Fitness
9 Ways to Make Your Workout More Interesting and Get the Most Out of It
Getting bored at the gym? Are you beginning to slack off on your workouts, or are you even skipping them entirely? If the answer is yes, don’t fret — all you need is a workout makeover. And it’s easier than it sounds. So pump up the jam, get your notebook, and begin making a checklist for some of these awesome tips.
#1. Get your mixtape going.
One of the best ways to get back into the rhythm of regular workouts and rigorous training is a good — nay, a great playlist. Nothing makes you want to push yourself to the limit like hearing Paul Engemann tell you to walk along the razor’s edge.
#2. Switch it up.
If you’re just not feeling your exercise program anymore, it’s time to try new things. If you’re a runner, then maybe investing some more time in strength training will give you the change you need to get back into running full speed. Whatever it is you do when you work out, you’ll always come across hurdles and obstacles — getting over them may just be a matter of doing other things.
#3. When you hit the gym, hit it hard.
Feeling miserable or slow during your workouts is the cue you need to make a change and re-evaluate your position — to look back, reflect, and decide on what to do moving forward. Give your workouts your all — they’re your time in the day, the time you devote to crafting a stronger, faster you, and every second counts.
#4. Set harsher time limits.
One way to help your body get with the program is to enforce time limits — time your rests, time your sets, and time your time! Stay away from your phone (unless you’re changing songs or logging a set). Training with shorter rest periods also keeps your heart rate elevated, giving you a better fat burn throughout the workout, and a better pump.
#5. Don’t stick to the same exercise in every set — do circuits!
One of the biggest and simplest mistakes is to repeat the same monotonous exercise for three sets in a row, resting between sets before moving onto something else. This gets boring quick.
By taking on different exercises (and muscles) in a set, you can keep your heart thumping by switching from, push ups to grip pull ups, to a set of crunches, before resting and repeating the whole thing from the beginning. It’s a great way to keep your workout interesting, and you can mix and match a whole bunch of different exercises.
#6. Do it with a partner.
Working out with someone else is a great way to get back into your groove, and make things both harder, and easier. Having someone there to cheer you on might give you the strength to summon that extra bit of willpower within you necessary to pump out just one more repetition.
You can also use your friend as a timer for your rests, so if you two work on the same set of weights or exercises, you’ll know when it’s your set because your partner will have just finished theirs. Keeping that as a rule helps keep workouts intense and short.
#7. Get competitive.
If you work out with a partner or a group, then stage competitions! An extra little bit of motivation (mostly in the form of bragging rights) will help spice up your workouts, and winning will only make the competition fiercer the next time around. It’s a vicious fitness cycle.
#8. Pick a sport.
If strength or endurance training isn’t your thing, then perhaps you need a little bit more in your fitness life — head to soccer fields and tennis courts, hit the pools or the circuits, and find out what sport speaks most to your heart. Then find others in your area, set up a group, and get the competition rolling!
If working out to beat others isn’t your kind of thing, then attend a martial arts class and consider one-on-one training to better your stances, strikes and physical fortitude.
#9. Set your goals!
Last, but definitely not least — set realistic goals! The great thing about working out is that, with consistency and a little variety, you’ll soon look back and think about all the things you wanted to do, and how you can now do much more than that.
No matter how hard it gets to come up with new ways to keep your workouts interesting, remember this — never give up. Keep on training.
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