Ab Workout Routines to Do With a Partner
Doing an ab workout routine with a partner can help you be more motivated. While skipping a gym day to go shopping is not very unusual to you, your habits may change once you have a partner. Peer pressure may have wonderful effects on your body.
In some cases, friends or partners develop a sense of rivalry when they go together to the gym, thus becoming more ambitious and motivated to do the training routine better than the other one.
In other cases, having a gym partner can just make you feel better and less bored, because you have somebody to talk to during the painful routine. Or teamwork can help you self-improve. Either way, working out with somebody can only be in your advantage. Here are a set of exercises that can be done in pairs.
Even if you're only interested in toning up your abs, a whole body workout and a body weight and fat reduction will make your metabolism boost, you'll burn more calories throughout the day, and your muscles will be active for a longer time. Thus, you abs will be in better shape. So take up a cardio training routine, whether it's swimming, running, or cycling, doing it with a partner will be more fun. Except the cardio, also do exercises focused on the abs only, like the following ones.
Both partners sit on the floor, with their legs stretched and their feet touching. Partner A holds a ball (preferably medicinal, but any ball would do) and throws it at partner B. Partner B catches it and does a sit up (lies down with his or her back on the floor). Then B gets up in a sitting position again and throws the ball to A. Partner A catches the ball and lies down on his or her back. Repeat the exercise 20 times.
Another version of this exercise is that while partner A lies down with knees bent and feet on the floor, partner B stands up. A does the sit up holding the ball and, when he or she gets to a sitting position, he or she throws the ball to B. Because B is standing, when he or she throws the ball back to A, there's much more pressure than if B was sitting. Thus, this is an upgraded version, for stronger abs.
If you do not have a ball but still want to do sit ups with a partner, there is a way. When partner A does a sit up (lie on his or her back and then lifts up the upper body), he or she has to clap hands with partner B. Then partner B can do his or her sit up.
Partner A stands up. Partner B lies on his or her back, with her head next to A's feet and with his or her hands around A's ankles. Partner B lifts up the straight legs till he or she forms a 90 degree angle with the ground. The partner standing can count the repetitions, so that it's more motivating for the partner doing the exercise. Repeat 20 times. Then swap roles.
If you want to make this exercise a bit more difficult, the partner standing up can push the legs on the partner on the floor, when they reach a 90 degree angle. This will add pressure and will make you contract the abdominal muscles even more.