Bike Work Stand Craigslist

Benefits of Training with a Partner

In a previous article, I discussed ways to overcome some of the “self-imposed” obstacles to training effectively.  These were some of the challenges that everyone must face when starting on any sort of training regimen, but most of all for people who train alone.  Those people must rely solely on their own internal motivation, dedication and will in order to succeed at their chosen sport or activity.  They do not have the benefit of having another person (or people) there to challenge them to push farther, harder, faster or to become better than they themselves believe is possible.  While this is certainly not a major stumbling block to success, it certainly makes the road a bit bumpier by taking away the sense of personal responsibility and accountability…making it much easier for that voice in your head to untie himself from the chair and take the duct tape off his mouth long enough to convince you to stay in bed because hell…it’s cold outside!

Training with a partner or group of partners is a fantastic counter to that selfish little voice (having more people with more rope can tie him down better anyway), and will provide an athlete with several key things which will allow them to achieve their goals much faster, all while having much more fun.

1. Training with a partner provides external motivation. A training partner can act as that angry Drill Sergeant and motivate you to keep going when your mind is thinking about giving up…but your legs are far from done.  Having another person there also creates a “shared suck” event.  “This sucks…but at least I’m not alone…Jim is right here…we’ll be alright…”.  Your partner also provides you with that sense of security that comes from knowing you are not alone…that someone else knows where you are, and if you fall or get injured, they will be able to provide assistance.

2. Accountability. When you have a dedicated training partner, it is no longer just about you!  Your partner is responsible to you, and you are responsible to your partner.  If you miss a workout, you’re not just letting yourself down…but you’re letting your partner down.  The same thing I’ve found to be true of Soldiers hold true for training partners.  Soldiers do not do anything for their leaders.  Soldiers do not do anything for their unit, or their congressman…or anyone else.  Soldiers do EVERYTHING for the guy or girl standing next to them in formation.  Instilling that sense of community responsibility in Soldiers is the surest way to ensure they will accomplish whatever mission you want them to accomplish.  “Because I said so…” does not work with them, and it should not be the case with your training partner either.  When people know there is someone else counting on them, they are much less likely to blow the training off.

3. Take advantage of the natural tendency to lead or follow. I have never seen two people train together who were exactly equal in terms of ability in EVERY aspect of their sport or activity.  We are all different, and we all have very different strengths when it comes to athletics.  By choosing a partner close in ability to yourself, you can take advantage of this natural tendency.  If your partner is slightly faster than you, then you have that motivation of someone just in front of you that you are struggling to catch.  This will provide you motivation during your run, and will provide fuel for your long-term goal planning.  “Ok…on that last 2 mile run, I finished 20 seconds behind Jill…my goal for next time is to be no more than 10 seconds behind her”.  Of course that is just one very simple example, but I think it illustrates my point.  If you are the faster one of the two…then your motivation is only slightly different.  You now have someone chasing YOU down, and using YOUR times or performance as the basis for his/her long term goal planning!  This little friendly competition between training partners is entirely beneficial to both athletes, and can put into perspective some of the other aspects of successful training (diet, goal setting, motivation)

Ok…we’ve talked about a few of the ways that training with a partner can benefit you.  Of course, this list (as always) is not all inclusive.  If I tried to sit here and write about all the ways in which a training partner can benefit an athlete, I’d probably miss dinner and half the night’s sleep!  The next question of course is “How do I find one?”.  Well, that’s a very good question.  The easiest (not necessarily the best) way to find a training partner is to put up a flier on campus, craigslist.com, gym, whatever…and advertise that you’re looking for someone to train with.  This could work…even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while.  This method is somewhat of a crap-shoot because you never know who is going to answer your ad.  What is their ability level?  What is their motivation?  Their goals?  You see where I’m going here?  All these things need to be taken into account when selecting a training partner.

The most important thing for partners is to have a common goal.  This will help everything else fall into place.  For example…someone training to break the world record in the 100 meters is not going to train the same way as someone who is trying to win the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon.  There is just nothing in common there, and that would only result in frustration for both athletes.  To put it another way…both of you should be trying to accomplish the same thing (finish a marathon, compete in the discus throw, win a super secret international beer drinking competition…whatever)  So a common goal is a pretty darn good place to start.  Then what?

Well…how about a relatively common level of ability…however that is measured in your chosen sport.  I’m going to use the 2 mile run as an example because I am familiar with it…and I don’t think this blog has been going long enough, and I don’t think I have enough readers for you to be tired of hearing it yet.  I think a relatively common level of ability would be about a 1 minute window…so 30 seconds faster or slower than you…and that may be pushing it a bit.  Any more than that, and you start looking at larger gaps of air between the two of you on the track.  So now you’ve found someone who shares the same goals you do, and is around your same level of ability…there are still another couple things you should take into account before you decide this is the person with whom you want to spend your precious training time.

A training partner should provide POSITIVE motivation at all times.  THAT INCLUDES YOU.  Don’t forget…this relationship is not one way.  Just as your partner should motivate you, you are also there to motivate them.  Your partner should be someone you enjoy being around.  You’re going to be spending significant amounts of time together, and if you hate each other…your training (and most likely your races) is going to suck.  The most obvious one (to me) is your partner should live close enough so you don’t have to commute an hour each way to workout…and it doesn’t require 87 phone calls, a secretary, a passport, and a long-range planner to schedule your next workout.  Those are some of the main ones.  There are other, less important ones such as being close in age, having a similar family situation, and common interests outside training.  I rated these as less important because the lack of these elements are NOT NECESSARILY detrimental to the training process…whereas if your training partner/pen-pal lives in a country with sunny beaches and no extradition, then your training relationship is over before it even started.

Great…now you have an idea of what to look for in a GOOD training partner.  The best place to find one is to check out the local running club, or gym, or bike shop and see what kind of group rides/runs/classes they have and just see who you meet.  Most running clubs will do group runs all the time, and the participants pretty much cover the entire spectrum of abilities and backgrounds.  Most welcome strollers and pets within reason, and with few exceptions, most all the people you meet are really friendly and very supportive of you and your goals.  You may find by joining their runs that working out with a larger group (as opposed to just one other person) is the right fit for you, and that is GREAT!  This advice does not just apply to folks aspiring to “greatness” in their chosen sport.  It is just as valid for anyone who goes out for an evening walk or bike ride to stay healthy and fit.  You will always notice you can go a little farther, a little faster, and have a lot more fun if there is someone else with you!

Well, without beating the topic TOO MUCH to death…I cannot stress the importance of finding a good training partner for anyone wishing to achieve significant improvement in their physical performance.  Your training partner should have a common goal, be able to provide you that external motivation you need when you need it, should provide you a healthy dose of friendly competition, and should always be there to support you.  Training with a partner gives you an added sense of accountability that will make it much harder for you to stay in bed and not workout…you don’t want to let your partner down.  Remember that this is a TWO WAY STREET.  You are there to be all that for your partner as well.  Choosing a training partner is no different from choosing your friends.

Best of luck…and until next time, enjoy your training.

<!– @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } –>

About the Author

I competed as a decathlete at CSU-Chico from 1999-2001. I am a U.S. Army Warrant Officer, and have trained Soldiers of all backgrounds and ability levels on proper running technique and speed improvement. I am a divorced single father of two young children. www.armyrunningshape.com

StoneyBrook – Luxury Home in the DTC

Hollywood Racks E3 Express 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack $67.46 Featuring a user-friendly hub adjustment system for a perfect fit on nearly any type of vehicle, the E3 Express Trunk Mount Rack is ideal for transporting up to three bikes for weekend biking adventures. Bike separators with rubber straps allow for easy mounting while also keeping the bikes secures on the rack. The E3 comes fully assembled and folds flat for easy storage when not in use. About Ho…

Swagman XTC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1.25 and 2-Inch Receiver) $192.60 The XTC Cross-Country 2-Bike Rack is designed to make it easy to carry two bikes securely on your car’s hitch with no risk of bike-on-car, or bike-on-bike damage. Thanks to a built-in anti-wobble device, the platform-style rack secures solidly to 2 or 1.25-inch hitches. To load the bikes, simply lift them into the wheel platforms, secure the wheels with the integrated wheel straps, and secure the …

Thule 964 Revolver 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) $422.95 The Thule Revolver Hitch Bike Carrier is a premium hitch rack that provides ultimate convenience, allowing you to both transport four bikes securely at the rear of vehicles equipped with 2-inch receivers and also conveniently swing the fully loaded bike hitch rack away from your vehicle for full rear access. Additional features of the …

Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand $169.95 The Home Mechanic Repair Stand works well with many recumbents and bikes with uniquely shaped tubing.Three-point leg system with reinforced center yoke offers superior stabilityFolds down to 41″ (104.14cm) for easy storage or transport and sliding retention rings lock folding legs into placeComposite top tube for smooth 360-degree clamp rotationQuick release height adjustment goes from 39 – 57″ (9…

Schwinn Airdyne AD4 Upright Exercise Bike $548.99 The Airdyne Exercise Bike is simply smart%2E Wind resistance is exponential%2C so the harder you pedal%2C the higher the resistance becomes%2E This naturally provides the right workout for both a novice exerciser and an elite athlete%2E…