Four Reasons to Train with a Partner

Triathlon by its very nature is a lonely, solitary sport. However, during race weekends triathletes come together with spectators, friends, and volunteers and it seems the entire world revolves around swimming, biking, and running. This was the case this past weekend at Ironman Maryland. It was wonderful to see all the athletes, volunteers, and spectators supporting each other in lofty, ambitious, superhuman goals. 

As I reflected on all the people that contributed to me being there on race day, I considered the team each athlete has around them which brings them success. There are spouses and families, physical therapists and chiropractors, and of course training partners. And while I as a coach caution about training exclusively in groups, there are some significant advantages to working out with others. 

Whether it be group fitness classes, meeting a buddy for an early gym session, or doing the Saturday morning group ride, training alongside others has some significant benefits. And while I generally train alone, I join up with others ever so often for a myriad of reasons. In fact, there are many benefits to training with a partner or group. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Motivation. Motivation has got to be the number one reason I (and many others) choose to sweat it out alongside others. While there are numerous studies that show the positive motivational benefits of group exercise, it doesn’t take a scientist to explain why working out with others works. In most cases, mine included, we are encouraged by others who are like minded. On days when it’s tough to exercise, we can be motivated by showing up for a group fitness class, or to a group run and joining with others in a common goal. In some cases, physically meeting up can be challenging- however in this digital age we can be inspired by an Instagram post or YouTube video. A few years ago, I was asked to lead a group work out for an Instagram community that was tens of thousands of members strong. Their common goal was weight loss and consisted of members from all over the East Coast. Several wanted to meet up in person, and I was privileged to witness their mutual motivation and determination to help each other reach their goals.
2. Accountability. For some, this is the most important reason to train alongside others. In fact, several personal training clients of mine fall into this category! All of us at times are not motivated to get up and get moving. This is the reason I have a standing 6 AM group ride every Thursday morning. Otherwise, I would find a reason to hit the snooze bar (the reason is usually named Evan;). In a perfect world, we would all have the self-discipline to work out every day without fail, but we don’t live in that world. We all realize the benefits of being accountable to someone else, and that is a huge benefit to meeting up with others. It can simply be meeting a friend for a walk every Sunday morning, or as intense as a 50 mile group rides every Thursday morning. A study in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that 95% of those who started a weight-loss program with friends completed the challenge, as opposed to only a 76% completion percentage for those who started the challenge alone. The ‘friend’ group was also 42% more likely to maintain their weight loss. 
3. Performance improvement. This tends to be the reason most “Type-A’s” like to train with others- the competition. No one likes to be the weakest swimmer in their lane or slowest runner in their club. Triathletes know this all too well- why else do we all have our ages (divisions) marked on our calf in full view as we race! It always seems easier to pass someone who you’re competing directly against as opposed to someone in an age group 15 years older. I felt this in full force on race day as well as in one of my last training swims prior to this weekend. Typically, my swim sessions are around 12 noon when most of the retirees are swimming.  Yet race-week scheduling challenges required I swam at 5:30 am with the other more competitive triathletes and swimmers, and my times improved significantly, just because I was swimming alongside faster people. This doesn’t have to be true just for athletes. In fact, in a study done by the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology found that when participants did planks with a partner vs. alone, they increased the time of their planks by 24%! 
4. Fun. Who doesn’t like to workout with friends?! It’s a given that most of us derive enjoyment from shared experiences. We all know it’s fun to do a long ride, tough workout or a tough trail run with a friend. Most of us recognize that tough workouts can also feel a bit easier when you’ve got a friend or two suffering alongside you. And in a like manner, when the day goes well and you have a breakthrough performance it’s even sweeter when you share that as well. And there’s no place to see that highlighted that at the finish line of the Ironman, seeing shared tears of pain and tears of joy. 

So, the next time you’re struggling to stay motivated during a workout, faltering a bit on your goals, are stagnant in your training, or find your workouts just plain dull, grab a friend and give it a go together. See how you do. If you’re like most people, you might see an uptick in your performance or simply find it just a bit easier to hit the pool, gym, or trail at 5am.