Buddy Exercises!

„Wanna go to the gym?“

Not only because they can be good company can training partners be a great addition. You can also do other things with them. Tutorial Thursday will tell you what exactly they can add to your workouts.

You can always train alone, and quite effectively at that. But have you ever tried partner exercises? And I don’t mean handing your training partner the barbell from the station so he/she can achieve a new PR. Sure, ‘spotting’ is one of the advantages when you are going to the gym with a friend. One can watch out for the other and make sure he/she doesn’t get crushed by a barbell. That’s friendship right there! Another great aspect is the fact that there is always someone who can capture your training mishaps and put them on the interwebs so you can rewatch it for all eternity:

But you can be even more effective as a training partner. Take sandbag training for example. There are countless exercises where you hand, throw, push or pull over the sandbag. Trust me, it’s fun!

Sandbag Partner Exercises

Just try it: stand opposite of each other about one meter apart, your feet are shoulder-width apart. One of you has the sandbag in the so-called front rack position, also known as Zercher position, so on your upper arms in front of the shoulders. Partner 1 does a front squat and stretches the hip explosively at the end so the sandbag gathers enough energy to jump up. You can push it up with your arms a bit to create more momentum. The sandbag should fly over to partner 2 who catches it with the upper arms in front of the shoulders, leads the sandbag downwards with a front squat, and throws the weight back like partner 1 did before. You do this repeatedly. Make sure you catch the sandbag with a straight back at all times and do the front squat with perfect form.

Another great exercise is the plank with outside pull. Both of you get into a plank position parallel to each other. Let’s say partner 1 is left and partner 2 is right. Partner 1 starts by pulling the sandbag with their left arm underneath their own plank to the left side. Then partner 1 pulls the sandbag with the right arm until it lies directly next to partner 2, to the right of partner 1. Then, partner 2 does them same, pulling the sandbag away from partner 1 and then towards partner 1. Repeat, repeat, repeat. A great exercise to strengthen your core and your shoulders. Make sure to keep a straight plank at all times. Don’t move your hip at all when you pull the sandbag.

aeroSling Partner Exercises

If you own an aeroSling dynamic sling trainer with a pulley, then you can try some partner exercises as well. The pulley allows both of you to hold one handle and create the training resistance for the other.

Outer Rotation with the aeroSling:

The aeroSling is mounted about shoulder high on a pole, a lantern, or on any other sturdy object. Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees are slightly bend, and you can look directly at each other. Choose the distance to the anchor point of the aeroSling so that both of you can can hold one handle right in fron of you with your arms straight. This is the starting position. Partner 1 starts rotating away from the anchor point while partner 2 slowly rotates towards the anchor point and creates the training resistance for partner 1. Make sure to rotate around your spine alone, no evasive movements allowed! This exercise is great to tease your partner because the partner who rotates outwards is typically a bit stronger than the partner who rotates inwards (excentric vs concentric). Apart from this fun factor this exercise has the big advantage that there is constant stress, even when the partner pulls their handle away from the anchor point.

And with a Flex Handle S or XL there are even more exercises that you can do. Take a look at the video below for some inspiration.

Of course it doesn´t always have to be a Buddy-Training. Head over to our Suspension Training Exercise page for some inspiration.

Partner Bodyweight Exercises

Those were just a few examples of how you can integrate your training partner into your workout. You can also do partner exercises without any equipment. For example, you can do squats while your partner holds your legs, or push-ups with a clap in between. The possibilities are endless and only limited by your creativity.

So, grab a friend and try some of these exercises. Not only will you have more fun, but you will also challenge your body in new ways and keep your workouts fresh and exciting.

Happy training!