Exercising with your spouse.

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Replies

  • navygrrl
    navygrrl Posts: 517 Member
    My husband and I don't have the same schedule or fitness goals, so working out together doesn't work for us at this time.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Having a spouse as an exercise buddy: good idea or bad idea? Thoughts?

    Tried a couple times.....well more than a couple.

    Not a good idea in my view.
  • lizfreakinm
    lizfreakinm Posts: 29 Member
    My husband and I go to the gym together, but do our separate thing when we get there. We ran together once and he kicked my butt. Made me question if my 8 minute mile pace was as great as I thought it was, haha.
  • LucasEVille
    LucasEVille Posts: 567 Member
    My OH is my absolute rock, we are on this journey together and we started running together.
    I wouldn't have got here without her.
  • emmooney235
    emmooney235 Posts: 85 Member
    He has no interest in ever stepping a toe into the Y with me. So during the week I do my classes at the Y, he walks when his schedule allows (he works on a call by call basis). On the weekends, now that it's finally nice, we try to get out for a walk/hike (on the paved and unpaved trails) at a local park both Saturday and Sunday. If we had the room at home, we would *probably* do fitness games together.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    I try to give my spouse regular encouragement during her workouts:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbcOXtPOQRs

    ewwww PF

    Can still appreciate the humor of that can we not?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,948 Member
    Having a spouse as an exercise buddy: good idea or bad idea? Thoughts?
    Depends. My wife prefers group classes, whereas I personally like to train on weights in the weight room. She'll train with me occasionally (usually kickboxing), but she prefers to do her own lifting program (which I designed for her) rather than try to do what I'm doing.
    But we usually hit the gym together at the same time.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,862 Member
    Having a spouse as an exercise buddy: good idea or bad idea? Thoughts?
    It's a good idea. We don't, but it's a good idea.
  • cherrilovee
    cherrilovee Posts: 194 Member
    My man and I take walks together all the time, but we're at different fitness levels so it's hard to do other things together.
  • emmanap91
    emmanap91 Posts: 300 Member
    It depends on the relationship and your and your spouse's personalities.

    I tried to exercise with my SO and he seemed to need to compete with me - like he needed travel further/faster when we used ellipticals. It bugged me, especially considering he's almost 6' and I'm 5'3", and he's a guy and I'm a girl, so him being faster than me is biologically normal based on our sexes and our sizes.

    He also didn't keep up with it like I do. I invite him sometimes when our schedules mesh, but he never comes anymore. (I don't mind)
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    We love it, when there's time to go together. Usually for us it's just more convenient to go separately, though.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    It works for us, and we try to go together twice a week. I go by myself and he goes by himself the rest of the time. We don't seem to be able to do much else together, but working out, we do that well. It helps that we are both motivated.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    I think this is all oing to depend on your interests, goals, and dedication levels. I know some couples who do it and do it well. I know some who come together, but go their seperate ways when they enter the gym door, because she wants to do classes, and he wants to swim, or whatever.

    There is also the issue of mismatched starting places. If one is morbidly obese and get short of breath walking at 4 mph, and the other is just mildly overweight, or at goal weight and just maintaining, working together may do nothing for the one, and nearly kill the other.
  • elleloch
    elleloch Posts: 739 Member
    I think it's a good idea. That said, my husband and I don't workout together very much - we have gone to the gym together a few times, and he occasionally comes on walks with the dog or rollerblading, but he is not as "on the health and fitness train" as I am. I do lots of home fitness programs and routinely invite him to try them out or do a workout with me but he just isn't interested. I don't let it bother me though - I just try and lead by example and hope he comes around :) He keeps saying that he wants to get healthier and I know it's because he sees me doing it.
  • keobooks
    keobooks Posts: 92 Member
    My husband seems to think that water aerobics is too girly for him. We go to the gym at the same time a lot though. He will do whatever it is he does while I'm in the water aerobics class. Thank goodness our Y has child care service.
  • jlvanderstoel
    jlvanderstoel Posts: 24
    My wife won't exercise with me, she says I'm judgmental. That's because her workout routine is weak and sucks! :smile:

    Well that does sound a little judgemental :')
  • tech_kitten
    tech_kitten Posts: 221 Member
    Running/walking with your SO can be good or bad, depending on several factors, especially average speed. I have really short legs and my husband has long legs, so I have to work twice as hard just to stay up with him.
    Other stuff like P90X or T25 (or any video stuff really) would be ok if y'all have a good enough relationship to support each other.
    I guess it really depends on the dynamics of the relationship. If your fitness goals are similar, it sounds like it could be a good deal and good inspiration, but if you at different fitness levels or interest, it may not work.
  • julie_emma1
    julie_emma1 Posts: 146
    My husband and I used to go for runs together, but he was always much, much more in shape than me and he'd tease that I was slowing him down... Then I started running regularly and gained a lot of speed and endurance, thinking I would finally be able to keep up! But all of a sudden, he didn't want to run with me anymore. Le sigh.

    **edited for typos
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    If I had a SO that ran, she would get one run per week. No speedwork, no hills, no BS, no whining. Maybe a recovery run.
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
    We're buddies only in the sense that we've gone to yoga and to the gym together. That's where things stop though. We don't workout together-together for several reasons.

    1) I have my routine, he has his. We're very rarely both doing cardio or both lifting at the same time.

    2) We like having time for ourselves. I know he's at the gym. He knows I'm there. But we're usually on opposite sides, doing our own things. I also hate having someone other than a trainer standing there... looming... waiting... watching me work out. It's kinda weird.

    3) We're at different levels. One of us has an injury here. The other has an injury there. That affects which exercises we do or don't do.

    4) Headphones, headphones, headphones.
  • conqueringsquidlette
    conqueringsquidlette Posts: 383 Member
    EddieHaskell9: No, I got your joke. I was laughing at it. :P
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Good, so long as you talk about your goals from the start. These days my husband comes with me on some dog walks and we do Stronglifts 5X5 (lifting regimen) together and help each other with form. I did have to be clear with him that I don't want negative reinforcement (i.e. "That squat wasn't deep enough") so much as positive reinforcement (i.e. "Yes! That was the perfect squat! Only 2 more to go!").
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    DH spots me at home. Otherwise he prefers to not exercise - has a labouring job - and still looks great....:grumble:
  • Sharon_73
    Sharon_73 Posts: 189 Member
    My boyfriend is a personal trainer so working out with him is a lot of fun and very motivating!
  • Tina1737
    Tina1737 Posts: 14 Member
    No, nope, uh-uh, never-ever.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Fantastic idea. Is some bonding time, keeps you health and in shape, and definitely goes a long way in the end to keeping the relationship strong.

    Just no funny business. Nobody wants that after being all tired and sweaty. :-X
  • ladykaisa
    ladykaisa Posts: 236 Member
    No. Never. I don't even work out with friends, let alone my husband. I like to get in my zone and forget the rest of the world exists.
  • MegE_N
    MegE_N Posts: 245 Member
    We go to the gym together sometimes, but I don't want to know he's there. Also, we just have different styles. He likes to gym it on the elliptical for an hour, for me that's hell. I'll go for long walks and do yoga, so we mostly leave our workouts to each other.
  • TheDarkestStar87
    TheDarkestStar87 Posts: 246 Member
    Depends on what your goals are and how fit you both are. I tried running with my boyfriend, but he's incredibly reluctant to go and when he does he usually puts me to shame by casually jogging the speed I do during my fast intervals. He's a foot Tyler than me, most of which is legs, and about half as heavy...:ohwell:
  • sassyjae21
    sassyjae21 Posts: 1,217 Member
    Work out time is MY time. I find it difficult to work out with anyone :ohwell:

    AND he gets incredibly competitive and tries to outdo me in everything. Which is, well, sad. And it annoys the hell out of me.:explode:

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