Whether you’re new to fitness or have been training for years, it’s important to ensure your motivation doesn’t diminish. With these innovative ways to improve your fitness game, you can rethink your routine and maximize your performance:
1. Set New Goals
It’s far easier to stay motivated when you’re working towards a specific goal. From bench pressing a particular weight to enrolling in 2021 marathons, there are various targets you can set for yourself. However, performance-based goals are typically more effective. So, set a performance based goal that will get you closer to your outcome based goal. For example… if you want to run a marathon in 2021… find a program that lays out the whole training plan, then simply set the performance based goal of following the program each day.
2. Lift Before Doing Cardio
If your fitness regime features both strength training and cardio, reassess your workouts and make changes to the order in which you do things. Weightlifting helps to build muscles which increases your metabolism. If you want to lose weight, do your strength training before you do cardio (most of the time).
This will maximize the number of calories you burn and help you to achieve your goals more quickly. Additionally, lifting weights when you’re tired from cardio can decrease your performance, whereas undertaking strength training first will ensure peak performance in building muscle.
That all being said… mixing your lifting and cardio together into something called High Intensity Training Technique (HITT) has been shown to be the most effective. Just make sure you have a great coach, because with the potential for faster results comes the chance of injury.
3. Get a Training Buddy
When the only person you’re accountable to is yourself, it’s easy to skip a workout (even though it shouldn’t be the case). If you have a GOOD training buddy, however, you’re far less likely to take it easy. Not only will you be letting them down if you miss a training session, but you’ll also work a little harder thanks to the competitive element of training with someone else. Try to find a training buddy that is full of motivation, then try your best to match their motivation. Set internal goals of not complaining to your training buddy, and do your best to prop them up. This will make the results come faster and faster!
4. Try Something New
If you’re feeling uninspired or demotivated, consider trying a new type of fitness or embrace a new sport. After all, the gym isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, so don’t force yourself to do something you don’t enjoy.
Instead, find an activity that will help you to achieve the goals that you find fun. Staying motivated is the biggest battle when it comes to achieving your targets and when you enjoy exercise, you’ll find it’s much easier to stay on track.
Some ideas of fun total body fitness are… mountain biking, skiing or snowboarding, water skiing, CrossFit, Orange Theory, weight lifting with trail running (just trail running isn’t enough), cross country skiing, soccer with weight lifting… you get the idea. You want to make sure your activity is a good mix of strength and cardio to get the best health and fitness results.
5. Monitor Your Progress
As well as setting yourself big goals, break them down into smaller targets. This will enable you to monitor your progress and it will also give you a sense of accomplishment every time you get a little closer to your goals.
Fitness apps are a great way to see how well you’re doing, so be sure to use them regularly. And reward yourself for consistency in action, rather than hitting some number (like a 3 hour marathon or 500 pound back squat).
Get the Most Out of Your Fitness Routine
When you’re eager to achieve your goals and improve your fitness, it’s tempting to push yourself a little too hard. However, doing too much too soon just increases the risk of injury. Instead, be realistic and work towards your goals incrementally and safely. By doing so, you’ll stay safe, increase your enjoyment and have a fool-proof way to step up your fitness game.
