THE BEST WORKOUT TO DO IN A PAIR

What’s better than a quality training session where you can you just switch off your brain, release some endorphins, and burn calories? A quality workout in a pair!

“What’s great about working out in pairs, either with your partner or a friend, is that you get much more motivated. And it’s working out in pairs when you show yourself that you can do much more than you thought you could. Motivating and teasing each other results in better performance, and you can enjoy the wave of endorphins you release together,” says fitness trainer Jan Jiskra. 

In addition to your own bodyweight or equipment, you can use your partner’s bodyweight as well. Check out the following five exercises to see how to efficiently strengthen your body as well as your relationship in just 20 minutes.

1) Squats with a medicine ball

What to be careful about: sit towards the back when squatting, squat properly below knee-level without bending the lumbar spine, keep your weight spread across the entire surface of your feet, push your knees outwards, keep your spine in a neutral position, push your shoulders downwards

What’s getting stronger: legs, shoulders, pecs

Duration: 30 seconds

• Pause: 10 seconds

2) Jumping lunges with a medicine ball

What to be careful about: keep your arms and legs in a stable position, keep your core muscles engaged and firm, keep your spine in a neutral position, keep your knees at a right angle when lunging

What’s getting stronger: legs, core, shoulders, pecs

Duration: 30 seconds

• Pause: 10 seconds

3) Push-ups with clapping your hands

What to be careful about: keep your core stable, don’t let your lumbar spine slouch, keep your shoulder blades stable (push them away from each other), do the full push-up and let your chest touch the floor

What’s getting stronger: upper half of body, core

Duration: 30 seconds

• Pause: 10 seconds

4) Pulling the elastic band

What to be careful about: keep your knees slightly bent, keep the core of your body firm, push shoulders down and slightly to the back

What’s getting stronger: back muscles, arms

Duration: 30 seconds

• Pause: 10 seconds

5) Stretching arms with a band and rotation (Pallof press)

What to be careful about: keep core muscles engaged and firm, push your shoulders down and slightly to the back, keep your arms stretched, keep the band at the middle section of the body for the whole duration, rotate only in your torso, switch sides

What’s getting stronger: lcore, arms

Duration: 30 seconds

• Pause: 10 seconds
• 6 rounds, 5 reps per round

St Valentine day’s bonus: TESTING THE POWER OF YOUR CORE

Partner 1 – Stable position with knees bent, back upright

Partner 2 – Keep your body firm (plank), hands on your thighs, body goes up and lean against the upper part of your back

Partner 1 – Loosens his/her legs randomly; the aim for the partner 2 is to keep his/her body firm while the limbs relax as little as possible

What’s getting stronger: Both are working on their core and upper as well as lower limbs

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Authors: Andrea Burgerová (@abugyna) & Jan Jiskra (@jiskric_coach)

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