7 Dinge, die einen perfekten Trainingspartner ausmachen

Forget about dumbbells, barbells, weightlifting shoes, pulling aids, even your lucky T-shirt for deadlifting, because by far the most important piece of equipment is not one of the things mentioned, but a training partner who assists you in the bench press and prevents the bar from crashing on your sternum, or keeps an eye on your technique when deadlifting. Having a really good training partner is a real stroke of luck, because not only will they help you train safely, but they can also motivate you to new heights that are anything but negative for your muscle growth. However, it is obvious that not everyone is suitable as a training partner. Accordingly, there are a few things that every potential gym buddy should consider before being considered as a perfect spotter.

1 - He must know when to intervene and when not to.
An attentive spotter is essential, especially for heavy basic exercises, to prevent possible injuries. On the other hand, overzealous contemporaries who snatch the bar from your hand before you even think about asking for help are particularly annoying. A good training partner must always know when to intervene and when not to. The basic prerequisite for this, in addition to some training experience, is of course a certain degree of communication between both parties involved, in the context of which it is best to agree on signals for intervention. In general, however, it is recommended that the spotter follows each set, especially the last repetitions of each set, with his hands so that he can intervene immediately. Since something can theoretically happen even during the first repetitions of a set, the spotter's hands should always be on alert even in such a situation. Normally, however, the spotter should not intervene until the concentric movement comes to a halt, no matter how slowly the bar is moving.

2 - A perfect training partner tries to be on time
Imagine you've taken your pre-workout booster and already warmed up for a squat session from hell, but your workout partner, who you were supposed to meet up with half an hour ago, is still nowhere to be seen. Completely annoyed, you load two less discs on the barbell, since no one is backing you up after all, and start doing your workout alone. What should be clear from this little story is the fact that punctuality is essential for a training partner, as unpunctuality can sometimes mess up the entire training plan along with the training motivation. So find someone who is really reliable or at least lets you know early if something comes up.

3 - He knows when to motivate you or slow you down.
There are those days when we just don't feel like working out and would rather stay home. A workout partner can be worth their weight in gold on those days, as they motivate us to go to the gym anyway. And as crazy as it may seem, these are often the days when we work our bodies especially hard. So a good workout partner motivates not only by their mere presence, but also by their ability to recognize when they need to motivate us during our workout. Whether this is done by yelling at us or actually saying profound words is secondary. Conversely, a perfect spotter also pays attention to when we are once again a bit too over-motivated. In such situations, a good spotter puts the brakes on the zeal and thus sometimes prevents injuries.

4 - A perfect training partner is your coach
The great thing about a permanent training partner is the fact that he knows your strengths and weaknesses as well as your specific training goals and can therefore support you individually in every workout. So you more or less have your own coach who, based on his observations, points out minor or major technique errors that you can eliminate in the following set and thus train more effectively. Especially for exercises like cleans, squats or deadlifts, this real-time coaching is an essential advantage that makes your training more effective and can also protect you from injuries. However, it is a prerequisite that your training partner is also aware of the responsibility he has to bear in his role as spotter.

5 - A spotter should not be an overtrainer
As already mentioned, an attentive spotter is of enormous value. On the other hand, however, those contemporaries who take their task too closely and make this known at every opportunity are suboptimal. In the best case scenario, a good training partner should not be tempted to loudly criticize every little thing. Minimal deviations in the area of technique can be quite normal and do not always have to be a signal for the analyst to intervene. In addition, only the most serious mistakes should really be communicated during a set, as the current trainee is guaranteed to have enough to fight with the bar on his back. After the barbell has been put down, it is then ultimately time for detailed maneuver critique. Less coaching is therefore usually more.

6 - Teamwork wins
There is a reason why sports teams act as a group and are only successful as a group. They form a unit that motivates each other, works towards a common goal and acts according to the motto "us against the whole world". Make use of this success mechanism and act as a unit with your training partner. However, it is not enough to just push each other on the bench press. Rather, it is necessary to incorporate individual strengths so that one benefits from the other within the framework of a jointly developed training concept and you thus achieve the greatest possible gain as a team.

7 - A perfect training partner should be open to new things
While it is definitely advantageous in the gym to largely switch off the brain and make oneself largely free of external influences, this behavior is anything but productive after leaving the gym. Rather, a good training partner should not only be open to new things themselves, but also proactively seek out new exercises or forms of training that will advance the workout they do together. In addition, the perfect training partner should also be aware of their buddy's individual goals and not be too fussy about looking for new strategies to help achieve them more efficiently.