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Get fit together!

Personal trainer to the stars Pierre Pozzuto, who has been credited with helping Keira Knightley maintain her Hollywood body, will be showing us mortals how it's done this Summer on Fitness TV.

Here, he explains how exercising with your partner can boost your exercise regime - and heat up your relationship.

"We all know that being in a relationship can spell disaster for our diets," says Pierre, who has also worked with Gordon Ramsey, Christian Slater and Sara Cox.

"All those cosy nights on the sofa together with a takeaway for company can soon take their toll, not to mention all those missed workout sessions when you choose to meet your partner at the pub instead.

"But agreeing to get fit together is a perfect way to stay in shape and still enjoy time as a couple. Working out with another person is a great way of staying motivated as well as strengthening the bond between you.

"All those extra endorphins charging around your bodies after exercise are sure to spice things up in the bedroom too!"

Top tips for working out together

  1. Commit to each other. Draw up an exercise plan and agree to stick to it. Then if you cop out, you're letting your partner down as well.
  2. Support each other. Offer to cook dinner on the days you're not working out together to make fitting workouts into your busy lives easier.
  3. Share interests. If one of you is into lifting weights whilst the other prefers yoga, try alternating between the two. Adapting each other's workout to suit both abilities will help to keep things fresh - and show your caring, sharing side.
  4. Competition is healthy - but not against each other. Keep a record of how long it takes you to complete a run and try to beat it next time, but don't compete against each other. Men are built differently to women and it's not a fair playing field. It's not worth it!
  5. Try new things. You don't have to stick to your usual exercise regime. Switch on Fitness TV and do something neither of you have tried before, like body combat or martial arts body control, to keep yourselves motivated.

Great workouts for two

Tennis, badminton and squash are the obvious choices, but running, walking and cycling can all be more fun if you do it together.

Boxing or martial arts sparring can also be a great way to keep fit and core stability work such as sit-ups and stomach crunches are also great exercises to do as a pair. Try sitting opposite your partner while you do them, passing a ball between you as you meet in the middle. If you're lucky, you could even steal a quick kiss while you're there!

You could also try setting up a circuit of five different exercises and each spending a minute on each activity, complete five circuits in total. It's a great way of working out together without actually competing against each other.

And don't forget your stretches - the most important part of any workout. Use each other as support for a deeper hamstring stretch, with one person lying on their back on the floor while the other holds the leg, or stand up and face each other, holding onto each other's arms and shoulders to get the balance point before stretching your calves and quads.

Happy exercising!