“Couples who train together stay together” might have you rolling your eyes, but if you can get over the cringe, there could actually be some truth behind this saying.
The idea of getting red-faced and sweaty in front of your significant other might not scream romance to you at first — but after speaking to Tilly Hulse and her boyfriend Chris Cullen, we’re starting to see the appeal.
Tilly’s part of the Myprotein squad and she takes her fitness seriously — since graduating from the University of Leeds this summer, she’s currently training to be a PT and already has 56k followers on her Instagram (@tillyhulse_fit).
Her and Chris got to know each other through mutual friends in Leeds and their shared passion for keeping fit has been a key part of their relationship from day one.
Still need convincing to take your date to the weights? Tilly and Chris give us four reasons why you should work out as a couple:
1. Motivation
It’s great to have a gym partner who motivates you to be your best, both mentally and physically, and that’s what we both try to do. We’re always pushing each other to reach new PBs and to progress in our careers.
I think it’s definitely more motivating having that one person whose opinion you care about in the gym with you. It’s super-handy having such an important common interest — as soon as one of us loses motivation, the other gets you in the mood for working out and eating clean… or you can both agree to have a rest day/cheat meal and not feel as guilty.
2. Confidence
Training has given us both so much confidence, comfort and trust in each other. It keeps our relationship happy and positive — we’ve watched each other grow and have motivated each other to carry on.
One tip we’d give to other couples is to make sure you make your partner feel confident and comfortable in their skin, and to always encourage them to be the best version of themselves.
3. Quality Time
We’ve worked out together since the beginning of our relationship — I’m pretty sure it was one of our first days out and now we train together pretty much every day.
In terms of the workout we do, we often train muscle groups like arms and abs. We avoid training together on compound lifts like bench press and deadlifts, as the weight difference between the two of us is too big and it takes ages taking off the weights and then putting them back on.
However, we always spot each other, even if we are doing different workouts, in case we tire during the last few repetitions.
4. Strengthens Relationship
We definitely believe working out improves our relationship. Although for some it might not be their ideal situation to train and get sweaty and gross in front of their partner, it really works for us.
So, training with your partner might be a way to get stronger — and we don’t just mean your muscles…
Want to see more from this power couple? Check out their instagrams: Tilly (@tillyhulse_fit) and Chris (@chriscullenfitness).
