I was having a discussion with some folk recently about the benefits of training with a partner. We seemed to agree that it’s better with a partner to push you along a little and keep ya honest. Well, unfortunately I have to train alone for the most part. My problem is that I have an unpredictable schedule and I often have to squeeze in a workout on short notice or change my workout plans on a dime, which would be a problem if I had a training partner that was counting on me.
How much of difference do ya’ll think it makes in overall progress training with or without someone to push you along? Personally, I do well when I’m working with someone, even though I’m not overly competetive. I always perform better in front of others, also. I can remember having some piss-poor long jumps in practice back in the day–only around 20 feet or so, then in a meet, when I would be all amped up, I would bust out a 22 foot something.
It helps to have someone or something pushing you along whether it’s another person, a hott chick watching you, or being chased by a razorback in the swamp. So, whatcha think…?
in high school i trained by myself and progressed just fine
in university i trained with ppl just a bit better than me in the weightroom and has made me push myself to my limits in competitive spirits im progressing even better
i think after experiencing both
its more beneficial to have a training partner in jumping/track and weightroom (i think the weightroom is more beneficial because sometimes when u push urself on the track too hard it is more harm than good ie tensing up) the weights are already tense so no problems there
I find it a pain to deal w/ someone else’s schedule, esp. if thy’re inconsistent. Plus it’s inefficient. Once in a while to check form is good, but for the most part I don’t want to have to deal w/ another person’s crap for such a small benefit. If you write down in advance more or less what you’re going to do, that will keep you on task and on track. To paraphrase a diving saying, “Plan the work, then work the plan.”
I think it’s a matter of preference and also a matter of practicality.
Because of my advanced age, family, work schedule, coaching, etc., I find it nearly hard to coordinate schedules to allow training with a partner or group. I do it more by chance than design. When I do train with others, I find it helpful but almost to a fault because it can get overly competitive. That’s fine for some workouts but sometimes it’s too much.
I’ve become fairly accustom to training with a stopwatch to provide feedback/motivation. Training alone also offers advantages in being able to make adjustments for how you feel on a particular day rather than pushing through some issues when you’re dealing with a slight injury or fatigue that might be signs to back off a bit. When I’m with a group, I tend to try to ignore those things and sometimes ended up paying for it.
In general, if you’re self motivated, I think going solo is OK, but there’s advantages and disadvantages either way. I think you just go with what works best for the individual.
Even with athletes I coach, we work more individually than as a group because the abilities are so varied.
the only situation where u dont work around ppl’s schedules/BS is in university where you HAVE to train at a certain time
thats why university is the only place where i used a training partner…
in high school the biggest reason was because nobody wanted to workout 6 days a week lol