Virtual workout buddies can give fitness regimens a real boost.
EVEN WITHOUT A PANDEMIC, FINDING THE RIGHT EXERCISE BUDDY HAS ALWAYS HAD ITS CHALLENGES
Turns out a workout partner, even a virtual one, boosts exercise effort when compared with going solo.
These last eight months have forced us to learn how to exercise on our own. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it. With COVID- 19- related regulations likely to be with us for a while, we have to get creative when it comes to finding an exercise partner to help boost motivation.
Even without the complications of exercising during a lockdown, finding the right workout partner isn’t without its challenges. Is the perfect partner someone whose speed, strength and endurance are similar to yours? Or is someone a little faster, stronger and fitter a better match? It’s an issue that has prompted its own small body of research, with studies not only examining whether people are more motivated exercising alongside a partner, but also whether that motivation is enhanced or diminished when the partner is a cut above in terms of fitness.
Building on data confirming what many of us have already experienced — exercising with a partner makes it easier to get off the couch and power through a tough workout — a recent study by U. S. researchers drilled down further into the workout-partner phenomenon. Their aim was to determine which of the following conditions is superior at increasing motivation and performance: exercising solo, being paired with a partner you could never better, or partnering with someone you could occasionally better.
Forty- one exercisers — men and women aged 28 to 59 — were assigned to one of the three groups (no partner, always superior partner and not always superior partner) and matched, where applic
able, with a simulated workout partner. The workouts were done on a stationary bike that displayed a virtual bike track and same- sex virtual partner. Workout stats were presented in real time and allowed exercisers to adjust intensity as needed to keep up with or try to surpass their virtual workout buddy. To make the partnership feel more real, the simulated partner occasionally communicated with the study subject, exchanging pleasantries and offering encouragement before and after the workout. And since life sometimes gets in the way of even the best workout partners, the simulated version was occasionally un
available, forcing the exerciser to do the workout on their own.
The partner that was always better, programmed to be 15 per cent faster than the study subject, quickly took the lead position and remained there for the duration of the workout, while the one that wasn’t always better allowed the study subject to occasionally take the lead ( 17 times in 117 bike sessions). All exercisers alternated between high- intensity interval workouts and more moderate- intensity, steady- state workouts throughout the 24- week study.
Turns out a workout
partner, even a virtual one, boosts exercise effort when compared with going solo. The results were even more pronounced during high- intensity workouts.
“The four- minute workout is probably the most motivationally demanding workout, because it is hard to maintain 90 per cent of HR (heart rate) max for four minutes across four intervals,” said the research team. “Participants in the always superior partner and the not always superior partner groups showed their strongest effort increase, compared to those in the control group, in the fourth and final interval when they were the most tired.”
How does that translate to the average Joe and Jill trying to stay motivated during a time when solo exercise is part of our new normal? The good news takeaway from this study is that workout partners can take a non-traditional form. The effectiveness of a virtual partner opens up a whole new world of opportunities when it comes to picking the perfect workout buddy. Lots of fitness apps — like Strava, Nike Training, Nike Run Club and Runtastic — invite users to share their activity with friends, so you can connect and share stats like distance, time and calories burned, as well as high- fives, with exercisers from near and far. And while you can’t see each other’s stats in real time, you can start your workouts at similar times and meet up directly after to compare notes. Knowing that someone is working out with you, even from a distance, has the potential to boost motivation and effort — especially when the going gets tough.
Of course, you can always find a training partner in the more traditional sense, but keep in mind the study’s finding that motivation and performance improved when one partner was slightly better than the other. That means either finding a partner who challenges you to be your best or creating opportunities where both partners can take the lead and push the intensity of the workout.
Don’t forget the other important elements of training with a partner: providing accountability, feedback and encouragement. So look for someone who isn’t just able to match you workout for workout, but can also give you kudos when earned and a kick in the butt ( even a virtual one) when needed. Which, no matter the circumstances, is the definition of a good partnership.