In a world inundated with the latest gadgets and gear, one simple accessory has persevered and stands out amongst the crowd as, potentially, the most important key to your training success. It’s not a bracelet that measures your sleep score, a device that measures barbell speed, or a mat that measures jump height. It’s not a lifting belt, knee wraps, or your special pair of shoes. While these are all awesome tools that can certainly augment your training process, when it really comes down to it, the most important and effective training accessory is a great training partner. Today, we’re going to discuss the importance of both finding and being a supportive bar-bending buddy!
Motivation
Having a great training partner, especially one with similar goals or on a similar training plan to you, can be one of the most motivating factors in your weight room performance: more effective than any pump-up song, pre-workout supplement, or lucky training shirt or shoes. Over time, your partner will come to know what kind of motivation you do and do not respond well to. Are you the type of lifter who loves to get jacked up by a back slap, some yelling, loud music, and a sniff of ammonia? Or, are you the cool, calm, and collected type who would rather just stay even keel with a few simple and reassuring words of encouragement? A great partner will be able to tell the difference and act accordingly, helping you to optimize your session. They will also be able to provide that extra ounce of motivation when you ARE in the zone on a PR attempt and just need that little extra push, as well as that larger dose of motivation on the days you really may NOT be feeling it and would otherwise just go through the motions.
Accountability
A great training partner will be able to hold you accountable in multiple ways. Similar to the feedback we receive from plenty of our IPC clients who may have had difficulty staying consistent in the gym before joining us, when they have an appointment booked to come train, it helps to keep them accountable to attending the session. When people know somebody is counting and relying on them to show up (either their coach or training partner), they are much less likely to skip training sessions.
Additionally, a great training partner will be able to hold you accountable to your technique and effort. When they see you cutting your squats short, bouncing the bar on your deadlifts, or rushing through your supposed-to-be tempo work, a partner who truly wants to see you succeed will call you out on it and hold you accountable. When your gym buddy trains with you long enough, they’ll know what it looks like for you to push it all the way to 10. Conversely, and thankfully, this also means they’ll know when you’re sandbagging! Again, although it may sting to hear in the moment, a great training partner will let you know when they think you’re just going through the motions and not squeezing every ounce you can out of the workout. Of course, we all have days where we may not be able to go 100% and just moving a bit of dirt is better than nothing, but the right training partner can minimize the occurrence and frequency of these days.
A Caveat
As with most things, there is a caveat to this concept; keep in mind that we said GOOD training partner. Put simply, if your partner sucks, they’re doing more harm than good and your progress and performance will actually suffer. Look around any commercial gym and you’ll see hordes of people spending more time texting and tweeting than training. If these are the only training partners you have available to you, you actually may be better off on your own.
The Solution
At IPC, you should know by now that we’re problem solvers; if you’ve got an issue, we’ve got a solution.
If you’re looking for a room full of great training partners and having difficulty finding them at your local commercial gym, hit us up now and let’s chat about our semi-private training service! Semi-Private Training offers a nice blend of the attention to detail and coaching that you’d expect during a personal training session (including entirely individualized training material), along with the improved training environment that comes with a team training dynamic. Each athlete receives a personalized program and is coached through it by our coaching staff while everyone else in the room is doing the same.
Or, if you prefer to train alone or in your home gym but still want that community feel, you can join our Online Barbell Club! It’s a community of bar-benders just like yourself with training programs delivered right to your phone through the Teambuildr app that you can complete at your own gym on your own time. The Online Barbell Club allows you to experience the freedom and independence of training on your own with a professionally-designed program, while knowing that a group of like-minded and equally-motivated individuals are out there getting after it with you!
