{"id":3691,"date":"2010-02-01T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-02-01T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/blog\/more-love-less-handles-3\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T20:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T20:03:03","slug":"more-love-less-handles-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/blog\/more-love-less-handles-2\/","title":{"rendered":"More Love, Less Handles: Couples Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Whether you\u2019re on your second date or celebrating your 22nd anniversary, one thing is true: Relationships require work. But not necessarily the kind you might expect. As it turns out, couples that exercise together strengthen more than their muscles; they also strengthen their romantic connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour endorphin and pheromone levels are at their highest after a session at the gym,\u201d says Belisa Vranich, a clinical psychologist at the Gold\u2019s Gym Fitness Institute and author of Get a Grip: Your Two-Week Mental Makeover<\/em>. These are the feel-good hormones linked to arousal and attraction \u2014 and they can have a powerful effect on you and your partner: \u201cThey automatically make you like the person you\u2019re with even more, regardless of whether you\u2019re a happy new couple or on the brink of a breakup,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got four love-enhancing workouts designed for each chapter of your relationship. Whether you\u2019re a new couple just beginning to get to know each other or a pair of Valentine\u2019s veterans looking to reignite the flame, we\u2019ve got the solution for you.<\/p>\n

Scroll through the workouts below to find one that best describes your relationship.<\/p>\n

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THE GETTING-TO-KNOW-YOU WORKOUT<\/h4>\n
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Early in relationships, \u201ctoo much face-to-face time or forced communication can be a bit awkward,\u201d Vranich says. So she encourages new couples to stretch and cool down together, and to spend the bulk of the time in group-exercise classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cClass is something that you can experience together \u2014 and talk about afterward \u2014 without too much eye-to-eye contact or having to deal with potentially awkward spotting scenarios,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Stretching<\/h5>\n

Do these pre-workout stretches alongside your partner.<\/p>\n

Cat and cow<\/h6>\n

Do five reps<\/em><\/strong>
\nGet down on all fours, arms directly under your shoulders<\/a> and fingertips pointing away from you. Pull abs in and slowly arch your back up toward the ceiling \u2014 pause. Now reverse the motion, arching chest and hips upward so your belly sinks toward the ground \u2014 pause.<\/p>\n

Pigeon<\/h6>\n

Stay down on all fours and place your forearms on the floor, fingertips pointing away from you; cross right leg under your torso so the side of it rests on the floor. Extend your left leg behind you, knee on the ground; hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Quad<\/h6>\n

Kneel on the floor with your knees hip-width apart. Place your right foot several feet in front of you, and rest your hands on your right knee for balance. Lean your upper body forward slightly and press your hips forward (you should feel a stretch down the front of your right thigh). Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs and repeat.<\/p>\n

Class<\/h6>\n

Check your local Gold\u2019s Gym schedule<\/a> and decide on a class that is new to you both. Want to impress your date with your strength? Try cardio kickboxing. For flirty competition, sit next to one another in a cycling class. Yoga can help you connect spiritually. Cardio dance will give you a sneak preview of the kind of chemistry you share.<\/p>\n

Cooldown<\/h5>\n

Partner-assisted stretch<\/strong>
\nLie on your back, and lift one leg as far as you comfortably can on your own. Your partner then places his or her hand against your calf and applies gentle pressure, as if to push your leg back a bit farther. You resist the pressure by pressing your leg against your partner\u2019s hand. Hold for 30 seconds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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THE JUST-SAID-I-LOVE-YOU WORKOUT<\/h4>\n
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For couples who can\u2019t seem to keep their hands off each other, \u201cendurance workouts that get the sweat running and blood pumping usually turn up the heat in more ways than one,\u201d says Corry Matthews, a certified personal trainer at the Gold\u2019s Gym Fitness Institute. Trainer Adam Friedman notes that competitive activities provide that friendly-flirty spark. To rev up the heat in your relationship, turn the following moves into a sexy game. The winner is the one who can go the longest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Cardio sprints<\/h6>\n

Choose side-by-side cardio machines \u2014 bike, treadmill or elliptical \u2014 and playfully race to the finish for 10 to 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

Dumbbell bicep curls<\/h6>\n

Do three sets of 15 reps<\/em><\/strong>
\nHold free weights with palms facing out and elbows next to the body. Bend your elbows and curl the weights toward your shoulders without moving your elbows. Return to the starting position.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Pull-up and bent-arm hang<\/h6>\n

For him:<\/em> Hang on the pull-up bar with hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from you, elbows straight but not locked. Slowly pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar, then lower to the starting position. Do three sets of 10\u201312 reps.
\nFor her:<\/em> Have your date lift you so that your chin is level with the pull-up bar. Grip the bar with hands shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from you, elbows bent. When your date releases you, hold yourself in this position for as long as possible, keeping your chin level with the bar.<\/p>\n

Weighted walking lunges<\/h6>\n

Do three sets of 15\u201320 lunges, with a 30-second burst of cardio between sets<\/em><\/strong>
\nStand holding dumbbells at your sides. Step forward with the first leg. Land on your heel, then forefoot. Lower the body until the knee of your rear leg is almost in contact with the floor, then stand on the forward leg with the assistance of the rear leg. Lunge forward with the opposite leg.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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THE MARRIED-WITH-KIDS WORKOUT<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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One word: yoga. \u201cIt\u2019s relaxing, enjoyable and intimate,\u201d Matthews says. There are plenty of partner postures you can practice as a couple, and the body awareness \u2014 and touching \u2014 that couples yoga brings to the table adds to the romance. In addition to the positions below, any Gold\u2019s Gym yoga instructor will be able to suggest moves you can do at home or in a class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Double boat<\/h6>\n

Sit facing your partner, with about three feet between you. Hold hands along the outside of your legs. Raise both legs and place the soles of your feet on your partner\u2019s. Work on finding your balance and, when you\u2019re ready, try straightening your legs. As you hold the pose, work on drawing in your lower back (don\u2019t round your spine) and engaging your abs while gazing at each other.<\/p>\n

Double standing forward bend<\/h6>\n

Stand back to back with six to 12 inches between your heels. Both partners bend forward at the waist. Reach behind you and grab your partner\u2019s hands. Depending on your flexibility, you can walk your hands closer, so that you are holding each other\u2019s forearms, elbows or shoulders. The backs of your legs and buttocks should be touching. Keep your legs straight and lower the top of your head toward the ground. Hold for five deep breaths, then let go of your partner and slowly come to stand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Facing twist<\/h6>\n

Sit facing your partner with your legs crossed. Make sure your knees are touching your partner\u2019s. Both of you hold your right arm around your lower back, with the back of your hand touching just above your hip. Then reach your left hand out diagonally and grab your partner\u2019s left hand. Turn your hand so your thumb is pointing down. If you can\u2019t reach that hand, the two of you can hold each end of a towel, bringing your hands as close as you can. If you can hold hands, reach farther and hold each other\u2019s wrists. Now each of you look over your right shoulder and pull against the other as much as you can to feel the deepest twist. Hold this stretch for five or more deep breaths and gently release. Then do the other side, twisting to the left.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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THE LOVE-ON-THE-ROCKS WORKOUT<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Never let an argument sabotage your workout, even when things begin to go south. \u201cGet to the gym and be the good exercise partners that you\u2019ve always been,\u201d Vranich suggests. After the sweat has dried and the endorphins have rushed, you\u2019ll have endured a grueling workout and survived it together. Hopefully, you\u2019ll be too exhausted to scream at each other \u2014 that is, if you can remember what you were fighting about in the first place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Front plank<\/h6>\n

Lie on your stomach with arms bent, palms and forearms on the ground, fingers pointed forward, legs extended and toes tucked under. Work your back and abs by contracting your core muscles and slowly lifting your entire torso off the floor, keeping palms, forearms and toes on the ground. Hold for one minute. Repeat twice.<\/p>\n

Squat Thrust<\/h6>\n

Do three sets of 10 reps<\/em><\/strong>
\nBegin in a standing position with feet apart. Squat and place your palms on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back like you are going to do a pushup. Quickly return to the squat position and then stand up. Repeat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Pushup with a BOSU<\/h6>\n

Do as many as possible<\/em><\/strong>
\nA BOSU is an inflated rubber hemisphere attached to a rigid platform; it looks like a stability ball cut in half. Place the BOSU soft side down and hold on to the edges as you lie facedown with your feet together. Keeping your body straight, push up.<\/p>\n

Mini cardio triathlon<\/h6>\n

Hop on the stationary bike and pedal at your own max speed for three to five minutes. Quickly switch to the stair climber and climb at your own max speed for three to five minutes. Finish strong on the treadmill: Run for three to five minutes at the fastest speed you can maintain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<p>You don’t need to get on the psychologist’s couch to improve your relationship; you need to get off it — and into the nearest Gold’s Gym.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":7076,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[173,79,175],"class_list":["post-3691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-workouts","tag-couples-workouts","tag-exercise","tag-partner-exercises"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3691"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10042,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691\/revisions\/10042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goldsgym.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}