Two timer: build muscle and spend time with your significant other with our no-weights, at-home workout

Men's Fitness, March, 2003 by Dakota Mitchell

So, your better half has begun asking about "quality time," and you want to find just the right thing, which means something you also like to do. Well, we have the perfect answer: the partner-assisted home workout. While it might not quite mesh with her idea of an afternoon of shopping followed by an evening of cozying up to the latest Meg Ryan schmaltz-fest as time well spent, it should still earn you a couple of brownie points. Aside from placating your significant other, our partner-assisted workout is perfect for when you want to back off a bit from serious training and promote recovery. It also produces benefits that will enhance your training when you finally decide to tackle the gym:

* Builds strength.

* Increases muscle endurance.

* Improves flexibility.

* Clears out lactic acid, resulting in decreased muscle soreness.

* Allows joints, tendons and muscles time to recover from your heavy-resistance phase.

WORKOUT TIPS

The following workout can be done three or four times a week (with a day's rest between each session):

* As a replacement for your current gym routine.

* As a stopgap measure on those days you can't make it to the gym.

* As an introductory routine if you're just starting out or getting back into fitness.

The workout can be performed as a circuit, with one person going through it first and then providing resistance for the other, or in an alternating fashion, with you and your partner swapping positions after one has completed an exercise. Perform as many reps as possible for each set. If your primary goals are strength and muscle gain, have your partner apply more constant and direct resistance. Each partner should do one to three sets depending on individual level of fitness.

Warm up for five to 10 minutes before each workout with some light calisthenics, and follow each training session with five to 10 minutes of stretching.

1 SHOULDER PRESS (shoulder, triceps) Sit on either a bench of chair so you are below the plane of your partner's shoulders. If you're a lot taller than she is, take a seat on the floor. In either position plant your feet and tighten your abs to reduce pressure on the lower back. With your palms facing forward, lower your hands to almost shoulder level. Your elbows should be pointed toward the floor with your hands closed, your arms forming a "W." As your partner places her hands on your closed fists (1a), drive your hands up in a slight arc toward each other, stopping about shoulder-width apart (1b). Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

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2 BENT-OVER TOWEL ROW (back, biceps, rear delts) Bend your knees slightly and, bending forward at the hips, lower your upper body to about a 30- to 45-degree angle to the floor. Make sure to maintain the natural arch in your back. Grasp the ends of a towel using a grip that's slightly narrower than shoulder width. Have your partner lie down on her back, facing you, with her chest near towel level. Have her either grasp the towel with her hands facing up or hook her arms around the towel, keeping her arms in tight to her body (2a). Pull your hands up and away from each other, squeezing your shoulder blades together (2b). Slowly return to the starting position, letting your shoulder blades separate. Control your partner's descent. (Note: If your partner is unable to lift you, just allow your arms to move away from your body so you are using the resistance from your arms and not from your whole body.)

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3 SUPER PUSH-UP (chest, triceps, abs) Place your hands on the floor shoulder-width apart, with your arms straight and elbows unlocked. Bring your legs behind you and allow your partner to lift them to hip level (3a). Bending your elbows, slowly lower your body until your nose is pointing toward the floor (3b). Press back up, shifting your body so that your shoulders are directly over your hands, and repeat.

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4 TWO MAN SQUAT (hips, quads, hamstrings) Stand with your back touching your partner's as you lean into each other's weight (4a). If either one of you needs more assistance, bring your hands behind you and interlock fingers with her. Simultaneously, both of you squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground (4b). Slowly return to the starting position while keeping your backs together for support and repeat.

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5 TRICEPS TOWEL EXTENSION (triceps) Sit on a low-back chair with your feet flat and abs tight. Extend your arms overhead, grasping the center of a towel. Have your partner hold the loose end of the towel and apply resistance (5a). Bend your elbows and lower your hands to a point just behind your head (5b). Contract the triceps to pull your hands back up to the starting position and repeat.

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6 BICEPS CURL (biceps) Take a shoulder-width stance with palms up, shoulders back and elbows by your sides. Have your partner place her fists in the palms of your hands (6a). Curl your arms up in an arc toward your shoulders, pushing upward with the insides of the palms. Stop at a point just above parallel to the floor (6b), slowly return to the starting position and repeat. Keep your upper arms as stationary as possible while performing this exercise.