Training on your own can be extremely beneficial to performance and developing an understanding of your own body. However, there are many pitfalls of training on your own all the time. There is a reason that many of the world elite performers have a team they train with. 4 Time Fittest Man on Earth, Rich Froning Jr was once reported to have said he would take good training partners over a good coach any day. So, what are the benefits of good training partners?

 

Possible Pitfalls of Training Alone

Before we look at the benefits of training with people, lets look at the risk you run by training alone. While there are many positives and everyone is different, training alone may lead to the following scenarios.

  1. Lack of accountability – sure you may have a little book you write your training down in. But is this really going to hold you accountable if you start to slack or skip?
  2. It’s you vs you – this phrase has often be used to promote the ability to push yourself. However, this isn’t always a good thing. The likelihood is, that if you’re training for sports performance, you’re competitive. Having partners push you can give that extra edge in training.
  3. It can get boring and lonely – Having people around you gives you a chance to ignore the monotony of training. Repeatedly doing the little things over and over can begin to drag. Having people around you can help avoid this.

 

Good Training Partners

While the list above could be much bigger and open to debate, they are the biggest issues I initially see in solidarity. On the flip side, here is a list of reasons I think training partners can be good. Remember, this isn’t exact science, I’m sure there is research that supports both forms of training. This is purely my views I have built up through experience and observation.

  1. It’s more fun – pretty simply really. Shared experiences can enhance the learning process and draw focus away from difficult tasks.
  2. You can’t hide away – this is in line with accountability. Having somebody right there watching you, leaves you with nowhere to hide. Don’t shy away from performing in front of others, they keep you accountable.
  3. Give a little extra – For this I’m going to use an example from my own training recently. I was training with someone who’s lifting numbers are slightly higher than mine. My goal was to stay within 5kg for all sets. This resulted in me hitting a PB (unintentionally). It is important to state that I do not regularly go for new PBs, especially in day to day training. However my form was good and I was feeling good. If I was there by myself I can 100% tell you I would not have gone for the lift.
  4. They can stop you being stupid – The same as pushing you when you need it, they can hold you back when you need it. When on your own you may feel the pressure to go for something even though you may be second guessing yourself. Partners can be a sounding board for common sense!

 

Coaches and Training Partners

Is one better than the other? It is hard to say! In my opinion, if you can find yourself a coach or a training partner who can do a bit of both then you’re on to a winner.

At NK Fitness we invest our time into YOU. This means we hope to become a partner within your training and not some dark figure who stands in the corner telling you what to do. Sure, during a personal training session in Twickenham, London, I may not do all the exercises with you! But you can know I’m 100% invested in how well they go and 9/10 you will find me running alongside you in your final rounds!

Toby Williamson