Whilst the economy is in the crapper, we know many diva’s who have had to cancel their personal trainers or gym memberships. We went to GirlieGirl Army resident training expert Kendra Coppey (of Barefoot Tiger) for some tips on how to stay buff when broke as a joke.
Working out with a partner can really amp up your workouts (and save you some moulah if you work with a trainer). If you’re the competitive type, your partner can challenge you, or if you need more accountability and motivation, you can work off each other’s energy. But picking the right partner can be tricky. Here are a few things to help you get started:
- Know what you’re looking for in a partner and be as specific as possible with your request. Define your needs – what’s your ideal workout? Running pace? Ideal workout times, and motivating style? Are you a slow and steady type of person or a hardcore gym gal? Then start looking for someone who matches your style.
- Partner training is kind of like dating — you want to find someone you really ‘gel’ with. Look for someone with similar exercise goals, flexibility of timing (and dependability at the same time), and who would be inspiring for you to workout next to. It’s also important to find someone you can trust and whose opinion / friendship is important to you, or there’s a chance that you (or they) will lose interest. BUT….
- It’s tempting to want to workout with your best friend so you can catch up with him or her, but beware of the ‘chat ‘n chill’ that can result – chances are you’ll work at a slower pace and lower intensity if you’re gabbing the whole time. You’re there to work out, not to catch up on your BFF’s life. If you know you’re going to want to talk through the whole workout, make plans to meet up beforehand to catch up and then focus all of your attention at the gym on your workout.
- Make sure you can communicate well with your new buddy. Come up with a plan for your workouts according to your goals, and keep the communication lines open in case of goals change as the workouts progress. Check in periodically with your progress and then be flexible enough to change it if you need to down the road. Communication is key to keeping the partnership going.
- You could enroll yourself in an online fitness program and find a trainer yourself. They might be able to partner you with someone equal to your caliber. By collaborating with the trainer and your partner, you can accomplish the routines and achieve the goals that you have set for yourself. Also, if you happen to be intrigued by this prospect, you may want to visit this page. Nonetheless, discuss your requirements with your trainer prior hand.
- Exercise levels and goals are an important thing to consider. A beginner will most likely feel frustrated working with an experienced person because their levels are mismatched. There’s nothing wrong with being a beginner, but it’s much more fun to start exercising with someone who is at your same level.
- A great way to stick with the program is to have a “penalty” if one of you doesn’t show up. Maybe an extra 3 minute sprint on the treadmill for both of you during the next workout (that will keep BOTH of you honest and on track), or even a monetary “penalty” – the canceling party has to give the other person $10, for her to use as she pleases. Think of something that doesn’t feel like a punishment you’ll dread, but something really motivating that will keep you from skipping out.
- Now, a few things to avoid when looking for a partner (we’ve seen it all): If you’re training for a bike race and your partner is a body builder, find another buddy. Make sure your abilities and your goals match! Also look out for the “leech”, the person who is looking for someone to drag them out of bed (possibly kicking and screaming) and wants to make it your job to do so. In that case, send them straight to a boot camp instructor and find another buddy. And there’s nothing worse than working out with someone who makes you feel bad about yourself. It’s one thing to be motivated by someone else’s encouragement, but it’s entirely different to be ridiculed into motivation, which is hardly motivating in the first place. And know when to get out of a buddy relationship: she cancels all the time, exercises her mouth more than her biceps, or sabotages your hard work by dragging you to Starbucks for a double venti cappucino after every workout.
- When you feel like you need to get out of the relationship, there are a few tactics you can use, again thinking of a dating break-up:** Have the it’s me, not you talk – if you don’t feel like you need the extra motivation for your workout, simply explain that your workouts have become a solo activity. You might offer to get together every once in a while to exchange “tips” but keep it to that.
- If you’re paired with someone who is late all or cancels all the time, have a talk with her to see where her motivation comes from. If you don’t feel like she’s as into it as when you started, let her know that it’s just not the right fit.
- If you have found another partner, be sensitive when telling her about it, or she might get her feelings hurt. Let her know how much you have enjoyed your workouts together and the great benefits you have both seen from the pairing. You could also invite her to join you and your new partner and make a three-buddy system.
Most of all, have fun in your workouts and partner training can be a great benefit for you and your buddy! Need some partner exercise ideas? Email Kendra ([email protected]) to set up a refresher session with your buddy.
Kendra Coppey is the Founder of Barefoot Tiger (www.barefoottiger.com), an in-home personal training, yoga, nutrition and massage therapy company in New York, New Jersey and coming soon to Philadelphia. She is a certified yoga teacher, personal trainer and nutrition coach, and is infatuated with all things sweet…including her two rescued kitties Emma and Sabrina!