HOW TO CHOOSE A TRAINING PARTNER

Today we're going to talk about training partners. We're going to discuss qualities that make a lifting partner a valuable asset. Training partners are a real good thing to have one up. It's not entirely necessary, especially if you can't find a good one. But if you can find a good one, it makes everything easier. It makes training itself easier. It makes your progress easier to keep track of. It's good to have the encouragement and another set of eyes on your technique. And there are a lot of reasons why a good training partner is an essential part of a productive approach to training. But what is a good one? What is a good training partner?

According to Mark Rippetoe, good training partner is on top of everything else. It's someone that doesn't miss workouts. If your workout starts at 14:00, your training partner is there all the time, not just half the time or two thirds of the time, but all the time. It's an important component of your training, and if you can't depend on it 100% of the time, then you are not going to obtain the things from the training partner that that's the whole purpose of even entertaining the idea. What makes a good training partner?

The first thing you need to do is find somebody to train with who's already training. That way, you know that they're capable of doing this. You know up front because there's a training history there. It might be somebody that you see in the gym where you're training and you approach them and say: "How about you and I train together a couple of times and see how we like? It might be productive." But if you are entertaining the idea of starting training with somebody who hasn't trained before, you have no idea whether this person is capable of the amount of consistency that you're going to need in a training partner. So Mark Rippetoe´s first suggestion is you find somebody that's already training that can do this every day, that you know has already committed to the schedule that is going to be important, if you are going to be a training partner with somebody else.

Mark Rippetoe would say that consistency is probably the thing that ruins most of these relationships. Imagine you've got a guy that's regularly calling you, for example, on the third workout of the week to let you know they're not going to be there that day, or worse than that, just doesn't show up. If somebody is supposed to be for a workout, and then call and doesn't show up, immediately get rid of them. Don't waste a bunch of time because they're not at the same level of commitment that you are. If that can't be matched, then they're not a training partner. If you're looking at somebody that's in the gym occasionally and you just need a spot for a heavy set, just walk over and say: "Listen!, I need a spot on this last set." You explain to them what you expect out of a spotter and explain to them what you want done. That doesn't need to be a training partner. But if you're going to meet somebody at the gym today at 14:00 or 17:30 after work, the person needs to be there every single time because this is a commitment. If they can't commit to that, you could understand if there's a funeral or something like that. But if another appointment has come up that is suddenly more important than the scheduled workout, you can't have that. You have to have somebody that has placed this at the same priority that you have.

It's a terribly critical thing. If you've got a good training partner, that it's the difference between productive training and just fucking around in the gym. So keep all this in mind and be careful when you choose a training partner, because it can make the difference between productive training and a bunch of time wasted. It really is that critical.

Bibliographic references:

• Starting Strength. (2026). How to Choose a Training Partner [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/jJ_TRJO7IDs?si=jMDpNJswWSFdIHv8