Better together

Training with a partner motivates you to push harder.

LA-based group fitness manager Angela Leigh and her boyfriend Shaun Jenkins, a Tier 3+ trainer in New York City, live nearly 3,000 miles apart, so when they can get together for a workout, it’s all fireworks and fat-burning. "When you're working out with a partner there is this extra (good) pressure to really 'show up' for the session," says Leigh. And if you really like that partner, it's even better: "Seeing my lady sweat and work hard is just as attractive as seeing her in a little black dress," says Jenkins. "I love it."

Here, the couple shares four of their favorite do-together moves. Do 3 sets of the indicated reps:

windmill push ups

Start in plank position, facing each other about one arm’s length away. Do one push-up, and then extend right arms to slap hands, and rotate to the outer edge of the left foot into a side plank, right arm extended to sky. Rotate back to plank position, do one push-up, and then repeat to opposite side for one rep. Do 8-10 reps.

assisted sit-to-stand

Partner 1 lies on floor, knees bent, feet flat, while partner 2 sits on floor holding partner 1’s feet. Partner 1: Sit up, then rise to stand without using arms. Sit back down on floor, then use core to lower down to start for one rep. Do 8-10 reps, then switch places.

wheelbarrow walk

Partner 1 starts in plank position, and partner 2 grabs partner 1’s ankles and holds them at waist-level. Partner 1 “walks” forward on hands alternating right and left hand 10 times. Switch places and repeat.

walking lunges with resistance

Stand facing each other and lock arms so hands are on each other’s shoulders, arms extended, then lower into deep lunge. Partner 1 does 8-10 walking lunges forward while partner 2 does 8-10 walking lunges backward, pressing into each other's shoulders and staying low. Switch direction and repeat.