Beyond Just Training Partners

On the heels of my wife’s 28th birthday I’m inclined to write a post about the benefit of training partners for outside of the gym. I have written extensively in the past on why training partners are so important for the growth of an athlete. Specifically their motivation and complementary desire inside of training environments create better results. However, a good training partner is more than just a asset inside of the gym but they are huge part of your training outside the gym. Good training partners are good friends. A good friend helps you manage many external stressors that can impact training. I cannot advocate enough the necessity for training partners who double as strong friends in and outside of the gym. These people help you stay grounded outside the gym and also add an element of fellowship which will more often than not will relieve stress.
I am reminded of this as I think of the many years Megan has acted as such for me. I think back on who I was and who I am now because of Megan and I can’t help but shake my head at the dramatic impact she has had on my life. The amount of stress she relieves on a daily basis would be a whole different blog post altogether. These types of people are a necessity for strong athletes. Every strong athlete has a plethora of people behind them supporting them.
It’s no unknown fact that factors outside the gym often dictate the return on investment inside of the gym. Be sure you are surrounding yourself with men and women whose relationships decrease your stress levels rather than add stress to your life. Make sure they are people you can trust and people who are sincerely interested in your life on a much bigger level than your success at the gym. Ecclesiastes 4 tells us that a strand of cords is not quickly broken. This support system is a necessity for sustained joy and also a lower stress level.
As an added note you should also be this type of person to people around you. Find them, treasure them, and support these people as they will be of greater value than any training system, any gym, or any competitive goals you will ever reach.
Happy Birthday Megan and thank you men who fill this role in my life.