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How to find a great workout partner

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If you’re lacking in motivation when it comes to sticking to your fitness routine, having a workout partner can go along way toward getting you off the couch and onto your home treadmill or out to the gym. While knowing that you have a fitness treadmill with preset programs can go a long way toward simplifying your exercise regimen, sometimes you just need a buddy by your side to inspire you to work out.

Same schedule
The whole point of having a workout partner is that you can exercise together, so if the two of you are on opposite schedules, chances are your partnership won’t work out (no pun intended). If you prefer to hit the gym early in the morning before work, make sure your workout buddy likes to do the same. When choosing a time of day to exercise, think about when you feel most energized.

Respect
One of the reasons that having a workout partner can be a powerful motivator is that it’s more difficult to back out of your commitment to exercise when you have to tell someone else that you are doing so. As a result, it’s important that your buddy is someone that you respect and wouldn’t want to disappoint. That way, you’ll be less likely to miss your exercise dates.

Similar goals
Are you trying to lose weight? Get toned? Run a marathon? So should your workout accomplice. Be honest about your fitness goals, and encourage your partner to do the same. This will help you support each other and reach your goals. Although you don’t necessarily have to have the same aspirations, it can be helpful because gaining lean muscle mass and losing weight require different exercising tactics.

Healthy lifestyle
If you lack motivation to go to the gym, you don’t want to chose a training partner that has the same issue. You’re there to inspire each other, and having a workout buddy that maintains a healthy lifestyle will make it easier for you to do the same. The idea is to influence each other in a good way, so try to find someone that already exercises on a regular basis.

Dependable
If you are going to motivate each other, you and your workout buddy will need to make a commitment to make it to the gym when promised. If you find that your exercise partner isn’t dependable, and you’re often running alone, it may be time to move on.