability is key to consistency.
Motivate each other
It’s usually more fun working out with someone else. Some healthy competition is always good! Check out this study done back in 2012 when researchers measured participants’ motivation to keep exercising (in this case it was biking). They found that those who exercised with a partner (even virtually) were able to double their time on the bike. The effect was more pronounced when the partners were told that their collective score would be averaged between the both of them (the conjuctive group) (1).
Think you’re the only one who hates working out? Not many people actually enjoy working out. I mean it’s often hard, exhausting, and tiring. I hear you. Having a partner or friend that has similar (or better) fitness goals than you can be just the right motivation you need to stay consistent.
Let’s keep in mind our current physical distancing rules! Please stay 6 feet from other people who are not in your immediate household. Please check out https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/factsheet/factsheet-covid-19-guide-physical-distancing.pdf?la=en for up-to-date information.
Thank you for reading this! I hope that you got something out of reading this. One way you can support me is by sharing this post with friends and family. It does take some time for me to prepare material like this so any support is greatly appreciated.
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Sources:
Irwin, Brandon C., et al. "Aerobic exercise is promoted when individual performance affects the group: a test of the Kohler motivation gain effect." Annals of Behavioral Medicine 44.2 (2012): 151-159.
Ubert T, Forberger S, Gansefort D, et al. Community capacity building for physical activity promotion among older adults: A literature review International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2017; 4(9): 1-16.
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