Ten Ways To Spice Up Your Workout

An easy way to become burnt out when exercising, hit a plateau or just plain bored is having it become a routine. Yes a routine of waking up to work out is great…but even calling the workout a routine is putting you to sleep right now. See! Check out the list below for some inspiration to get things back into gear.

1.  Unilateral Exercises. For instance, make the transition from regular squats to other types that will target one leg more than the other. Ideas: staggered squats, split squats or Bulgarian squats. Instead of using both arms pressing and pulling, make the exercise more of a stability + strength. Ideas: single arm press on one knee, alternating flys on a swissball or single arm deadlift with a kettlebell.

2. Trail Running. On the day you do run, find some uneven surfaces to run on. This will make you a stronger runner as it will strengthen those legs and force you to use those stabilizers. Don’t have trails around? Find some stairs or hills to run. Start off easy. If it is new for your body – ease into it. Depending on the terrain you may want to get some trail running shoes so your feet are protected & you have a better grip. A big plus of trail running – not having to deal with cars (and the texting drivers)!!

3. Get On The Ground. Body-weight movements that incorporate the whole body are great to keep your body guessing. Ideas: bear crawls, inchworms or Turkish get-ups even without weight can be challenging. When they become easy there are progressions such as bear squares, inchworms for distance or Turkish get-ups with a weight.

4. Start Timing. You like your workout or one of them and don’t want to switch it out. Understood. So instead of just busting out what you usually do, time yourself. The first time you do it, the bar is set. Even if you shave off a couple of seconds the next week you are still motivating yourself. Keep track of this so you keep yourself accountable. Maybe you will see when you are faster or slower by how you are eating or the amount of sleep you got. Also it is important to note some exercises like Turkish getup for instance are all about the steps & should not be rushed. In those instances look at how much time you are resting & see if you can shorten that.

5. Go Old school, Get A Jump Rope. It is cheap and all you need is a hard surface to jump on. Getting some expensive item is not necessary for a good workout. If doing it for time is too daunting, just shoot for number of skips. This is a great cardio & full body workout. Famous boxers didn’t jump rope just for the photo ops. If music helps you, then put some tunes in your ear and start jumping.

6. Go Play. Team sports are a great opportunity for comradery, having some fun & the bonus of getting some exercise in. It is a great cross-training activity to give you a break from thinking about working out to just being part of a team. Competitive levels range so depending on how focused you are on winning.

7. Test Your Balance. I don’t mean just stand on one foot (although give it a shot & close your eyes). Instead of doing standing rows, have a staggered stance so you have a narrower footprint. Or give single-leg slams with a slam ball or medicine ball a chance. Stay on that leg for a pre-determined number of reps or for time. Single leg deadlifts will fire off the muscles in that planted leg and test your ability to hinge up and down. If you have accessibility to a TRX single leg squats or even the sprinter’s start exercise require some balance to perform correctly.

8. Stop Doing The Same Freaking Thing. If you take anything away from this list is that diversity is key. Keep your body guessing & you have less of a chance of hitting a plateau. You will be more balanced and looking forward to the next workout. Sure you love doing whatever workout you have…that may be because you are so good at it! Switch it up to something difficult or new that you have to get good at.

9. Go For A Hike. Often when we all think of “working out” we think of weights, gyms and reps. We all fall prey to that sometimes. So pack the sunscreen, hydration bladder and go for a hike at one of the many trails we have in San Diego or if you live close to some parks. Find a challenging hike, grab some friends and pack some rewarding snacks.

10. Hire A Personal Trainer. I know of a great one here in San Diego! 🙂 Use me as your supplement to your own workout. We can work together to meet your goals like endurance, strength, fat loss or just to have more energy in life! Only YOU can decide when your health is a priority. When you are ready to make that investment on your health we should chat because then you are ready to Get Incremental.

If you have any questions for me or inquires about Incremental Fitness feel free to hit me up at incrementalfit@gmail.com. Have a great week!!