New Delhi, June 28 -- Working out alone and working out with a gym partner both have their specific set of benefits and drawbacks. Basically, how one works out depends on one's gym personality. Things like technique, how much motivation one needs, and the difficulty of the weights being lifted. It also depends on what time one goes to the gym. Going at peak hours might support working out alone so the machines and benches aren't occupied by pairs for too long. I've also observed that working out alone can take fewer minutes than working out with gym partners.

But if there is one muscle group workout where I would rather have a partner than not, then it is the core. This is because suffering together while working on the abdominal muscles...