Whether
you are training hard as a bodybuilder or physique competitor, our sport is largely an individual sport where one is often left to figure it all out on their own and, compared to other pursuits, a greater number of things can, and will go wrong along the path to success.
For example, the pre-competition phase demands a number of critical steps to be followed before one steps onstage: diet, training, supplementation, posing and mindset all need to be worked on and perfected before competitive success can be realized.
There is so much advice or should I say, “bro science” out there nowadays that it’s confusing and can be counterproductive and sometimes lead you down the wrong path. Qualified advice from reputable sources can certainly help you in confronting these variables, but this might only take one so far.
Indeed, many feel it necessary to train with a like-minded person or persons, someone who shares similar goals, and who will enhance the quality of the training session, to maximize the full benefit from their training efforts.
For me, the greatest benefit of having a training partner is the push you get. A great training partner will drive up the Intensity level and make you step up your game. Let’s take a look at my own example. I have been training with two partners for the past year. My partners are much stronger than I am, plus their intensity level, and focus when they enter the gym is laser-like and contagious.
They always make sure I get the most out of every set, whether it is a couple more reps or ensuring that my form is perfect. There are also certain days when you enter the gym and you need the push of a good training partner there to “kick your butt” and help you push through the bad days.
No one can train at 100% in every workout as it is almost physically impossible, but a good training partner knows how to raise the bar, and how to bring up the Intensity when it’s lacking.
Again, going back to my own example, I train with two “Beasts”. They are competitive bodybuilders and both very focused on improving their physique and quite driven in and out of the gym. We train Hardcore and Intense: I feel as though people that are around us while we train are blown away by our intensity. There is a mutual understanding between us – it is an unwritten rule that when it’s time to train, nothing else matters for those 45-60 minutes, blinders on, and we’re putting in work, and taking care of business.
The training session is not a social event; we don’t talk about the family, the stock market, the kids or a million other things that might be on our minds prior to entering the gym. We have entered the zone, and we have come together to better one another, push each other beyond our own self-imposed limits and support the others and provide the extra push. It is a “Talk Less, Do More” atmosphere where I like to say “Respect Results” as that is what we are after – achieving better results than we could produce training by ourselves.
Enthusiasm is infectious, and it goes a long way toward fueling legendary workouts that spur excellent gains. Cultivate it in yourself, and encourage it in your partners. Lifting weights really is mind over matter, so get your mind in a positive state where you are absolutely psyched up to have the greatest workout ever.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17
Two are better than one because they have a greater return for their work.
“If one man falls down, a friend can help him up, but pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up." – Eccl. 4:9, 10
Religious or not, you can definitely see and understand the benefit and Power of 2!
This analogy is so true when finding a good training partner. A good training partner is not someone who necessarily agrees with everything you do, the methods you have used in the past or everything that you say, but it’s someone who challenges you and tests your limits to help you build a better physique.
There is mutual benefit in the rubbing of two iron blades together; the edges become sharper, making the knives more efficient in their task to cut and slice.
Returning to the analogy, if a knife is blunt, it still continues to be a knife, although it is less effective, less useful and cannot achieve the results it was intended for.
Many times, we as individual competitors / athletes will hit a wall – mental or otherwise – where we are putting the time in, and going through the motions in the gym, but also knowing that we have much more we could be giving. At times, as individuals, we might even talk ourselves out of going to the gym.
If nobody's waiting for you, it's too easy to blow off the gym. The real key to a great physique is being consistent with great, intense workouts on a regular basis over a period of years. Having a training partner goes a long way toward ensuring that you will make it to the gym when you are supposed to.
What I consider the biggest advantage of a training partnership is rivalry. We're all competitive by nature, and we all perform better when there is someone to compete against. Though hard to find, a training partner roughly at your level of strength makes an excellent rival. As you try to outdo each other for weight and reps and intensity, you will both be taking in the most grueling, productive workouts of your lives. And because it's a competition, it will seem like fun rather than exercise. In the end, you will both come out big winners.
A good training partner can separate a man from a champion and an ordinary lift from a personal best. To maximize gains one must find a partner that has similar goals, attitudes, and a discipline that is congruent to their own.
Working out with a great partner can mean the difference between looking the same year after year or finally building a physique you can be proud of!
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