By: Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
The act of going to the gym multiple times a week can become boring to some people. Even those who love to train can find times where they simply aren’t motivated to go to the gym and crush their workouts. If you get to the point where you don’t have that love for training anymore, it’s time to make a change to revitalize that passion for pushing your body to its limits.
In this article, there are seven ways how you can keep your workouts fun and meaningful. Spoiler alert: there’s even a bonus tip at the end. When one of the tips below no longer works, try another — so on and so forth.
Disclaimer: It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program to ensure you are healthy enough to do so.
7 Helpful Tips to Keep Your Workouts Fun and Meaningful
Below are seven of the best tips to help you keep your workouts fun and meaningful, which can translate into better and faster results. Give them a try!
1. Train with a Passionate Workout Partner
Do you have a friend who loves going to the gym? Are their workouts intense? Find those individuals and train with them. Allow them to push you while you push them back. Be there to provide a spot when they are going heavier than normal and know they have someone who can help them if they get stuck during a rep.
Friends don’t let friends give up on their workouts!
Related Article: How Do You Choose the Best Personal Trainer for Your Needs?
If you want to be held even more accountable and want to make your workouts fun and meaningful, try hiring a personal trainer for a given period of time and let them beat the heck out of you to spark new muscle growth and fat loss.
2. Compete with Your Workout Partner
As mentioned above, training with a partner to get in your workouts is a great idea and the perfect way to keep your workouts fun and enjoyable. If you and your workout partner are about equal when it comes to the weights you use, challenge and compete with each other. Who can lift more weight? Who can get the most reps?
If both of you are competitive, trying to outdo the other can become a fun little game you play each time you step foot in the gym.
3. Consider Joining a New Gym
There are times when you need a change of scenery. Looking at the same boring walls, using the same equipment, seeing the same faces, and being in the same atmosphere — it can become dull and unmotivating. Consider finding a new gym or even getting a second gym membership so you have two gyms you can use at your disposal to keep things fresh and exciting.
Think of it along the same lines as your home. After several years, your family room or living room becomes boring, and you need to change things and spice it up a little with some new furniture, a new television, or a fresh coat of paint. The same can be said about your workouts.
4. Change Up Your Workouts
One pitfall that many fall into with their workouts is doing the same thing over and over again. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome. If you want to drive yourself nuts, do the same workout for three months straight. It’s a sure way to fall out of love with your workouts.
If you find yourself unable to get motivated to hit the gym and toss around the iron, more than likely, your workout plan is to blame. Change it up!
When changing it up, think of different ways you can challenge yourself and your muscles to help promote changes with your physique.
Related Article: 5 Reasons Why Your Arms Aren’t Growing and How to Fix It
It could be changing up the exercises you have in your workouts, changing up the days you do certain body parts or start combining body parts (such as combining your shoulder and back days), changing up the time you train, changing the rep range, changing the number of sets you complete, changing the tempo of your reps by slowing them down (especially the negative/eccentric portion of the movement), add cluster sets, add drop sets, go to failure, — the key is CHANGE.
5. Try Something New
Most people are averse to change. Yet, change is a great way to keep your workouts fun and enjoyable. The thought of doing something new can cause people to become standoffish. If you’ve been using cardio equipment, maybe it’s time to try a class. Now, that doesn’t mean to go hop into a Zumba class if that’s not your thing. It could be as simple as implementing a spin class into your training routine instead of staring at the wall on a treadmill.
Trying something new with your workouts can help you find the fun and enjoyment in training again if you lost it. Try different things, too. If a spin class isn’t your thing and you finish the class feeling like your butt has been violated from the hard seat, try another form of cardio. Maybe running sprints in a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) manner is more up your alley? Give it a try. Don’t be afraid to try something new and possibly get out of your comfort zone.
6. Turn Your Workouts into Challenges
Do you find yourself going to the gym and simply going through the motions? That’s a sure way to experience boring workouts. Challenge yourself during your workouts. Push yourself to add more weight to your exercises. Try to squeeze out more reps than you did the previous week. Add an extra set to your workout. Constantly look for ways to challenge yourself and your muscles. Doing so can help you see the results you desire from your workouts and keep your workouts fun and meaningful.
Keeping a workout log is a great way to ensure you are constantly pushing yourself. Write down your exercises, weights, sets, and reps. Then you have something to fall back on, and make sure you are challenging yourself during each of your workouts.
7. Reward Yourself
Now for the fun part… reward yourself! A great way to stay focused, keep things fun, and enjoy the process is by rewarding yourself in some manner. If you’ve been crushing your workouts but feel like you’re starting to fizzle out, reward yourself with something. This doesn’t mean going out and buying a new car or an expensive Rolex watch. Instead, get yourself a new pair of running shoes, get yourself some new workout apparel, or even treat yourself to a nice dinner and a dessert you’ve been craving.
Or maybe you’d rather spend your money on something to help directly get you closer to your goals? You could pick up a delicious MuscleSport Lean Whey flavor you’ve never had and treat yourself to a protein-packed dessert-like shake. There’s a reason so many people say we have the best protein on the planet! The hype is real!
BONUS!
Set goals. A great way to stay motivated is to set goals for yourself so you have something to strive for. It could be a weight loss goal, training to hit a certain weight on the bench or a particular exercise, setting realistic size gains to achieve, etc. Goals can help you stay motivated while also being enjoyable when you realize you’re getting closer and closer to crossing a line through the goal and setting a new one.
You can even combine this with rewarding yourself that was mentioned above. If you set a goal and achieve it, have a “prize” you’ll treat yourself with when you hit it.
All of these things mentioned above are great ways to keep your workouts fun and meaningful so you don’t eventually get burned out and hate training. The last thing you want to do is give up and fall off the wagon. Good luck!