5 Partner Workouts for a Fun Summer Sweat Session

Summer is focused on fun and spending time outside, so why not try to get your workout done outside too. Especially if you can pair it with getting together with a friend and getting a partner workout done, perfect fun summer sweat session!

But maybe you need some ideas, and want a couple formats for your partner workouts. That’s where this blog post comes in!

For these 3 workouts, all you need is a deck of cards. So the playing cards in your junk drawer that you’re not sure how they got there, the ones your grandma gave you from the casino (too specific?), and if you don’t have any just check out Dollar Tree or any store should have playing cards for a couple dollars.

Now, once you have the cards, be sure to take the joker out and shuffle it up!

How the card workout game works, at least in my world, is choosing 4 exercises and designating each one for a specific suite.

So for example, Push Ups is for Spades, Alternating Superman is for Clubs, Curtsy Lunge is for Diamonds and Crunches are for Hearts.

I would always have a whiteboard and draw each suite to list the exercise next to it. Sometimes you forget, even if it’s just 4 exercises!

Now, as far as reps go. You put the deck of cards face down, like normal, and you each alternating picking a card. Whatever number is on the card is the number of reps you do for that exercise.

So again, for the example from above, if you get an 8 of spades, that would be 8 push ups. If it’s 2 of hearts, that’s 2 crunches, and so on. 

Now, Face cards equal 10 and Aces equal 11.

This workout is consistent, even if your partner is still working on their exercise. The goal is more seeing how quickly you as a team can get through the deck of cards.

One of you may have more cards while the other doesn’t and that’s fine! You may get all the face cards and your partner could get all the low cards. That’s the game you play!

Although, be careful! When I played this with my retired fitness group, I found out one of them would put the face cards back and choose another one. Don’t do that!

I had to keep a better eye on Mary, so accept your fate of whatever card you pull.

Below I’ll have 3 card game workout examples. Be sure to save them to your Pinterest board for ideas, or just write them down to get started.

This is the partner workout format I LOVE! Again, fitness is great. I taught group fitness for years, came up with workout programs for friends, family and clients, and know how to motivate people to keep going.

But me? I’m going to complain the whole time. I don’t want to, but I do!

So workouts with rest, I can get behind that!

Now there are 2 (maybe more but this is my blog) ways to do You Go I Go workouts.

You can either alternate between each exercise, so for example you do Push Ups, your partner does Push Ups, you do Squats, your partner does Squats, and so on until the workout is done.

Or you can alternate between each round. So as an example using the first workout idea below, you do the bear hold with donkey kicks, froggers, plank side kicks and long hops. Once you’ve done all 4, your partner does their round and you rest, and repeat that cycle until you’ve completed the 3 rounds.

As far as reps go for these exercises, you can either pick a number and do that amount of reps for each exercise, or you can pick a different rep range for each.

I always like to pick 10 or 12 reps to keep it simple, and if it’s an exercise that focuses on each side like lunges, then it’s 10 reps each side.

But make it work for you! If you can only do 8 Push Up -> Row but 15 Weighted Sit Ups, then do that! This is where the white board can come in handy.

Just write down the exercises and the number of reps you want to do for each next to them. It can be as simple as that, and it’s what I do for all of my workouts now that I’m in the garage this summer.

Below I’ll have 2 You Go I Go workout examples. Be sure to save them to your Pinterest board for ideas, or just write them down to get started.

There you go! 5 partner workouts you can do outside this summer or at the gym with a partner.

This is your friendly reminder that workouts don’t have to be long, boring or super complicated. They don’t have to take up a lot of time in your day or be something to dread.

Find a way to like fitness again or even for the first time. And it starts with trying different styles and formats out, like this!

Either way, this is your reminder that small progress is still progress, and you get to choose what your healthy life looks like.

Have fun!