This partner workout uses the Total Gym to improve strength, mobility, balance, and connection through simple shared movement sessions that can be done virtually or at home.
Partner Workout: Strength, Mobility, and Connection Through Shared Movement
Maria Sollon, MS, CSCS, PES
Looking for a partner workout that builds strength, mobility, and connection? This shared Total Gym workout is designed to help families stay active together through simple, low-impact movement that can be done virtually or at home. As a trainer, I’ve been working virtually using the Total Gym.
Whether you are training side by side or connecting through a screen, shared workouts can improve accountability, motivation, mobility, and overall wellness at any age.
Why Shared Movement Matters
There’s a special kind of connection that happens when movement becomes something shared.
It doesn’t require a studio, a perfect schedule, or even both people in the same room. Sometimes it simply takes intention, consistency, and the willingness to show up for each other in a different way.
For me, that experience has become part of my weekly rhythm with my mom.
As a trainer, I’ve been working with her virtually using the Total Gym. She lives in another part of the country, and we meet three times a week through a screen, moving together, laughing, coaching, adjusting, and building strength in real time.
My mom is in her 70+ season of life and continues to inspire me every week. She’s determined, focused, and committed to improving the way she moves and feels. She listens closely to what her body needs, and she understands that movement is not optional. It is part of maintaining strength, mobility, confidence, and quality of life.
Over time, I’ve watched her mental focus sharpen, her movement quality improve, and her strength grow in ways that continue to surprise her.
Training virtually has also helped her develop greater body awareness. She has learned to watch, listen, feel, and respond to coaching cues so adjustments and progressions can happen safely and effectively.
That’s something anyone can experience with their mom, workout partner, or loved one, with or without a Total Gym.
Benefits of Partner Workouts
Shared movement creates benefits that go beyond fitness alone. Total Gym Direct supports healthy aging and low-impact strength training.
Benefits of This Partner Workout
- Improves strength and mobility
- Encourages consistency and accountability
- Supports healthy aging
- Builds confidence through movement
- Helps improve balance and coordination
- Creates meaningful connection and quality time
- Can be adapted for different ages and fitness levels
- Works well for virtual workouts or at-home training
How to Do a Virtual Workout Together
Virtual workouts are one of the easiest ways to stay connected through movement, especially when family members live in different locations.
All you need is:
- A video call or virtual meeting platform
- A simple workout plan
- Open communication
- Patience and encouragement
If one person is more experienced and the other is newer to exercise, teaching and learning naturally become part of the workout experience. That exchange often deepens the connection even more.
Who This Workout Is Best For
This shared movement workout is ideal for:
- Moms and daughters
- Older adults
- Beginners
- Virtual workout partners
- People looking for low-impact workouts
- Individuals recovering from injury or surgery
- Anyone wanting to improve mobility and strength safely at home
Total Gym Partner Workout Routine
This Total Gym partner workout is designed to stay simple, efficient, and adaptable for different bodies and fitness levels. Add your own moves with inspo from Total Gym Direct.
Workout Format
- Warm-Up: 5 minutes
- Strength Circuit: 6 exercises
- Reps: 10–15 controlled reps each
- Focus: Strength, mobility, coordination, and movement quality
- Core Finisher: 1 exercise
- Cool Down: 5 minutes
Adjust the incline based on individual strength and experience level. Every body moves differently, and the Total Gym allows those adjustments easily.
Focus on quality over speed, maintain smooth transitions, and encourage steady controlled movement throughout the session.
Warm-Up Exercises
Using a stability ball if available. If not, each movement can be performed without equipment or replaced with your preferred mobility flow.
- Overhead reach and stretch
- Lateral side stretches
- Standing cat/cow
- Lateral lunges
- Ball crunches or bodyweight core activation
The goal is to prepare the body for movement by improving range of motion, activating the core, and increasing circulation before strength work begins.
Total Gym Strength Circuit
Perform 10–15 controlled reps of each exercise focusing on alignment, tempo, and movement quality.
- Torso Rotation
- Surfer Row
- High Row
- Bicep Curls
- Tricep Bridge
- Pullover Crunch
Core Finisher
Cable Crunches
Perform slow, controlled repetitions with focus on core engagement and breathing.
Cool Down and Recovery
Repeat light mobility or stretching from the warm-up to restore range of motion and bring the body back down gradually.
Adapting Workouts for Older Adults
My mom has navigated hip replacements, knee surgery, and ongoing back considerations, all of which influence how she approaches movement.
None of those experiences define her training. They simply inform it.
She moves with what she has, gives effort consistently, and continues to prioritize strength and mobility in a way that supports her quality of life.
That consistency is what makes her such an inspiration to me.
Low-impact strength training, controlled mobility exercises, and adaptable equipment like the Total Gym can help older adults continue moving confidently while respecting individual limitations.
Try the Pilates Kit for great low impact accessories!
Why Moving Together Matters
This kind of session doesn’t need to be long to be meaningful. It just needs to happen.
A short shared workout can make a lasting impact. Whether it’s strength training, walking, stretching, swimming, or bodyweight movement, the most important part is making time to move together.
Shared movement creates momentum. One session often leads to another, and over time it becomes part of the rhythm of staying connected and supporting long-term health and wellness.
It starts with one decision to move together.
Check out the video to see how these exercises are performed on the Total Gym and how virtual partner workouts can help moms and families stay active together from anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of partner workouts?
Partner workouts can improve accountability, motivation, consistency, emotional connection, and enjoyment during exercise.
Can older adults use the Total Gym?
Yes. The Total Gym can be adjusted for different fitness levels, mobility needs, and recovery considerations.
How do you work out virtually with someone?
Virtual workouts can be done through video calls while following the same routine together in real time.
What exercises are good for moms over 70?
Low-impact strength training, mobility work, stretching, rowing movements, and core stability exercises are excellent options.
Check out some other great workouts here!
I hope all the incredible moms out there had a wonderful Mother’s Day! And shoutout to anyone making movement a shared part of life.
Best,
Maria
@groovysweat
