# What makes a good training partner????



## bigben66 (Oct 21, 2016)

So, loads of you have a gym buddy….

Someone you meet religiously at a set time every day in the gym, with the goal of hitting a certain body part - a piece of a master plan for the week ahead.

But what do they need from you….?
_What makes a training partner GREAT!?_

Well contrary to popular belief....

▪️They do NOT need someone to count their reps.

▪️They do NOT need someone for banter between sets.

▪️They do NOT need someone to regale stories of a night out over the weekend.

▪️They do NOT need someone to ask how work is, or how their new motor is running.

▪️They do NOT need a friend.

Think about it….

You are BOTH there for results.

You have BOTH paid your hard-earned money to join a gym, then splashed the cash to kit yourself out in the latest gym gear and no doubt you BOTH have goals and a vision for how you want to look in the future.

What they need from you, is someone who is going to push them harder than they have ever been pushed before… make every rep count, every set count, keep their form efficient, strict and tidy, and challenge them every which way you can – and that’s exactly what you need from them.

You should NOT be ‘spotting’ them from the 3rd rep onwards and doing half of most of their sets for them… you should be ensuring that they are training optimally and doing everything in your power to make them succeed – and of course after that set is complete, the roles are reversed and they are there for you – not marvelling at their pump in the mirror whilst you are collapsing in a heap under the bar.

A good training partner will offer up queues during a set that guide them and keep their form optimal….

They should be hearing cries of “squeeze those pecs”, “drive the elbows low”, “slow down that tempo”, “give me some partials”, “contract those biceps” etc etc whilst monitoring alignment, advising on sloppy form, and being there for muscle failure when it happens – basically your job is to make every set as demanding as possible, as difficult as it can physically be - so that the goals they desperately strive for, become a reality.

So if you DO have a gym buddy, and they are constantly on FaceBook, WhatsApp etc – or just shooting the breeze instead of getting the job in hand done efficiently, it’s time to get shut immediately….

You are holding each other back, that relationship is not only worthless, but it is harmful and full of negativity. Even though no harm is actually intended – the end goal will never be met, you need to remain friends OUTSIDE the gym, not IN.

On the other hand, if that relationship IS worth saving, and you think a crisis meeting to bang out a few new rules is long overdue – then meet up in a ‘neutral environment’ and iron out a few essentials.

I guarantee one thing…. If you can build a real desire to make your training partner succeed, and do everything in your power to make that happen – it’ll become contagious, and when this works both ways, you’ll then find you are BOTH on a one-way ticket to success!

If a job is worth doing – it’s worth doing right…. RIGHT?


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## ECKSRATED (Oct 21, 2016)

U lost me at "squeeze those pecs" lol


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## stonetag (Oct 21, 2016)

Wow, where do I get one of them? I train with my wife, other than a little grab ass, we push each other pretty damn good.


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## Iron1 (Oct 21, 2016)

I need a competent spotter who is willing to take feedback.

Different people want different things out of their spotters depending on what they're doing while training but so many people assume they already know everything.
Communication is key:
Do you want to go to failure before I jump in?
Do you need me to keep momentum up and let you rep it out?
Will you call it out or do you want me to wait until you stall?
Do you want to grind out that last rep or take it to the rack asap?

When the set is over, its your responsibility to ask how you did as a spotter. It helps both of you get better.

Stuff like that is important especially if you're spotting someone new.


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## PillarofBalance (Oct 21, 2016)

Big tits is nice. But I also like having someone who can tell me wtf I am doing wrong and someone who can spot me.

For the record though I have like 8 training partners.


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## Iron1 (Oct 21, 2016)

PillarofBalance said:


> For the record though I have like 8 training partners.



You slut..


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## DocDePanda187123 (Oct 21, 2016)

Iron1 said:


> You slut..



I wish I could be a part of that slut group


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## BigJohnny (Oct 21, 2016)

I train alone, it's tough sometimes as there are not many people in the gym @430 am to ask for a spot, especially on the 15 set bench days!


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## BiologicalChemist (Oct 21, 2016)

I have a couple training buddies we're all doing the same thing...it definitely helps motivation, especially on leg days or chest days...but sometimes I'd rather lift alone and just zone into my workout. Both work.


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## snake (Oct 21, 2016)

I lift by myself. If I were to get stapled to the bench, no one would hear me with what little breath I could draw from a punctured lung anyway. There's a good chance after a few days, the dogs would smell me and lead the police to my decomposing body. There is the outside chance that my wife finds me first but I would require my bench to fall on the 1st of the month; mortgage payment.

In the past, I had a bunch of guy that were always around but that was only for a spot or a form check. I'm not waiting around for someone to finish cutting his grass to meet me in the gym. Or a help me decide what "WE" are going to do for back tonight.


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## saltylifter (Oct 21, 2016)

If you need me to spot you while you deadlift I'm your guy all you have to do is ask


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## TRUSTNME (Jan 10, 2018)

So on point.


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## TRUSTNME (Jan 10, 2018)

Good info.     





Iron1 said:


> I need a competent spotter who is willing to take feedback.
> 
> Different people want different things out of their spotters depending on what they're doing while training but so many people assume they already know everything.
> Communication is key:
> ...


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## jennerrator (Jan 10, 2018)

I have never had a training partner...can't stand it, if I need a spotter I just ask......


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## JaredH (Jan 12, 2018)

Everyone I get someone to train with me they give up after a couple months. And I'm always the one who's pushing, have a hard time finding someone to push me. So I push myself.


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## motown1002 (Jan 12, 2018)

Hard to find someone as dedicated and as aggressive as I want to be.  I worked out for years alone.  I like it that way.  Now I work out with a couple that wont push themselves.  One loves to whine and complain on why he isn't bigger, but he eats like shit.


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## JuiceTrain (Jan 13, 2018)

Never had a training parter for more than a day


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## wham (Jan 13, 2018)

have sex with your training partner hooooa gggggcome on!!


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## IHI (Jan 13, 2018)

Ive lifted alone 99% of the time ive been in the gym or my basement since a teen. Like the same plight we all face
1. Trying to merge schedules is tough, especially in a typical young family where your/they’re going 5 directions at once 
2. Op sounds like he wants a trainer, not a partner. Or hes been the inexperienced/experienced one getting/giving help on form and what not. The times i do lift with a bud, currently got 2 guys i meet at a new to me gym- we do our thing and lend a hand/spot if/when needed. Other than thats its 3 of us doing our own thing or we make a circuit and the other guys work time is my rest time

having been solo for so many years, i dont find a buddy pushing me harder, i find having more toys at an actual gym allows me to push myself further. At the end if the day, single/paired/trioed i could care less, i do me in the gym. I offer advice to buddies to clean up their form or how better to maximize what they’re working on; but most of the time we do bs about work/family/kids, etc..so its our break from life, a commradery time of like minded men spending a few hours together moving weight vs standing in the shop bsing over a beer

ps. I work with a guy whos a gym rat, tries to go 6/7 days a week, trains like a cross fitter. But he coaches wrestling so has that “try to kill myself with too much work” mentality- which is good aggression wise, but his program stinks and he wonder why his gainz are slower than everybody else. Ive tried for yrs to tell him rest days and smart programming are just as important as the work ethic . Time off is a good thing, but he hurts himself, pushes thru handicapped and extends lower work/less gains because of injury that could be stopped/fixed if hed take time off. But mainly we didnt work out as a team due to shaddy schedule he kept “i couldnt get outta bed/had a late night, so often it was me alone anyhow.


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## RobertCalifornia (Jan 17, 2018)

i like lifting alone and just calling over a spotter if needed. although, i worked out with this hot girl for the first time, and on that day i hit a pr deadlift


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