Want to work out with the one you love most? Here’s our guide to cultivating a positive gym partnership for couples who workout together.
Whether your relationship is budding, undefined, long-term or decades in the making, working out together can be a ton of fun … or a challenge. It all depends on the way you approach it.
For the month of love, we wanted to provide some quick and easy tips to help you cultivate your couples workouts in a way that strengthens your muscles — and your bond.
Let’s dive in.
The BFC Fitness Guide For Couples Who Workout Together
Studies Prove: Couples Who Workout Together Stay Strong Together
Not only can working out with your romantic partner bring you closer, but it can also mean better results at the gym — and at home. Here are three reasons why working out together keeps you stronger together:
- Married couples who workout together are much more likely to stick with it. A study by the University of Indiana found that 43% of married couples who worked out separately dropped out of the gym within a year. Married couples who worked out together had a 6% dropout rate after a year. If you’re in it together, you’re in it to win it.
- A sociological study found that people perform better when they workout in front of their romantic partner. That’s right. The mere presence of your love interest is enough to motivate most people to up their game. And who doesn’t benefit from that?
- Exercise can increase your libido and help ward off performance issues. The cocktail of feel-good hormones released in the brain and body during a workout isn’t just good for your muscles. In fact, if you haven’t worked out lately, you’re more likely to feel this increase in libido following a workout because you’re activating your sympathetic nervous system and delivering a positive “shock” to the system, according to this doctor. Additionally, a study by the University of Texas at Austin found that exercise increases the libido in women immediately after a workout.
Tips For Working Out As A Couple
Now, you may be thinking: Working out as a couple sounds great, but it’s easier said than done. Introducing a new opportunity for teamwork can also introduce a new reason to bicker, if you don’t approach your couples workouts with intention and a little forethought. Here are our top five tips for happily working out as a couple:
- Plan your workouts before you go. Talking about your expectations before you enter the gym opens a dialogue without the audience of your fellow gym members. Plus, it prompts you to get on the same page, so you can simply focus on showing up and breaking a sweat together.
- Be open to new workouts. Most likely, you won’t see eye to eye on every workout, so let that be a good thing. Workouts with variety are often more effective, and learning new things together is positive for your relationship. Stay open and flexible, and most importantly, communicate. It’s also fine to spend some gym time together and some apart.
- Don’t act like a personal trainer. While teaching each other about your passions can be a positive experience, strutting the floor like a self-appointed personal trainer is not. You are a team — not a coach and student. Ask your partner if they’re open to ideas or suggestions before you give advice.
- Treat it like a date. Yes, your goal is to get a good workout, but it’s also to support and motivate each other along the way. Just like date night isn’t the time or place to hash out arguments, your couples gym sesh isn’t, either. Showing each other respect, support and friendship can actually create a pretty flirtatious atmosphere — especially when you’ve got all those endorphins flowing.
- Include partner exercises. This is a great way to increase the feeling of closeness during your workout. By working as a team, you’re accomplishing something together. And that can make you both feel like your love life is as strong as your gains.
Get In The Mood With This Valentine’s Day Couples Workout
Have a hot date this Valentine’s Day? Try this couples workout to feel closer, increase libido, and get those endorphins going before your big date.
When To Workout
If you want to heat things up for your romantic evening, first and foremost, it’s important to understand when to workout — and when to rest. Overexerting your body or depriving it of calories can cause your body unnecessary stress, which is NOT good for libido. So if you workout consistently, you might want to rest, eat well and try to relax. However, if you’re a semi-regular member, try this workout right before you go out for the evening — so you can take advantage of those happy post-workout hormones.
Start Separately
Cardio gets your blood pumping, so start separately, by putting in 30 minutes of moderate cardio. The elliptical or treadmill are great options, and yoga will increase your mind-body connection with a swift vinyasa flow. The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that yoga is particularly effective for women who want to increase their libido.
Come Together
Now it’s time to relieve some stress and get the testosterone flowing with strength training partner exercises. This is your opportunity to cultivate that bond.
- Push-up Shoulder Tap: Face each other in push-up position, and at the top of each push-up, tap your partner’s opposite shoulder with each hand. Repeat.
- Bodyweight Squat: Face each other in squat position, grab each other’s forearms, and hold tight as you both lower into a deep squat. Hold for a few seconds, return to your starting position and repeat.
- Squat with Rotational Pass: Grab a medicine ball, stand with your backs facing each other, and lower into a squat position. Rotate to one side to pass the medicine ball to your partner, then rotate to the other side to receive the ball from your partner. Repeat.
- Sit-up Pass: Face each other in a sit-up position. Raise the medicine ball overhead, then both partners perform a sit-up. At the top of the sit-up, pass the ball to your partner and lower. Repeat.
- Partner Bicycle Crunches: Face each other in a sit-up position. Raise your feet and align the soles of each foot with your partner’s, so your feet are touching. Do a set of bicycle crunches as you push and motivate each other.