1ST SET
THE PROPHECY
PARTNER U P
WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A GOOD TRAINING MATE .
What makes a good training partner ?
I ’ ve always had a training partner . A training partner obligates you to keep pushing , even when you ’ d rather not . They also make the workout go more smoothly : Try to load a leg press with 20 plates by yourself — you ’ d be there all day !
A good training partner gives his all and is reliable . If you ’ re with someone in the gym who ’ s giving 100 %, then you ’ ll also go at 100 %. Because if you don ’ t , he ’ ll shout at you until you do . It ’ s important that he turns up to train when he says he will . There ’ s nothing worse than agreeing to a time with someone and getting all psyched up and ready to train , and then he arrives 30 minutes late . I often train during the day , so this can be difficult for me — since many people work 9 to 5 .
At my level , I also need someone who ’ s willing to train for me . If I train with someone who competes , he may need to focus on a particular area , like the back or legs , and it could mess up my routine if he prioritizes them . This is why I prefer to find someone who loves training hard but doesn ’ t compete and is happy to train however I like .
A guy named Darren Smith helped me get started in bodybuilding when I was 19 . He and I trained together at his gym with four or five others for a couple of years . People say you can ’ t train in a group of six or seven , but if you ’ re giving it your all and want it badly enough , you can train however you want .
After that I trained with two brothers for 2½ years before meeting Steven Joel . We ’ ve trained together for eight or nine years , and we still do when ever I ’ m home in Liverpool . In that time , he has probably missed only four or five sessions . Steven is one of those guys who could blow a lot of the pros in the U . K . out of the water , but competing is not his thing . He doesn ’ t want to put a pair of trunks on , but he loves training , and if I want to do it at 4:30 a . m ., he ’ ll be there .
I have trained with guys like Roelly Winklaar and Big Ramy in Kuwait , but a guy called Kimo is my main training partner there . A lot of guys change their training partners every few weeks , but I tend to stick with the same ones . Good ones are rare , so if I find one I get on with and who has the right qualities , we tend to stay together for years .
140 FLEX | MARCH 2018