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FeedBuddy System
For a fun and effective workout, sometimes it takes two.
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Is working out a chore? Is it all you can do to get to the gym? You might be exercising with the wrong person—yourself.
Sweating it out with a partner can banish boredom and increase motivation. It’s also more cost effective than working with a personal trainer one-on-one. Couples, friends and even parents and children are finding that the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks.
Compatibility is important, of course. The key is to find a partner who shares the same exercise goals and interests. If you happen to be married to that person, all the better. Bernie and Eileen Brown have been working out twice a week with a personal trainer from Stay Young Fitness for more than two years. For this Bala Cynwyd couple, there really is no downside to exercising together. “It’s an incentive,” says Bernie, 71. “Otherwise, we’d never do it.”
“It’s also cheaper,” he adds with a laugh.
The Browns work out side-by-side, using various equipment to stay fit and increase strength and stamina. They enjoy their sessions so much that they recommended it to two friends. The other couple didn’t stick with it, however. Eileen, 60, suspects they didn’t work out at the same time, so they weren’t as motivated to continue.
Mutual motivation is one of the best reasons to work out with a partner, says Damien Young, owner of Stay Young Fitness. In addition to working out side-by-side, people can partner up to maximize their exercise routine, he notes. In one classic example, a person holds a pad while the other hits it. Both parties actually get a good workout.
The only hitch is if you and your partner have different exercise goals and/or strength levels, Young says. As such, the buddy system may not work well if one partner is focused on losing weight and the other wants to train for a marathon.
Some experts also caution that working out together can be distracting. People get caught up in socializing and forget why they’re there. Those who take their exercise regimen seriously, or who need to buckle down, might be better off going solo. Still, working out with a friend can also be a refreshing change of pace, especially for those who normally keep to a strict routine.
Laurence Kaplan, owner of Varsity Fitness in Bala Cynwyd, says pairing up offers unexpected benefits that working out alone can’t. Many of his clients are true athletes. For them, exercising with a like-minded friend can be a welcome break from an intense schedule. “I’d love to be able to work with everyone once a week on their own and once in a group,” he says. “It’s good to mix it up.”
In fact, two of his toughest and most competitive athletes have a tendency to crack each other up with inside jokes and chatter like schoolgirls before getting down to business. Kaplan usually cuts them some slack—because they are schoolgirls.
Jen Newman and Devi Jadeja, both 17, are two of the top high school tennis players in the area. “Having a friend there is the ultimate motivation,” says Jen, who’s ranked No. 1 in girls’ tennis at the Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr.
And yet, she adds, “It’s fun. It’s almost like a break.”
Both singles players, Jen and Devi have known each other since they were 7 or 8 and also compete as doubles partners on occasion. They train together with Kaplan during the week, racing each other on various machines or tossing the medicine ball around. It’s effective because they share the same passion.
“We’ve grown up together with tennis,” says Devi, who’s ranked No. 1 at Lower Merion High School.
