So singer Jordin Sparks recently revealed that one of her secrets to maintaining her figure is partnership. On the BET Awards red carpet, the 23-year-old American Idol winner said that her boyfriend, Jason Derulo, supported her fitness goals by accompanying her to the gym:

“I get on the Stairmaster for 15 minutes to raise my heart rate and it kicks my butt. It’s tough but I love it. Then I follow that up with circuit training.“

“Jason’s been showing me some exercises too, I love working out with him.”

Jordin described what a healthy relationship should look like. Working out with a significant other can be great if your partner is motivated to exercise in the first place, but things can go sour quickly if you don’t pay attention to the following signs:

If you’re too pushy:

Very few people want to feel like they’re really in a personal boot camp. Most fitness boot camps work well because when you get fatigued, you can slide to the back and take it easy until you catch your second wind.

Nothing is more annoying than someone in your ear screaming “you can do it … don’t quit on me!” while your mind is just trying to focus on getting thru the next set of burpees.

Remember, if the trainee doesn’t ask for your verbal abuse, try to lay back and give encouragement when it’s asked for.

“Thank you, Shaun T” … Don’t be the know-it-all:

Don’t you hate when someone nitpicks your work, and not by pointing out the most salient issues but by telling you how wrong you’re doing the most trivial of details. Well, if you don’t like that, then please stay away from saying the following after every rep … “You need to go lower in your squat … or let me show you how to do a proper lunge.”

Not only does your partner not give a shit, the only thing you’re accomplishing is planting the seeds of resentment and insecurity. Try sticking to helping your partner not hurt her/himself, and only give advice when asked.

It’s always fun to exercise with a partner or a group of people. Accountability, companionship, and pure fun are just a few of the benefits of working out together, so please don’t let your ego get in the way of what can possibly be one of the best ways of strengthening your bond with your boo-thang.