4 Unforgettable (and Unforgiving) Couples Workouts for Valentine’s Day
Fancy chocolates and flowers for Valentine’s Day are nice gifts and all, but will your significant other remember that? No, they won’t. (And you know that they won’t.)
To give them a gift that they will surely remember, invite them to join you in one of the following couples workouts, hand-picked by some of our Spartan SGX coaches. As these crushing workouts prove, there’s nothing like a little Spartan training to cement your unbreakable bond.
Related: Celebrate Valentine’s Day the Spartan Way: Try This Couples Gym Workout
Couples Workouts to Try This Valentine's Day
1. The Heart Pumper
By Mandi Love, Spartan SGX Coach (Richmond, Virginia)
Training together with your partner is a great way to stay connected, whether you are indoors or able to take advantage of the fresh air outside. It creates a positive outlet and can boost the quality and intimacy of your relationship. Having a workout partner also boosts the efficiency of your workout, as it challenges you to do a bit more than you likely would have on your own.
Exercising together provides an opportunity to benefit both your health and your relationship. For example, there are often nonverbal moments of communication during training that can help people feel emotionally attuned with one another. Those who experience it tend to report greater feelings of closeness with their partner.
Related: Master This Couples Strength Workout to Crush Your Valentine's Day
Whether you train together regularly or just on occasion, it's important to work together, laugh, and have fun!
The Workout
Partner #1 does the strength exercise — 14 reps — while Partner #2 executes the corresponding conditioning work. After completion of the 14 reps, they switch: Partner #1 does the conditioning exercise, and #2 takes on 14 reps of the strength exercise.
The partners move through each of the seven levels of the workout in this fashion, resting and encouraging each other as needed.
7 Strength Exercises / 7 Conditioning Exercises
- Squat to Press / Jumping Rope
- Push-Ups / Jumping Jacks
- Walking Lunges / Side Shuffle
- Jumping Pull-Ups (or Rows or Other Scaling Move) / Gorilla Walks
- Side Lunges / Burpee Sit-Throughs
- Kettlebell Cleans / Broad Jumps or Box Jumps
- Split Squats with Bicep Curl / Running Sprints
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2. The Spartan Partner Workout
By Mallory McDowell, Spartan SGX Coach (Helena, Montana)
To progress some of the exercises, you can use a kettlebell, single dumbbell, Spartan Pancake, or each other for resistance!
Working out together has endless benefits: quality time together, accountability, healthy competition, and it will make your bond deeper than your squat. So remember to have fun!
Related: The Ultimate Full-Body Dumbbell Workout
The Workout
Perform 2 sets. Each set is 14 repetitions.
Inverted Rows
Lay on the ground between standing partner’s legs. Standing partner bends knees. Stretch out arms, grasp each other’s forearms, and partner on the ground pulls self up as high as possible.
Lunges
Face your partner, grasp forearms, and step back with the same leg while keeping your chest lifted. Alternate legs.
Over Unders
Hold a high plank position while your partner jumps over you twice, then crawls underneath you back to their start position.
“V” Push-Ups
Create a pike position with ears between shoulders, tuck your chin, and do push-ups.
Elevated Hip Press
Lay on your back as your partner holds a squat position, facing you while holding your feet. Then, bend your knees and press your hips up as high as you can.
Squat Push-Ups
Hold a deep squat position and while tipping forward on your toes, lower your chest to the floor and push yourself back up. Stay low throughout the exercise.
Related: The 8 Best Spartan Training Programs to Take on in 2022
Push-Ups With High Five
Face your partner, do a push-up, and high five after each rep.
Ab Throws
Start by lying on your back with your partner standing above, their feet on either side of your head. Grasp their ankles and lift your feet to their chest. Have your partner push-throw your feet in all directions while you keep your legs locked together straight. Resist having them touch the floor.
Russian Twists
Sit side by side and lift your feet off the floor. Then, twist back and forth while taking the outside arm to reach back behind you and twist towards your partner, high-fiving them. Switch sides.
Tricep Dip-to-Toe Touch
Start by facing your partner seated on the ground and lift your hips up off the ground, bending your elbows on the way back down. At the top of each rep, lift the same leg as your partner and touch toes.
Army Crawl
Lay face down across from your partner. Low crawl four steps forward and four back. This counts as one rep. Or pick an end point and make it a race!
Narrow Jump Squats
Face each other, squat with your feet together, and jump. At the top of each rep, do a high 10 (a high five, but with both hands).
3. Death by Burpees
By Marcus Weber, Spartan SGX Coach (Berlin, Germany)
As a small warm-up, set a timer and complete 3 rounds of the following at an easy to moderate pace. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, perform them in sync.
- 1 min Jumping Jacks
- 1 min Squats
- 1 min Push-Ups
Now that you’re warmed up, it’s time for Death by Burpees.
The Workout
Start a stopwatch. Facing one another, you each perform one burpee in the first minute. In the second minute, perform two burpees. Do three in the third minute, and so on, until you can no longer finish the number of burpees in a given minute.
Finish this workout with 400 meters of walking lunges.
Related: Burpee Variations You Need to Know
4. Quality Time Together
By Madeline Dolente, Spartan SGX Coach (Washington, D.C.)
Most couples I know train on their own, but as people get busier with kids, work, and life, it can mean more time apart. I have trained couples who started working out so they could spend more time together, and they're so much happier because of it.
Here’s a fun workout for couples to do together, regardless of their strength or ability. This workout is designed specifically for couples to excel at their own level while inspiring each other. This is a timed partner exercise.
Related: The Spartan Training Plan for Busy Parents
The Workout
As Partner A does a 7-minute run, Partner B will do as many rounds as possible of:
- 10 Jump Squats
- 10 Side Lunges
- 10 Burpees
- 10 Plank Knee Taps
- 10 V-Ups
After two rounds, the couple will face each other in a plank position, with their hands directly below the shoulders. Then, they'll perform push-ups, each with a high five across the body, for 1 minute.
Then, turn onto the back for a hollow body hold for 1 minute.
Only the partner doing the running needs to wear the watch. Once they finish the run, they’ll tag their partner and switch places.
Repeat this twice for a great, fulfilling 30-minute workout. During the workout, cheer you partner on and remember that the better they do, the better you will do!
