Beware of exercise partners!

by Janet Johnson

division/classification

Every woman's magazine I've ever read gives its readers advice on exercising, and one of the most common tips I've seen is to find a partner to exercise with. In my experience, however, having an exercise partner is not a good idea. I have encountered five types of exercise partners, and feel it is definitely best to exercise alone.

The Drill Sergeant
My ex-boyfriend represents the Drill Sergeant. He is one of those people whose motto is "No pain, no gain." Of course, he assumes that everyone else follows this decree as well. He will try to push you to the limit every time you exercise with him, and can become nasty if you give up before he thinks you should. I refused to exercise with him after a few bad jogging experiences. I had expected that we would start slowly and only go for a short run. What a mistake! I was faltering after only a mile or so, and my ex took it personally that I wanted to stop. He started yelling things like "What are you? A quitter?" and, "You can't give up already!" I believe he was trying to inspire me, but his remarks had the reverse effect. I gave up immediately. The Drill Sergeant feels he must whip you into shape. He probably would, if you could stand being around him for that long.

The Coach
The Coach is closely related to the Drill Sergeant but has a gentler approach. The Coach feels you need guidance to perform to your potential. My former roommate was the coach. She would cheer me on with phrases like, "You can do it!" and, "Just a little further!" Had I actually been on some sort of sports team with her as my coach, the comments would have been perfectly acceptable. They were meant to be words of encouragement, but they only annoyed me. And when I did give up, she would tell me not to worry and that if I keep at it I'll get better. She could not understand that few people need or even want constructive criticism. Needless to say, we only ran together on a few occasions. I can only stand so much optimism when I'm gasping for breath and sweating profusely.

The Competitor
A high school teammate of mine was The Competitor. Her outlook on life was to be the best at whatever she did, and exercising was no exception. She seemed perfectly sweet, but her competitive streak emerged one afternoon. Our leisurely jog gradually turned to a run, and then a full sprint. I glanced over at her and noticed the pained expression on her face. I knew she was only pushing herself to beat me: she felt she had to run faster and further. You would think that since I knew this was the case, I would have given up and let her get her dose of superiority. I didn't. I was determined to teach her a lesson. I had been jogging regularly by that that time, and was in pretty good shape. She gave up first, and The Competitor cannot stand to lose. We remained friends, of course, but never ran together again. Her bruised pride and my sore muscles saw to that.

The Natural Athlete
A person doesn't fall into the category of The Natural Athlete because of attitudes or actions, but because of superior ability. My cousin was the Natural Athlete. She didn't spend much time exercising but was still in good shape. This alone was enough to make me almost hate her. I had been working out faithfully for quite some time and felt pretty good about my physical condition. Then we went for a run together. I had to stop before she did. In fact, she had barely broken a sweat and was hardly out of breath. She didn't object to ending the workout or make any comments to irritate me. She didn't need to. I was irritated that what I had accomplished with hard work couldn't match what she had been handed by her genes. The Natural Athlete could be the nicest person in the world and I still wouldn't want to work out with her. My ego just couldn't take it.

The Lazy Bones
Very dear to my heart, my sister is the Lazy Bones. Lazy Bones has good intentions, but finds it difficult to follow through with any sort of routine. We had decided to run each morning before class, and in the beginning, the schedule was working out nicely. Perhaps it was on the third day when Lazy Bones had stayed out too late and didn't want to get out of bed early. On day four her ankle was bothering her. On day five she was coming down with a cold. By day six, I had given up on my sister and was striking out on my own once again. It is possible to exercise with Lazy Bones if you catch her at the right time. If and when you figure out what this time is, please let me know. I have yet to piece that puzzle together.

Most people do not enjoy exercising. Why make it any less enjoyable by exercising with someone who will ultimately annoy you? All people are different, and with that comes different levels of physical fitness. It is nearly impossible to be on the exact level that someone else is at any given moment. When you are alone, you can set a pace comfortable for you. There are no outside pressures to worry about and no others to depend on. I have concluded it's the only way to go.

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Questions? Brian McKinney (bmckinne@home.com)