Alone or partner, how do you lift or prefer to lift

[jaeburd]

I greatly value lifting alone as I can go at my pace and get some time away from work and family to re-energize, so I can go back to work and family and give them my all. I must have alone time, or I start to get easily irritated with people.

[wadboram]

For more than 4 years I had been training alone and recently I go to the gym with my neighbor and most of the time we workout together.
I prefer training alone as I'm a clock watcher and feel better controlling my own schedule.

[FALer]

Seems like most here prefer to lift alone, I do too. Maybe George Thorogood should do a remake of his song "I drink alone" except now make it "I lift alone"

[Zarthon]

I typically workout alone. Occasionally I'll share a rack with someone when they're full but that's usually it. There's a few people I talk to while I'm there but it's usually while on rest breaks between sets.

[RustyPipes]

Alone, but I like to make a few casual acquaintances who know what they're doing in case I need a spot and/or some advice.

[socket]

Ran into my old workout buddy last night at the gym. Boy was it fun. I usually lift by myself as my schedule doesn't allow me to meet with him anymore, but i sure do miss it. Hopefully come summer will start lifting together again for one or two a week.

There just some odd joy, lifting with the right person, only have found three such people though over the past twenty years.

I started out on my own in my basement when I was a kid. I trained alone until high school when some of my friends started training with weights and we had a cool little clique for a few years and trained 3-5 days a week together.

That fell apart at the end of senior year and I joined a newly opened Golds. I trained alone for a year and tried training with a few different people ,but never found the right person I could gel with. Then started training with a couple guys that I knew from my high school days(not the same guys as before). We all had the same intensity and were close in the weight we were using. We had an awesome chemistry and really helped each other make progress. It was some of my best days training.

That fell apart when I was about 22. I've been training alone since then.
I like getting into my zone which I really can't when I'm training with someone. But I also miss the benefits of training with some good people. I totally agree with the odd joy about lifting with the right person/persons. It's special.

[Do_Somethin]

Alone. I don't work well with partners. Or they don't work well with me.

[acrawlingchaos]

I couldn't imagine working out without Val. We occasionally have some of the same lifts in our programs, or run part of a program together. I always have someone there for form checks and spots that I can trust, and I'm doing it with someone I enjoy spending time with. The last three months, I have also had my brother workout with me on the weekends, and runs his own program. It's great to watch him progress and I'm training him so I'll have someone to compete with in the next year.

[john-t-b]

Have to admit that I miss having someone to lift with.

But on that note I prefer alone.

Don't have to wait for someone to show up, not be "in the mood", talk too much between sets, doesn'y like the song, and on and on with the excuses.

[Silentpoet]

I do better without a spotter.

[BLK00TJ]

Alone and always has been. No distractions, no conflicting schedules or goals, no bull. I put on my headphones and everyone fades away.

[raynerd]

Been training alone for 3 years. I used to train with one of my best friends from work, it was good, we pushed eachother hard and worked well together.

As I got used to going alone, I really would only do it this way now. I have great focus alone with my headphones on and going at odd times due to 4 young boys and shift work.

[godsamurai]

I got used to training alone, although I do ask workout buddies for spotting sometimes.
The benefit of working out alone is that, you can go with your own pace, and not having to do exercises that don't suit which your partner thinks the opposite. So in physical aspect, I believe you get the optimal result if you do everything by yourself except getting some spotting.

I do the same thing to others, I see lots of people come alone and sometimes ask me for spot, I help them as long as I am available. I did refused few times before and I think he thought I was funny, but I was about to do superset. Didn't explain him what I am going to do, neither.

Anyway if you got the partner who does mostly same thing as you do, then you are good.