Try This 20-Minute Partner Workout With Your Lockdown Buddy

By Jun 30, 2020
Keep yourselves accountable — and foster some friendly competition — with this full-body partner workout.
Image Credit: Dean Mitchell/E+/GettyImages

Finding the motivation to work out when isolating at home can be hard, but adding a buddy to the mix just might get you out of that slump.

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Partner workouts hold you accountable and are more motivating, more enjoyable and encourage a little friendly competition.

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In this workout, we're going to play a game of "You Go, I Go." It's a ladder workout with increasing reps that's perfect to play with someone you're cooped up at home with — but you can also play from a safe distance.

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While one partner is performing the move, the other partner will be doing an isometric hold of that same movement. So grab a buddy, and let's get to it!

Workout Instructions

  1. Partner A starts with 1 rep of Move 1 while Partner B does Isometric Hold 1.
  2. Partner B does 1 rep of Move 1 while Partner A does Isometric Hold 1.
  3. Partner A does 2 reps of Move 1 while Partner B does Isometric Hold 1.
  4. Partner B does 2 reps of Move 1 while Partner A does Isometric Hold 1.
  5. Repeat until both partners have done 10 reps of Move 1.
  6. Continue this rep scheme through all four moves.

Check out more of our 20-minute workouts here — we’ve got something for everyone.

1. Squat and Isometric Squat Hold

Move 1: Squat

Body Part Butt and Legs
  1. Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart.
  2. Bend your knees, keeping your weight in your heels.
  3. Only squat as far as your range of motion allows, keeping your heels on the ground and chest up.
  4. Drive through your heels to stand, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Isometric Hold 1: Squat Hold

Isometric Hold 1: Squat Hold
Image Credit: Brittany Hammond
Body Part Butt and Legs
  1. Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart.
  2. Bend your knees, keeping your weight in your heels.
  3. Only squat as far as your range of motion allows, keeping your heels on the ground and chest up.
  4. Hold until your partner is finished with their squats.

2: Shoulder Press and Shoulder Press Isometric Hold

Move 2: Shoulder Press

Body Part Arms and Shoulders
  1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. If no dumbbells are available, you can use a household alternative, such as canned food.
  2. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears and your chest open.
  3. Raise your arms to a 90-degree angle.
  4. Press your arms straight overhead, squeezing your core.
  5. Return to the starting position.

Isometric Hold 2: Shoulder Press Hold

Isometric Hold 2: Shoulder Press Hold
Image Credit: Brittany Hammond
Body Part Arms and Shoulders
  1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold a dumbbell (or dumbbell alternative) in each hand.
  2. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears and your chest open.
  3. Raise your arms to a 90-degree angle.
  4. Press your arms straight overhead, squeezing your core.
  5. Hold until your partner is finished with their shoulder presses.

3: Biceps Curl and Biceps Curl Isometric Hold

Move 3: Biceps Curl

Body Part Arms
  1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears and your chest open.
  3. Start with your arms long at your sides, elbows close to your body.
  4. Bend your arms, lifting your hands until the dumbbells reach your shoulders.
  5. Return to the starting position.

Isometric Hold 3: Biceps Curl Hold

Isometric Hold 3: Biceps Curl Hold
Image Credit: Brittany Hammond
Body Part Arms
  1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand.
  2. Keep your shoulders down away from your ears and your chest open.
  3. Start with your arms long at your sides, elbows close to your body.
  4. Bend your arms, lifting your hands until the dumbbells reach your shoulders.
  5. Hold until your partner is finished with their biceps curls.

4: Push-Up and Plank Hold

Move 4: Push-Up

Body Part Abs, Arms, Chest and Shoulders
  1. Lie facedown, toes tucked, palms on the floor by your chest, with your arms at a 45-degree angle out from your torso and your shoulders away from your ears.
  2. Push through your hands and straighten your arms, keeping your core engaged.
  3. Lower yourself back down as far as you can go without lying on the ground, keeping your core engaged.

Isometric Hold 4: High Plank

Isometric Hold 4: High Plank
Image Credit: Brittany Hammond
Body Part Abs, Arms and Shoulders
  1. Lie on the floor, toes tucked under, shoulders down away from your ears and hands on the floor at your shoulders.
  2. Push through your hands to straighten your arms, keeping your core engaged.
  3. Squeeze your core, keeping your hips from elevating or dropping.
  4. Hold until your partner is finished with their push-ups.

Tip

To make both the push-up and the plank a bit easier, lower to your knees.

5: V-Up and Boat Pose

Move 5: V-Up

Body Part Abs
  1. Lie flat on your back, legs out and arms above your head.
  2. Lift your upper body and lower body up simultaneously to meet by squeezing your core and keeping your legs as straight as possible.
  3. Return to the starting position, keeping your core engaged.

Isometric Hold 5: Boat Pose

Isometric Hold 5: Boat Pose
Image Credit: Brittany Hammond
Body Part Abs
  1. Lie flat on your back, legs out and arms above your head.
  2. Lift your upper body and lower body up simultaneously by squeezing your core so your legs are hovering about a foot off the ground with knees slightly bent, arms extended toward your feet.
  3. Hold until your partner is finished with their V-ups.

Tip

To make both the V-up and Boat pose a bit easier, bend your knees.

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