Most of us know the saying “it takes two to tango”, and we’ve probably used it more than a few times. But ‘tango-ing’ aside, many people continue to exercise alone, rather than with a training partner and may be missing out on progress as a result.

Having a partner can really enhance most things we can do alone and exercise is no exception. Having a consistent gym partner or personal trainer can greatly improve your chances of success in the gym.

Here’s why:

1) Having a partner who has similar exercise goals can really motivate you. You may be at slightly different fitness levels, as finding someone with exactly the same level as you may be difficult, but that can bring a great set of fun challenges with it.

2) You will make the effort not to skip a session. If you are training alone, it’s often easy to talk yourself into missing a session or two, as its only affecting you and you know you will “catch up” (famous last words).

With a training partner on board, you have the added motivation of knowing someone else is counting on you, not only that, you will want to train harder to show off your ever increasing skill-set.

3) Having someone on hand to help with advice and encouragement is invaluable, as is the knowledge that your training partner will give you that all important “heads-up” if your form or technique is off track. This can stop all sorts of personal injury issues from occurring.

4) Adding variety to your routines can be a hard slog when training alone, you can become stuck in a training rut or just push through the same old same old if you want to “get it over with”. This won’t happen, as the two of you can discuss new routines, help each other with their inception and of course celebrate your achievements.

Your ideal gym partner could be a friend, colleague, partner, or family member. It’s important to pick your partner wisely, and ensure this person is as committed as you and will be encouraging and supportive.

If there’s no one that springs to mind, or you’re having difficult finding someone that is committed and supportive, it might be time to consider working with a personal trainer (click here to read about the team at Luke Bremner Fitness).

Unfortunately, stereotypes around personal trainers seem to live on, and when you ask someone who has never worked with a trainer before what he or she imagines, it’s often the scary sergeant-type trainer, pushing his clients until near collapse by shouting words of “tough love”.

You’ll be pleased to know this is, on the whole, no longer true, and the vast majority of personal trainers and coaches will be incredibly supportive and help you achieve and exceed your goals much more quickly than if you were going it alone.

(It is important to do your research though, and ensure you trainers or coaches you are considering working with are sufficiently qualified and experienced before making your decision to work with them.)

In summary, there are many more positives to training with any kind of partner than on your own, but we find that the major one is the building of great relationships.

Whether it’s someone you already know, a personal trainer, or someone you buddy-up with through your gym, a good partner will be there when you are doing your best to improve your health & fitness, offering advice, encouragement & support when required.

If you’re still working out alone and getting frustrated at your lack of progress, perhaps this post will inspire you to ‘buddy-up’ and accelerate your health and fitness progress.