You Know It’s Time to Dump Your Workout Buddy When….
There are probably millions of articles written about why you should have a workout partner. The list of benefits is long and exhaustive. Factors like exterior motivation, accountability, having a spotter, and that general warm and fuzzy feeling that only another human being can provide are just some of the many benefits of partnership.
Gym partnerships (like any other) have their drawbacks. Those things that should have you searching for a way out. Read on and ask yourself: Do I notice any of these things popping up in my workout? If so it may be time to dump your workout buddy.
You Know It’s Time to Dump Your Workout Buddy When…
Your Partner in Crime Starts Missing Workouts
Its nearly impossible to work out every single day. Life just doesn’t allow for it to happen. Every now and then a 2 or 3 day stretch may occur when your partner just can’t make it. That’s normal. A few weeks off is not. If you notice it getting out of hand separate yourself and continue making progress on your own. Don’t let your partner’s lack of availability kill your results.
Obvious Mismatch in Motivation
Inspiring others to achieve and reach new heights is a fun and rewarding experience. It always feels good to bring someone else’s spirits up and push them to a new level. However, it is a gigantic pain to work against someone’s lack of motivation every single day. Avoid wasting your energy on someone who obviously doesn’t want to participate and needs your constant nagging every single day. The energy you’re wasting being their personal spirit squad could be better spent on other things like….RESULTS!
Fitness Objectives Don’t Match
If you spend enough time in the gym you’ll realize that people work out for different reasons. Objectives range from a desire to lose weight, gain muscle, regain cardiovascular fitness, be able to play with the grandkids, or just say they are involving themselves in something physical.
Make sure you and your partner have the SAME objectives for working out. It’s hard to be workout buddies with someone who is trying to pack on the muscle while you’re trying to burn off 30 lbs. The objectives are too far apart and they spell disaster in the end.
If you find that your workout objectives have grown apart do yourselves a favor and part ways now. Your progress depends on it.
Your Partner Loses Focus
This is my #1 pet peeve about gym partnerships. An unfocused partner can delay your results by days, weeks, months, or even years. I may sound a little steamed about this one but its only because I speak from experience.
Here’s the story.
About 5 months after I started working out seriously something strange happened. My chest began to poke out, my arms grew larger, and my shoulders were noticeably wider. Around the office people began to take notice. As my results became more self evident a group of friends asked to work out with me. Since I enjoy being a generous person I saw no problem with that and happily let them join…BIG MISTAKE!
They were the most unfocused crew of people I’ve ever seen in the gym. All they wanted to do was talk about women, yap about sports, take extended breaks between exercises, and crack jokes. I quickly grew from mildly amused with their tactics to annoyed beyond belief. Fortunately for me they soon quite coming and I was able to regain my focus.
If your workout partners aren’t focused do yourself a favor and part ways with them. Your time is precious. Treat it that way. Don’t let someone else’s lack of direction and focus hold you back. It’s nice to have other people along ONLY when the relationship is mutually beneficial. Unfocused partners have no benefit.
Conclusion
You Know It’s Time to Dump Your Workout Buddy When
- Your partner starts missing workouts
- There is an obvious mismatch in motivation
- Fitness objectives don’t match
- Your Partner Loses Focus
I know this article is contrary to what most people would say about workout partnerships. Not every partnership is a match made in heaven. Breaking up isn’t always easy but sometimes its necessary. If you find yourself in a dead end partnership create a clean break and head for the hills. Last time I checked we were in the gym to get results 
.
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November 27, 2007 at 7:17 pm
I feel everything you are saying those are some of the reasons why i never had one. I really like to work at my own pace. Dont need anyone to push me to far and anyone that will keep me down. So i workout at home alone
November 28, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I think these things need to be said in the weightlifting world. I am an advocate of partnerships when they work. I’ve seen several partnerships work great and just as many be terrible. It’s good you’ve found what works well for you.
December 2, 2007 at 2:55 pm
I found out quickly that workout partners don’t work for me. I like the solitude that comes with going to the gym, plugging my ears, and only thinking about myself.
You made an excellent point about having similar goals. It made me think about the duos I see at the gym doing the same routine–and I mean like synchronized swimming–same weight, same reps, same excercises, etc. I would think that it makes it difficult to find out what your body will respond to–high reps/low weights?, low reps/go heavy?
December 3, 2007 at 8:31 am
You know, I’m the biggest advocate for training partners. And having had one of the best and a few awful ones in my time, I kinda can vouch for this. However this comment isn’t about my experience with them just because it varies.
To answer "Making A Change"’s comment, it really does make it difficult to find out what you respond to having a training partner all the time. When first starting out, I think it may be one of the biggest mistakes you make just because you don’t learn what you respond to while forming that whole "spotter" dependency.
However, I guess thats when you find individuals of like body type to train with as lots of responses will be somewhat similar. Thats kinda sorta what I did at first and would pretty much agree to get them to follow a routine for the time. Weight was adjusted accordingly.
Training with someone else though does kinda get the ball rolling mentally sometimes too.