These steep challenges arent always easy to tackle alone. Some days, youll hit the gym and your motivation and focus will be off. Other days, you just want more variety in your workouts.

Thats where partner WODs come in. Adding a friend instantly makes your workout more fun, and it pushes you to work out more, according to . It also opens up more creative programming options so youre not just staring at the clock or counting reps. And it introduces a level of competition to your workouts, even if you and your gym pal arent competing directly.

Not sure where to start with these workouts? Weve got you covered. So grab a partner and try out these buddy sweat sessions. Youll get in shape and get quality time all at once!

Crazy Eights

The Lowdown: This ones a great interval workout that helps you work for almost as much time as you rest if you choose the right partner. The beauty of that 1:1 work-to-rest ratio: When its your turn to work, you get to (and should!) go hard, because once youre done, your body will get plenty of rest.

Directions: Complete all reps of each exercise, working to rest as little as possible. Then rest for as long as it takes for your partner to do all reps of each exercise. The moment your partner finishes, youre back to work. Do 8 rounds each of this workout.

8 Barbell Push Press Reps

8 Pull-Ups

8 Burpee Box Jumps

Double DT

The lowdown: The basis of this workout is CrossFits classic DT barbell complex (deadlifts to hang cleans to push jerks). Except theres a twist in here: While youre working through the complex your partner is rowing 20 calories. Theres not much time to rest in this one, unless you complete that barbell complex quickly. If you have shoulder issues, sit this one out, because the push jerks could challenge that joint.

Directions: You and your partner start each round at the same time, one of you beginning on the rower and the other on the DT complex below. Your partner must complete 20 calories on the rower. You, meanwhile, do the complex. (Whoever finishes first gets a little time to rest). Switch back and forth until youve each done 5 rounds; your score is how long it took for you to both complete the full workout.

The DT Barbell Complex: Do each move, working to never once put the dumbbell down. Start with 12 deadlifts, then do 9 hang power cleans. Finish with 6 push jerks, pressing the bar overhead as you dip at the knees and hips, then standing up.

Goodbye Quads

The lowdown: This one is quick and dirty and its a great finisher to a strength session. Just dont underestimate it, because it gets painful and intense quickly.

Directions: Youll need two Airdyne bikes or Assault Bikes for this one, and youll work for 10 minutes. Every 30 seconds, youll put in 10 calories on the bike. The next 30 seconds your partner will put in 10 calories on the bike. Work back and forth for 10 minutes (so youre each doing 10 rounds).

Double Trouble

The lowdown: This ones all about your legs. Youll crush your squat pattern on the thrusters, hit your hamstrings with kettlebell swings - and youre sandwiching serious conditioning work with those 2,000-meter rows.

Directions: You and your partner will open this workout by each rowing 2,000 meters. Try to finish this more quickly than your partner so you get more of a breather going into the 10-round workout. Once youre into the 10-round portion, youre using an A-B-A format. Youll do thrusters while your partner rests, then your partner does kettlebell swings while you rest. Alternate moves until youve each done 10 rounds of each move. Finish with a 2,000-meter row each.

Hardcore Cindy

The lowdown: Here, youre taking CrossFits classic Cindy workout (5 pullups, 10 pushups and 15 air squats done as many times as possible for 20 minutes) and beefing it up into a team format thatll rock your abs too. Be strategic with this one, because the knee tuck holds will wear you out faster than you think.

Directions: Start with a round of Cindy, doing 5 pullups, 10 pushups, and 15 air squats as fast as you can. While youre doing that, your partner will do hang from a pullup bar and hold a knee tuck with thighs parallel to the ground. The kicker: If your partner loses the knee tuck, you must stop doing your round of Cindy; you resume only once they get back into the knee-tuck.

Alternate back and forth for 30 minutes. Need some points on your pushup form? Check out the video below.