Finding the perfect workout partner is a lot harder than it sounds. The number of fellow fitness fanatics I know who have workout partners that, well, work out, are few and far between.The challenges in finding a good workout partner are the same as finding a good mate. The complaints that lead to breakups of workout partners are similar, too:
1. You don't have enough time for me. The greatest problems I've ever seen between workout partners is timing. Meeting all our obligations to work and family takes an amazing amount of dedication and coordination. We have to work early, we have to work late, we have to fix our houses, we have to do our chores, we have to drive the kids.... The list is long and working out isn't always our top priority, which means we have to cut a workout or two, leaving our workout partner on his/her own. Multiply the complexity by two, and you can see why this leads to conflict.
2. You're always late. Another problem is if you're always on time but your buddy is always late, or vice-versa. Have you ever stood around waiting for someone for fifteen minutes in a gym? Or have you ever started your workout and been out of synch with your partner and had to help them make up the missed exercises at the end? It's no fun and can be a bone of contention.
3. You think you're better than me. Finding a workout partner who is perfectly matched to you weight lifting isn't a problem. You can just adjust the weight accordingly. Finding a workout partner who runs at the same pace can be more of a challenge. Usually one person or the other has to hold back from full throttle to be a good buddy, and that costs fitness points in the long run. Some people solve this problem by running together for a set distance then splitting off for a couple of miles. That's a good solution, as long as the other party doesn't mind getting left in the dust.
4. You talk too much. I've seen this a lot in gym settings. One person is completely dedicated to exercising, while the other person spends a lot of time jibber jabbering either with his/her workout buddy or everyone else in the gym. The silent type and the social type don't always make the best workout partners.
5. You smell. This one speaks for itself.
As you can see, there are all kind of challenges to keeping a working-out relationship together. My own solution, quite frankly, is to work out alone. I've never found a person that could exercise according to my fractured schedule. And I don't like waiting around when the mood hits me to get moving.
Rather than get dragged down by a complicated workout partner relationship, I'd rather work out when I'm ready, willing and able. It works for me.
The absolute greatest tragedy I've ever seen involving workout partners is when one uses the other as an excuse for not working out or quitting completely. It happens too often and it's a total cop-out.
What do you think?
