Get Your Heart Racing With This Valentine’s Day Partner Workout

Sweaty hands, shortness of breath, a racing pulse. Could it be love? Lust? Or just a really challenging workout? Turns out, our bodies don’t actually know the difference, but that might work in your favor.

Because the side effects of physical activity so closely mirror our bodies’ reaction to romantic interest, researchers believe that revving up your heart rate with a partner may actually increase the feelings of love between the two of you. Yup, heading out for a jog with your honey can actually make them love you more—but that’s not the only reason you should consider asking your significant other to be your workout buddy.

Couples that share fresh and exciting experiences (hiking, a new fitness class, exploring a new city) also report feeling more satisfied in their relationships and more in love. And working out together, naturally, improves your fitness, too. If you’ve ever worked out with a trainer or even in a group, you’ve experienced first-hand the extra motivation that comes with being around others. Something about it makes you want to perform well, which generally makes you work a little harder and faster. That definitely isn’t a bad thing when it comes to getting the most out of  those sweat sessions!

Start your Valentine’s Day festivities off with this fun partner workout that’ll get your hearts racing and leave you glowing all day long.

Box Push-Up and Sit-Up

1. Start sitting up tall with legs extended straight out. Have your partner come into a plank position, with their hands gripping your ankles and their feet on your shoulders.
2. Grab your partner’s ankles and press them straight over your head.
3. When you do this, your partner will come into an upside down “L” position, with a bend at their hips. You should be able to look into each other’s eyes—romantic!
4. Here’s where the fun happens. Keeping your partner’s ankles overhead, slowly roll all the way back down so you’re flat on your back.
5. As you roll backward, your partner will be pulled into a plank position above you.
6. From here, roll up to your beginning seated position. Have your partner simultaneously lifts their hips up to help you get back to the starting point.
7. Repeat 10 times, then switch positions.

Wall Ball-Throws

1. Stand about two feet away from your partner, side by side, facing the wall.
2. Holding a 10- to 15-pound medicine ball in front of your chest, drop into a squat, then rise up to standing and throw the ball up against the wall.
3. Your partner should catch the medicine ball, and then repeat the same movement: squat, stand, throw.
4. Repeat 20 times.

Medicine Ball Balance and Toss

1. Sit facing your partner in boat pose, with about three feet of space between you.
2. Hold a weighted medicine ball—anything from 8- to 15-pounds will work nicely—in front of your chest.
3. Throw the medicine ball to your S.O. to catch with both hands.
4. Toss back and forth, maintaining your balance and without dropping feet onto the floor!
5. Repeat 30 times.

Partner Box Jumps

1. Starts in a push-up position while your partner stands next to you.
2. Slowly lower down into a push-up while your partner jumps over you laterally, and then over you again to return to their starting position.
3. Then switch positions—your partner drops into a push-up position, and you stand and jump.
4. Repeat 20 times.

Photo credit: Alicia Cho