Double teaming the iron.

As an average Joe, bodybuilding training is already tough as it is. It requires pain, hunger, sacrifice, dedication, all of it with the ultimate goal of improving your body. Sure, it may be a tough task, one that you place on yourself. No one is forcing you to get in shape or to improve upon your physical form, but that’s what makes it all the more satisfying when you accomplish your goal. Bodybuilding is all about goal setting after all and if you’re dedicated enough those goals can be reached.

But putting on muscle isn’t as simple as getting in the gym and hitting the weights. While that has a great deal to do with it and is paramount to your success, there are other elements to include in your success. Diet? Sure. Rest? Definitely. But another intangible has to be considered. Your training partner.

It’s been discussed many times that having a great training partner can ultimately improve your gains. It’s a notion that every athlete lives by no matter what sport you’re competing in. If you have someone to push you, someone with that same focus and drive then they’ll undoubtedly help you improve. That’s true for a regular gym rat and it’s true for the professional bodybuilder as well. No one can become a champion on their own. No matter what people may think, winning a title includes not only your sacrifice but the sacrifice of the people you surround yourself with.

Take Dorian Yates for example. He’s a six time Mr. Olympia champion who is well respected within the bodybuilding community. But despite all those Sandow wins, Yates didn’t make those accomplishments on his own. In fact his training partner Leroy Davis had a lot to do with his success. Yates surely had to put in the work and do some hard training, but Davis was there every step of the way with an intensity that pushed the former champ past his limits. Move over Branch Warren and Johnnie Jackson – this might be the most motivational bodybuilding pair to ever hit the sport. Check it out:

Would you want a training partner like Leroy Davis? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.