By Preston Ford (Special to the Morning News)

Hello, my name is Preston Ford and I am a trainer at McLeod Health and Fitness Center. This is my second year being a part of Florence’s Biggest Loser. This year, I look forward to not only training the Biggest Loser winner but having a group full of contestants with winning attitudes and the lifelong knowledge and commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Achieving goals takes effort, persistence and focus. With your health and fitness goals there is no difference. That is why my fitness philosophy is to always have a “why.” You have to know “why” you started. That “why” will keep you going when you’re ready to quit. Your “why” can be related to appearance, health or your family. Sometimes your “why” can come in the form of a spouse or buddy who is depending on you to motivate him or her and vice versa.

There are a lot of benefits when it comes to exercise with a partner. Companionship and friendship can boost the longevity of your workouts, ensuring you keep up the habit. Nothing makes activity as much fun as having a plus one. Your partner should be someone who motivates you to work out a little more often than you would if you were working out alone.

One important item to remember is that the motivation and the commitment that you receive from your workout partner has to be equally given on your part. When identifying a training partner, its fine if you and your training partner have different health and fitness goals, but be sure that you share the same core of exercise-related goals. Before you begin working out together, it’s best to set short-term and long-term workout goals, and to re-evaluate those goals periodically to ensure your workouts have purpose.

While working out with your partner, you can maintain a high level of enthusiasm by cheering on your partner with words of kindness. Incorporate friendly competition to keep the workouts interesting and remember to encourage your partner, even outside the workout environment. To assure proper form and technique during all exercises, alternate days when you and your partner take the lead as the trainer. Maintain communication after the workout to give your partner an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, so that all your goals may be reached.

The workout I have prepared is a time-efficient, effective workout for partners. It is a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that helps build endurance, increase your anaerobic threshold and burn calories as well as fat during and after your workout. You’ll cycle through different levels of intensity during each set so be ready for a challenging workout. The best thing about this workout is that it can be done anywhere. All you really need to be successful in this workout is a great partner.

 

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