Valentine’s Special: Partner Workout

Valentine’s Day is usually associated with romantic dinners, flowers, and chocolate. In the fitness world, we tend to add a protein dessert to the mix – and sometimes a bit of guilt when the “all-you-can-eat celebration” goes a little too far.

But what if this year we spiced up the holiday of love a bit differently? Actively, healthily, and in a way that expands your shared activities as a couple? Partner training is a great way to combine movement, fun, and closeness. It’s also a safe way to find out whether your partner can cooperate when their thighs are on fire.

This time, it’s not so much about burned calories or sculpted muscles – although those count too – but mainly about a pleasant shared experience and a playful challenge. Think of it this way: if you can handle a partner plank together, there’s a good chance you can also survive choosing furniture without threatening to move it into separate apartments.

Training in pairs offers many benefits, so here’s a selection of exercises worth trying together.

Train properly – and respect different performance levels

Before jumping into the exercises below, it’s a good idea to remind yourselves of a few basic rules. These will help ensure you leave the workout with endorphins rather than an awkward silent evening at home.

• Respect different fitness levels – strength, mobility, and conditioning don’t have to match.
• Communicate – especially in exercises involving resistance or support.
• Warm up – a shared dynamic warm-up should always come first.
• Choose a stable environment – a non-slip floor, enough space, and ideally as few distractions as possible. You can “run around” the kitchen next to a hot stove later – on your own.

Exercise List

Each exercise is recommended to be performed in three sets with an appropriate number of repetitions.

The exercises can be done both at home and in the gym, and they are also well suited for a circuit workout, where you perform one set of each exercise and then immediately move on to the next one. You take a break only after completing one full round of all exercises, and then move straight into the next two rounds – where you can gradually increase the intensity of your shared experience! 😊

1. Medicine Ball Partner Pass

If you have a ball or medicine ball at home, use it for this fun way to engage your core and activate both your abdominal and back muscles. You can also do this exercise without a ball – in that case, simply clap hands during the rotation.

Exercise execution: Sit back-to-back with bent knees. Pass the ball around your sides using torso rotation. Perform 15–20 passes on each side.

2. Back-to-Back Wall Sit

A simple exercise that pleasantly heats up your thighs – and you’ll probably have a good laugh as well. It’s like sitting against a wall, but together.

Exercise execution: Lean your backs against each other and lower into a seated position with your knees at a 90-degree angle. Hold hands for balance and stay in position for 30–60 seconds. To make it more fun, try passing a ball or another light object overhead while holding the position.

3. Partner Push-Ups

Down on all fours and let’s go!

Exercise description: Both partners are in a push-up position next to each other. The man performs a standard push-up with extended legs, while the partner performs a modified push-up with knees on the ground (unless they prefer otherwise). After each push-up, clap hands in the top position. Alternate hands. Perform 10–15 repetitions.

4. Partner Leg Throws

An excellent exercise not only for the abs, bringing a bit of adrenaline into the workout. Be careful not to use too much force when throwing the legs down at the beginning. Keeping the core engaged at all times is key!

Exercise execution: Lie on your back while your partner stands straddled over your legs, facing your feet. Lift your legs up, and your partner pushes them downward or to the sides — you control the descent and bring them back up. Switch roles after 15–20 repetitions.

5. Partner Squats

This exercise will teach you to face your partner head-on.

Exercise execution: Stand facing each other, holding hands, feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down together with a wide stance, straight back, and a slight backward lean so that you feel tension in your grip. Perform 10–15 slow repetitions.

6. Partner Plank with Leg Lifts

Plank is a staple of many workouts, but in a pair it turns into a very fun team exercise. A great core workout for one partner and an excellent thigh and glute exercise for the other.

Exercise description: One partner holds a plank on their forearms, while the other stands behind them and holds their legs by the ankles. The standing partner performs wide-stance squats. Hold the plank for approximately 30 seconds, then switch roles..

To increase difficulty, the partner performing the plank can try doing push-ups.

7. Partner Rows

Lean back – and let’s go!

Exercise description: Hold each other by the wrists. One partner begins to lean backward, while the other pulls them back toward themselves with extended arms, similar to performing a rowing or cable pull exercise. Perform 10–15 repetitions, then switch roles.

8. Wheelbarrow Walk

Do you remember your school years? And wouldn’t it be fun to relive them for a moment? Go for it – and let your arms really burn!

Exercise execution: Grab your partner’s legs and walk with them across the room and back until you cover at least several meters. Take at least 10 steps on your hands, then switch roles.