Partnering at the gym

WHETHER lifting weights, walking or playing a sport, exercising with a partner can be beneficial for the physical-and mental--health of both participants. In fact, sharing a passion for physical activity with someone else can be such a rewarding experience that many times the companionship provides the extra incentive needed to achieve fitness goals.

Just ask Genevieve Hanson and Gregory Turk. The two Washington, D.C., professionals prove that when it comes to working up a sweat, the old adage is true: Two can be better than one. The pair exercises together on a regular basis. And while his workout is geared more toward increasing muscle than her high-intensity, cardiovascular exercises, the two enjoy each other's company.

"It makes it much easier be cause you have someone else motivating you," says Turk, a systems engineer. "You're both trying to reach for the same goal.

When one person doesn't have the incentive to work out, the other person can try to encourage them. It's a little bit more fun when you have someone sweating it out with you."

Hanson works out about 30 minutes a day, three times a week. She has found that she gets more benefits from intense workouts in a shorter period of time than from a more moderate workout for a longer period of time. She says when someone works out with her, it helps to get her pumped up. "You feel like you're letting that person down if you don't give it your all," says the 32-year-old management consultant.

But she also complements her gym workouts by working out alone. When she's not in the gym, she tries to get in a good workout at home. "I use [exercise] bands that I place under my door at home," she says. "I do arm stretches, leg extensions to build in that weight training."

Turk, on the other hang considers himself a serious fitness enthusiast, working out five to six times a week, typically for an hour a day. That usually means that, many times, he exercises by himself. "1 work out the first thing in the morning," he says. "Exercising gets my day started right. It gets the adrenaline pumping. It makes me feel better all day."

He typically does the weight training first, adding a cardiovascular workout every other day. His weight training consists of working on his chest and biceps one day, the next day working his legs, and the third day focusing on h is back and triceps.

Turks says his workout partners usually assist him with proper weight selection for each exercise, the proper repetition, not to mention providing much-needed motivation. A partner can also give suggestions on ways to change a workout around periodically. Adding variety to an exercise routine every month or so will prevent the body from getting too accustomed to the workout, thereby slowing fitness gains.

But be warned! Experts say one mistake workout partners make is turning camaraderie into competition. Trainers call these spats "fitness feuds." They occur when one person attempts to outride, out-lift, or out-run his or her workout partner, creating unneeded pressure, and turning a routine that is supposed to be a stress reliever into a stressful situation.

To avoid partner pitfalls, trainers recommend, first and foremost, getting into a sport or a workout routine because you enjoy it, not just to please your partner. If dumbbell curls aren't exciting, chances are you won't stick to it. Set up a fair system to decide what the workout routine will consist of, by alternating who gets to choose the activity. Getting in a good work out with a partner inevitably requires some compromise.

While Hanson says another downside to a workout partner is that "it makes it very difficult to run in, do the 30-minute workout, and leave," she says it does have its benefits, even though you "end up chat ting." Turk, on the other hand, says he also sees social benefits in partnering. "When I'm working out with someone else, it's like a social experience," he says. "While you have to stay focused on working out, I must say that I do prefer working out with women."