One thing I have noticed ever since I started lifting a few years ago was that as my workout partners (or absence of one) changed so did my progress. I was recently talking with some people about this and the topic went from the bro side of the topic to the psychology related side within 30-45 minutes. This really got me thinking, what type of an impact does the person we are at the gym with cause and what are some things we should look for in a workout partner.

There were of course the most obvious things to look for in a partner:
Skill Level (within a reasonable area unless mentoring)
Time Schedule
Overall Fitness Level
And finally you need Similar Fitness Goals

But what I was more interested in was A. Does having a partner truly benefit you in the gym, and B:Is it better to have similar drive?, Should you have similar personality types?, Can a partner actually help you break plateaus?

So the answer to A was rather easy to find in a Psychology Journal there was a study which used college students and paired them with High and Low fit partners and then a controlled group that worked alone. They were not weight lifting but were biking, but I think this test can be generalized like most. In the end the group with a High fit partner had higher pulse rates, rated their partners much higher than the low fit, and they felt as if they exerted themselves more than those in control groups. This study warns that the group was rather homogeneous because all participants were active college students, but most people here are active and have been for a rather long time.

The next questions I looked back at past workout partners and talked with people I knew and drew on their thoughts as well as my own. When talking about drive in the gym and wanting to get in their and accomplish something I believe it is important to find someone who is equally dedicated and willing to put in the effort and commitment that you are. It can be frustrating to be held back by someone who is late, wants to skip sets, and does not want to work as a team. An old workout buddy of mine refused to acknowledge the importance of diet and sleep and ended up injuring himself and I progressed so far ahead of him in the two months he was off that he was not able to hit the weight like I was, and I am not going to cut back and leave before a workout is done because my partner is tired.

When I talked to people about personality types a got a slew or answers which made me come to the conclusion that you as an individual need to decide what type of personality type helps you the most. I myself am the type of person who is cautious and gradually moves forward. I try not to overexert myself for fear of injury but know when to increase my weight. My new partner I met after moving is what I would describe as someone who thinks he is a bit bigger than he is, he wants to load up the bar and move some heavy weight and also encourages me too. But we work well together because he pushes me and I tell him when he is going to snap his back. So next time you are working out think about that, could you use that extra push or do you need someone watching out for you so you aren't making a trip to the local ER.

The last thing I wanted to talk about was breaking plateaus and I will make it short. Plateaus are a physical hard point where your own body needs to adapt and push through yes, but this does not me that someone else can not help you. When I feel like I can't get that last rep in or I am cutting a super set early when my friend says "WTF man no way keep going" or when you know someone has got your back and you can go until you can not physically lift anymore you push yourself.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/34033/jssarticle.pdf
This is the article there are a few others also.

I'm interested in what you guys think about this and your experiences. I hope this helps someone out there during their training.