Sure, Valentine’s Day is looming, but you don’t have to be loved up to try these partner workouts! Forget about candlelit dates, seductive chocolates, and wining and dining - grab a mate, bestie or gym buddy to try these challenging bodyweight partner workouts, and smash this romantic week MoveGB style.
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What's so good about bodyweight exercises?
Using our own bodyweight is a fantastic way to keep on top of fitness. You don’t always need equipment to get a good workout, nor do you need to be at a particular venue. Training using bodyweight is fantastic for heaps of reasons:
- Efficiency: Go from one exercise to another very quickly to maximise your workout time.
- Burn fat: Keep moving on a circuit and you’ll quickly fire up your metabolism!
- Hit cardio and strength training goals: Integrate these cool bodyweight workouts with the odd set of burpees, star jumps or skipping to keep the heart rate up.
- Embrace compound movements: Compound movements engage multiple joints and muscles, such as squat jumps, burpees and planks. Movements that can be done anywhere where there's space!
- Increased flexibility: Embrace moves that have fluidity and make your body twist and turn. Your balance will improve too.
- Fire up the core: Many bodyweight exercises engage the core - guaranteed to give your abs a blast!
- Work to your level: Adjust the movements to match your strength and energy levels. Ramp it up if you’re full of beans, dial it down if you’re fatigued. But go on, try push yourself...
Experiment with weird and wonderful moves to work different muscle groups, and get a friend involved too. Partner workouts were a huge fitness trend in 2017, and it looks like they're not fading out of trend anytime soon! Boyfriend or girlfriend are optional, and only if they are strong enough to take it... hover over the vids below and hit play to see the moves in action!
Bodyweight workouts: 8 challenging partner workouts to try this week
1. Start off easy:
Let’s ease you into it - try squatting whilst clasping each others hands. Engage the core, tuck your tailbone in and go as low as you can. Use each other for balance!
2. Squat, push-up, core combo:
Target numerous areas with this partner workout! Use your upper body and core as you perform the push-ups, then pop a low squat when switching positions. Do a few reps quickly and feel the burn.
3. Balance and core:
Try something a bit more risky and improve your yoga skills. This move will improve your balance for headstands and strengthen your shoulders for arm balances.
4. Fire up that cardio:
Grab a friend and try each of these ace moves for a full minute: Sit up high fives, jump lunges and frog hops while the other person planks (& switch!), then finish with a wall sit - repeat four times and feel the SWEAT!
5. Smash those abs:
A combination that will either engage your core or strengthen your arms and back - do you have the core to be on top? Or can you provide your mate with an unshakeable frame to crunch on?
6. Feeling strong?
Time to ramp it up! Work your core to the max with this super cool partner ab workout and work the whole body.
7. Just for the LOLz:
Who says working out has to be so serious? Put your body to the test and clamber around your mate - see if you can make it all the way around without touching the ground.
8. If you’ve got heaps of plank-obsessed mates:
And finally, if you’re killing it with the partner workouts, finish with a 4 layer plank. Go on, we double-dare you!
image via POPSUGAR
What will you be trying this week?
Why not give one of them a go and tag @MoveGB on Instagram or Twitter. We'd love to see how you get on!
