At some point or another we have all wanted to try for that heavier lift, one more rep, or even to get to the gym a little bit earlier on a Monday after a weekend layoff (maybe just me then, ahem?!) Having a training partner providing there intentions are as true as yours can help with all these aspects and many more. Alternatively, just a friend to chin wag with between sets and discuss … I don’t know err …. The price of fish?
Spotting No not just a term for ornithology enthusiasts, but probably one of the most important duties of the training partner, providing it is done correctly. The presence of an ally during a set of any exercise can provide safety and encouragement. I personally feel far more comfortable knowing I’ve got my back covered when there’s a weight stacked bar looming over my neck like the sword of Damocles.
The art of a correct spot is to provide assistance WHEN needed. This ability comes with time and when the limitations of your training partner are understood. Many T.P’s can be hasty in the attempt too, as far as they are concerned, assist. Wildly snatching at the bar when the vein in your forehead starts to appear, or when your breaths start to become deeper can be an absolute nightmare for a possible fantastic last set that will put you in a zone for the rest of your workout. A good partner will be able to assess the load you have taken on and understand the possible outcome. By standing by you whilst the set is being performed, with continuous support and encouragement throughout may be enough to get that one more rep, however if the load seems to be too much then simply a couple of fingers under the bar or hands on the elbows taking off just a pound or so of the weight will be enough to conquer the set.
On the flip side of the coin is the T.P that continues to chat up the lady he has had a crush on since he made himself a member, and completely disregards your safety, ambitions and time. Heed this advice, lose the ass hole, this ain’t no marriage where kids and the dog are involved this prick is either gonna get you killed or hold you back either one you don’t want. Bodybuilding isn’t a team sport, I don’t really class it as a sport, it is a journey for ones self, to push boundaries that many would fear, bodybuilding only creates alliances and friends not team mates!
Competition Who’s the bigger you or him? Who’s the strongest you or him? Who’s got the biggest D…, sorry training ain’t gonna help you there.But competing between yourselves is a fantastic way to aid in your success. I’m not saying that every work out you have is solely to bench or squat more than the next guy, but providing that you never exceed yourself to the point where it would be detrimental to your health this can only help.
If you train with a partner that is physically smaller and weaker than yourself, yet their intentions are true imagine the drive and determination they have to move as much weight as you can, to have the 20-inch arm you do. Having a training partner that is of equal size and strength is not necessarily always an advantage apart from the lack of plate swapping, but to be always striving towards your partner’s status is a real visual goal. Being the bigger of the alliance does not mean you have no drives within the partnership but they do take a different path. Always keep a margin between yourselves, and don’t let that lead become any closer than YOU want it too, if it does you better pick up the pace which in turn drives on your ally.
Knowledge As Confucius once said “When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it – this is knowledge.” In Layman’s terms, if you have good info use it, if you don’t, accept it. Two minds are most certainly better than one and with two pairs of eyes and two sets of ears there’s twice as much information that can be obtained about the game than just from a single body. This information should be shared and absorbed, providing it’s good, which it always will be from this publication I might add!!
The gym can either be a friend or foe, many may hack away for years with an intention for self improvement yet hardly achieving anything, that my friends is the steel beating you back. The great conquerors of the world were not just successful for having a big pair of balls but because they knew their enemies and fort on all fronts to victory. Knowledge is your greatest ally and with it every piece of steel in the gym will become an instrument that you can play like an acclaimed musician.
Punctuality We can all be late from time to time; God knows I have used every excuse in the book regarding my tardiness. However, when it comes to gym time, now that’s a different story. My biggest bugbear has to be waiting for a training partner to turn up. What do you do? Wait a little longer or start without them. If you wait your going to get out of the gym later than you wanted, bearing in mind the Mrs has got your tea ready at 7:30 bless her, or do you start with out them which fuck’s everything up anyway because neither of you will be on the same exercise. Simple just GET THERE ON TIME!! No matter what things always crop up, but if it is happening on a regular basis refer to my earlier comments.
Good time keeping in bodybuilding is a crucial factor with or without a partner. The body loves routine, the times we eat, what we eat, when we sleep, when and how we train. If your workout starts at 6:00pm then it starts THEN, the reason for this is simple.
The body clock, which we all refer to usually when its knackerd e.g. after a long haul flight and swapping time zones, is very real. Circadian rhythms are the way our body settles into its regular patterns. E.g. when we wake minutes before our alarm clock or start to get tired and ready for bed around 10pm is due to a rhythm we have conditioned our selves too. If you were to train every evening at 7:00pm then your body would know that an onslaught was imminent at this time, for your body to get through this work out it needs to be able to saturate the muscles with a great supply of amino’s, vitamins and minerals and all the things that make you a big boy. So it is vitally important that you hit this window at the right time with or with out your partner.
Conclusions As a bodybuilder that has trained both on my own and as a partner ship, I can say that the latter has brought me on further than before, but only because my ally wants the same as I do. There is no room for time wasters Ladies and Gents the gymnasium is our battlefield and your partner watches your back. They are your eyes and your ears and yours are theirs, create a partnership that will work for you both and your gains will be endless, become a burden and the alliance folds.
Train Hard, Learn and Be strong,
Mick Hart.
“For anyone considering steroid use” This is a MUST READ… Layman’s Guides to Steroids I and II
WARNING: Don’t read this unless you are ready to GAIN Serious Lean Muscle> “Layman’s Guides to Steroids 3.0″