The Top 10 Exercises To Add To Your Partnered Workout

You’ve shared a flat, a hangover, and possibly a toothbrush with you partner. But have you shared a workout where you both questioned your life choices mid-burpee? Thought not.

Working out with your girlfriend is the last frontier of modern coupledom. It’s where egos get checked, Lycra gets tested, and the phrase “one more rep” becomes a subtle threat. It’s not about being cute in matching gym kits, about surviving a 45-minute HIIT session without arguing about tempo, technique, or whose idea this was in the first place.

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So if you're ready to trade pillow talk for protein powder, here are ten workouts that might just make you stronger or at least, too tired to argue.

However, before jump straight into the workout list, some dos and don't so the workout session at the gym doesn't turn out to be one timer.

What To Do

Prioritise form

Pay attention to posture, yours and your partner’s. Solid form prevents injury, maximises results, and ensures neither of you sacrifices performance for pace.

Start simple

Ease into it. Begin with foundational movements before progressing to complex or high-intensity exercises. Coordination and trust take time to build.

Communicate clearly

If something feels off — pain, misalignment, or just plain discomfort — say so. Feedback keeps both of you safe and aligned, literally and figuratively.

Plan ahead

Agree on a time, place, and routine. A well-structured session avoids confusion and ensures you’re not improvising lunges in a crowded gym aisle.

Enjoy it

You’re not auditioning for a fitness competition. Have a structure, but allow space for fun, experimentation, and the occasional unscripted laugh.

What Not To Do

Play coach

Unless you’re qualified, don’t assume the role of instructor. Offer feedback, not direction. There's a difference between supporting and correcting.

Push past limits

Respect individual fitness levels. Progress takes time, and overexertion benefits no one. Know when to challenge, and when to ease off.

Critique performance

This is shared time, not an evaluation. Focus on encouragement and shared improvement. Criticism, especially unsolicited — kills motivation and morale.

Be disruptive

Whether you're at home or in a public gym, be mindful of your surroundings. Save the theatrics (and prolonged PDA) for later.

Stick to one style

Mix it up. If one of you leans toward yoga and the other towards strength training, find a hybrid approach. The best routines are those that evolve.

Now, onto the list.

Plank High-Fives

Both partners assume a high-plank position, facing one another, with shoulders stacked over wrists and cores engaged. While maintaining a strong plank, lift your right hand and clap your partner’s left, then alternate. This engages the core, stabilises the shoulders, and improves coordination.

Sit-Up Pass with Medicine Ball

Lie on your backs, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, facing one another. One partner holds a medicine ball overhead. Perform a sit-up simultaneously, passing the ball at the top. The receiving partner taps it on the floor behind their head before returning and repeating the pass. This strengthens the abdominals and improves timing and rhythm between partners.

Back-to-Back Squat with Twist and Pass

Stand back-to-back with a medicine ball. Lower into a squat position and hold. One partner rotates to one side, passing the ball to the other, who receives it and rotates in the opposite direction to return the pass. This exercise works the core, glutes, obliques, and legs, while enhancing rotational mobility and core control.

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Lateral Lunge with Medicine Ball Throw

Stand facing each other with a medicine ball. Partner A lunges laterally, lowering the ball toward their foot, while Partner B mirrors the movement without the ball. As they return to standing, Partner A throws the ball to Partner B, who then repeats the movement. This develops lower body strength, balance, and dynamic coordination.

Core Leg Circles

Sit on the floor facing each other, palms behind for support, legs extended and raised off the ground. Each partner draws circles in the air with their legs, in opposite directions. This deeply activates the lower abdominal muscles and improves control and endurance in the core.

Resistance Band Triceps Kickbacks

Stand facing each other, both holding one end of a resistance band with your right hands (or left, to mirror). Hinge at the hips, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Extend the arm back to straighten the elbow, engaging the triceps, then return to the starting position. Maintain tension in the band throughout. Repeat for both sides. This isolates and strengthens the triceps while requiring control and balance.

Partner Band Jumps

Partner A wears a resistance band around the waist while Partner B holds both ends from behind. Partner A jumps forward, against the band’s resistance, focusing on power and form. Partner B anchors firmly in place. After several repetitions, partners switch roles. This develops explosive leg power, core stability, and control under resistance.

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Rotational Resistance Band Pulls

Each partner stands facing the other with a resistance band looped loosely around each other’s waists, holding the ends. Simultaneously, both partners rotate their torsos to opposite sides, engaging their core muscles. Return to the centre and repeat on the other side. This strengthens the obliques, improves rotational mobility, and enhances trunk control.

Overhead Pass with Squat

Stand back-to-back with one partner holding a medicine ball overhead. The ball is passed backwards over the head to the other partner, who catches it and rolls it between the legs to the front. Both partners perform a squat each time a pass is made. This combines upper and lower body movement, developing leg strength, coordination, and flexibility in the shoulders and hips.

Partner Yoga Poses

Engage in three foundational poses:

Partner Tree Pose: Face each other, balancing on one leg, lifting the other foot to the inner thigh, and holding hands. Enhances balance and stability.

Partner Boat Pose: Sit facing each other, hold hands, and lift legs to create a V shape with your bodies. Builds core strength and postural alignment.

Partner Downward Dog: One partner performs a standard Downward Dog while the other positions themselves behind in a plank with one foot extended up the lower back. Strengthens shoulders, hamstrings, and improves mutual alignment.

Each pose develops trust, body awareness, and flexibility.