Throughout my career I’ve worked with many types of clients, from individuals to friends to teams. Some of the most enjoyable and rewarding training sessions have come with couples.
When a couple trains together, it seems to be a different level of energy. I find the playful side almost always comes out with the couples engaging in good-natured encouragement as they train. This atmosphere promotes excellent effort and engagement during the workout.
Training together also presents opportunities for different types of exercises and workouts, such as tandem training activities, which involve using the resistance of the other person’s body weight to make the exercise more challenging.
Following are three exercises I believe work well for couples or training partners. But, consult your physician before starting or changing your fitness program. It might also be helpful to have a qualified coach or trainer instruct and supervise during the first session or two.
Couples ball squat
Squats are an important foundational exercise, requiring strength, flexibility and endurance in many of the muscles of the lower body and trunk. By partnering up with someone and performing your squats back-to-back with an exercise ball between you, there is the added challenge of maintaining stability against the dynamic load of your partner.
1. Start by standing back-to-back with someone, in an athletic stance and place an exercise ball between your lower backs or backsides. I encourage clients to hold the ball lightly between them, rather than actually leaning back against it.
2. Once you’ve established correct body position and foot placement, focus on core stability and begin slowly lowering down into the squat together. Pause momentarily at the bottom, then continue squatting up and down.
3. It may help to have one partner call out the timing of the movements at first to establish your cadence.
4. If your weight against the ball remains constant, the ball should travel straight up and down between you. Always try to maintain solid foot contact with the floor, avoiding the tendency to raise your heels and maintain good alignment of your knees over your toes.
Perform two to three sets of 15 to 20 slow squats, emphasizing control and movement quality over quantity.
Couples ball pushup
Pushups are a great exercise for the chest, shoulders and triceps, while also requiring core stability. Performing them with your hands on a ball adds a new dimension to the exercise.
1. Start by placing two firm exercise balls together on the floor, while you and your partner assume a pushup position on opposite sides of the balls.
2. Use your core to stabilize your spine and pelvis, while maintaining slight flexion in the hips and knees. Keep your head in alignment with your spine.
3. Co-ordinate your timing so you and your partner lower and press upward at the same pace.
4. If your hands or wrists bother you during this exercise you can modify by placing a strong stick or bar across the top of the ball and hold onto the ends. Avoid letting your head hang down and remember to breathe as you hold this exercise.
Try performing two sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
Couples one-arm row
Training the strong pulling muscles of the back is easy to do when you have a gym full of equipment, but one of the best exercises can be done with a partner.
1. Start by finding a towel, strap or double handles as shown here, and hold opposite ends in your right hands. Stand in an athletic stance opposite your partner, with one partner having their arm extended while the other is fully retracted.
2. Begin pulling the handle back and forth, with one partner providing resistance while the other pulls. The pull should be initiated by the core muscles generating rotation of the rib cage, followed by retraction of the shoulder blade and finally pulling of the arm. The pelvis and legs should remain quiet and still.
Perform two sets of 12 to 15 pulls per arm. Stronger partners can pull with their elbow high and wide away from the body, while less powerful individuals can keep their elbow close to their side, which is the strongest position.
—Rob Williams is a Vancouver-based kinesiologist and posture specialist.