Do I Need A Bodybuilding Partner ?
Bodybuilding is an individual job and to most that’s a pretty charitable statement. I mean when you look around the gym and see the variety and types of physiques on show it becomes quite apparent that each and every individual is on his/her own path.
No one can do the training for you, no one can force you to train or even make you stick to your training schedule. Putting yourself up to the task of keeping your body running at peak performance by closely following a diet and general lifestyle complimentary to bodybuilding is also up to you. There are no best friends, family or relatives you can send to the gym to do your benching and squatting so in that respect we have to acknowledge this is a one man game.
A bodybuilder’s discipline shows both in his training intensity and consistancy. Thus, every training hour has to be well used; if possible, every single minute you spend at the gym has to be working in your favour. And that being a fact of life, your greatest motivation will always have to come from yourself. However despite the nature of the sport being an individual one it doesn’t mean that you have to BE alone every time you do it.
Teamwork
Training with a partner is not only completely sportsmanlike, but also recommendable and sometimes even necessary. There is of course no right way to train and some do prefer to do it alone but there are also many who claim partnership and teamwork are essential parts of growing and developing in your sport (be it an individual one).
It’s evident there are and always have been a vast number of bodybuilders who rely on a trusted partner to help them in the performance of specific routines. In fact having a training partner whose experience at the gym exceeds your own can prove to be extremely helpful, particularly in the early stages of a career in bodybuilding.
The elder’s guide and regulation can act not only as a discipline backup in those times the less experienced think of quitting during the middle of a given set but can and will provide an inspirational framework for the newcomer. A partner, coach, teacher, friend can correct bad training posture, poor technique and other problems that you yourself could never bare witness too. Teaming up with a partner if done correctly could well be the best thing you’ve ever done.
Leveling Up
Both in medium and advanced bodybuilding workouts, a training partner can become essential to correct routine development as well as helping the trainer to overcome his own standards by giving some extra muscle as an aid for getting those last repetitions finished in a proper way.
Usually, training with a partner also means that you don’t find the time to “relax” as the session’s work-out rhythm can be constant and intense. Exchanging and encouraging words as a sort of “stamina lever” in order to get the utmost benefit from their efforts and time in the gym can really be a huge benefit.
Professional bodybuilder and actual Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, for one is a faithful example of fructiferous training teamwork, having not one, but three exercise collaborators: amateurs Gus Carter and Curtis Fails and professional female bodybuilder Vickie Gates, whom recently won the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic contest. Oh and by the way Schwarzenegger himself has always been in favor of using teamwork whenever the specific need for it may arise.
A Partner Is An Equal
One thing to have in mind whenever choosing a training partner despite their level of experience is to pick someone whose weightlifting routine doesn’t greatly exceed yours in terms of how much weight they’re lifting.
Working out alongside a partner who’s doing similar weight levels to you not only makes teaming up more fruitful but helps you to share and work through certain sticking points in your training.
3 Tips For A Good Training Partnership
- Be Mindful Of Your Goals - So you’re training with an immediate goal and a long-term goal. So is your training partner! Chances are, long term goals won’t get anywhere in the way of your partnerships. But if you’re aiming for say, cuts, and you’re training partner’s aiming for power in the immediate, there might be a conflict. Always get immediate goals discussed and cleared up before getting into a shared workout session.
That means you’ll both know which steps, reps and how much weight goes where and when. Agreeing on specific goals will strengthen the partnership and give you complete certitude of where you want to go, and how.
- Know Your Limits, And Stick To Them - Even though your training partner’s task (as yours is to him) is to encourage and give you that extra motivation that’ll make every rep and session more fruitful, there’s always the fear of appearing somehow weaker or looking diminished when you see your partner recovering from daily body stress a little faster than you do.
You must not let such feelings get to you because every human has his/her own rhythm, and there’s always someone who’ll take less time than you to regain their forces. The point here is know your limits and work effectively with them. There’s no need to give up on your partner simply because they’re improving faster than you, rather it’s an opportunity for you to figure out what you can do to level things up. It could be more sleep, more protein or something completely different.
- Speak Up, Don’t Be Shy - A workout partnership should always be open and honest. For example if your partner gets “trapped” into a routine or a flat method of training it’ll be your duty as a partner to help him get out of that rut. Sometimes speaking up can be awkward but you have to do it and your partner has to be comfortable with receiving as well as giving feedback.
Try new approaches and rep systems, and always keep an open mind for new things. You must always avoid stagnation at all costs and if your partner seems unlikely to follow your eagerness for combining exercises and trying different weights and routines you’re both going to be affected by it.
Professional bodybuilders worldwide are always on the lookout for new and exciting challenges, no matter how many medals they may have won. That’s the attitude which got them there and that’s the attitude you and your partner should have!
That means you’ll both know which steps, reps and how much weight goes where and when. Agreeing on specific goals will strengthen the partnership and give you complete certitude of where you want to go, and how.
You must not let such feelings get to you because every human has his/her own rhythm, and there’s always someone who’ll take less time than you to regain their forces. The point here is know your limits and work effectively with them. There’s no need to give up on your partner simply because they’re improving faster than you, rather it’s an opportunity for you to figure out what you can do to level things up. It could be more sleep, more protein or something completely different.
Try new approaches and rep systems, and always keep an open mind for new things. You must always avoid stagnation at all costs and if your partner seems unlikely to follow your eagerness for combining exercises and trying different weights and routines you’re both going to be affected by it.
Professional bodybuilders worldwide are always on the lookout for new and exciting challenges, no matter how many medals they may have won. That’s the attitude which got them there and that’s the attitude you and your partner should have!