Monday, March 26, 2012

Power To The Partner

Photobucket
Having someone to train with can be one of the best tools in your quest to get bigger, faster, stronger. Think about when you do stuff by yourself. Go to the movies, dinner, sporting event. Don't get me wrong there are some of us who would rather go about those activities solo. I get that. However, when pursuing physical goals it can be beneficial to have a partner.

1. They Can Spot

Depending on the type of training you focus on there will be a struggle to complete an exercise. In my situation, final sets on the last training cycle consist of a PR attempt. I have a given weight in Bench, Squat, Deadlift, Overhead Press and have a number of reps that must be completed. When there are close to max weights on the bar and meeting a goal is a grinder a spotter can be invaluable.

Another mental aspect is when I have a spotter I don't want one. Sounds weird right? Stay with me on this. At NB Strength Coach we don't count reps that the spot has to bail you out. None of this "It's all you" crap. So I challenge myself to not need a person to help me. Also if you are training alone you have to walk around the gym like a lost animal looking for some one competent. Not fun.

2. Motivation is the KEY

Doing things solo is a good thing. Sometimes. I have trained by myself and have had awesome results. But, trust me having headphones in and laser focus doesn't make many friends. I know, I know we're not having tea parties we're training but most of us are social animals that need some interaction with like minded individuals. Having a training partner gives you the chance to vent about job, school, girls, boys, kids or whatever can distract training. Obviously don't talk the whole time, there should be a definite switch.

Allow yourself to take a "mind dump". Get rid of all the crap clogging your mind that is preventing total focus on the training for the day. Thinking about paying rent before a squat can lead to "throwing your back out".

Finding a good training partner is tough because a lot of things have to fall into place. Schedule, goals, training location, interaction. Take your time and really decide if it will work. If not, you can always go back to training by yourself that never hurt anyone.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...