So you might think the hardest part of working out is getting your ass to the gym, but once you get there, it suddenly occurs to you that you’re ready to bounce after five minutes. For some reason, gym time is just slow-mo. It’s boring AF. Like, if you’ve ever held a plank for one minute straight and wondered if you had somehow broken through the space-time continuum and stopped time completely, you’re not alone. I mean, it’s impossible to get in a solid workout if you spend the whole time staring at the clock and hoping you’ll get a phone call about some family emergency. We’ve compiled seven amazing tricks that will help you get through your sweat session without bailing as soon as you get bored, so give these a try.
1. Try Tabata Intervals
Time goes by so damn slow when you’re working out, so one major way to make you forget about the time is by doing short, 20-second sprints at your maximum intensity. High intensity training experts often use Tabata Intervals during their workouts, which sound like the name of some stripper in a run-down strip club in the midwest, but is actually a technique that’s been scientifically proven to help you burn calories after your workout’s already over. The idea is to pick an exercise and work as hard as you can for 20 seconds, and then rest for 10 seconds. By doing eight rounds, you’ll be dead AF by the end, but the actual sprints are so fast that you won’t even realize how hard your body is working. There are a million Tabata timer apps out there, so download one now because it’ll change your (gym) life.
2. Use A Ladder Format
Another popular training strategy is the ladder format. Basically, you pick an exercise, do one repetition, then two, then three, etc. Work up to 10 or 20 reps, and then make your way back down the ladder until you get to one again. You can even start at the highest number of reps and work downward if you’d rather start with the most reps. Either way, you’re basically tricking yourself into doing like, 100 burpees without counting one by one.
3. Do The Hardest Shit First
This trick sounds pretty intuitive, but a lot of people get to the gym and do the stuff they enjoy doing first. But that’s a trap because by the time you’re already tired and getting bored, there’s no way you’ll get around to doing the hard stuff at the end. By reversing that order, you’ll just end up finishing up your full workout because the easier/more enjoyable stuff is at the end. So, for example, if you hate sprints but love doing ab workouts (you psycho), get your sprints out of the way at the beginning and do your abs at the end. Works like a charm.
4. Be Smart About Your Playlist
We’ve already talked about the importance of a dope playlist when you’re working out, but sometimes it even helps to make your playlist strategically to make sure you’ll finish up your workout. When making your playlist, make sure the playlist is around the same length as you want your workout to be. If your playlist ends after 20 minutes, you’ll obviously want to bounce right after that, so don’t set yourself up for failure. Also, play your favorite songs LAST, so you’ll want to stick around to actually hear them. I mean, at that point you might be too sweaty and nauseous to appreciate “I’m The One”, but at least you stuck it out, right?
5. Do EMOMs
If you’ve never heard of an EMOM before, it’s not as technical as it sounds, and it might be a game-changer for your workouts. EMOM stands for “Every Minute On The Minute,” and it’s low-key the holy grail of exercise intervals. The idea is to set a timer, pick 2-3 exercises, and do a certain amount of reps in one minute. If you finish before the minute is up, you can spend the remaining time resting. Then, when the second minute starts, you start again. Most people choose anywhere between 5-10 minute EMOMs, so it just depends how hard you wanna go. Whatever you choose, you’ll want to finish each interval as fast as you can to get more rest time, so you don’t even realize how many minutes are passing.
6. Work Out With Someone
Having someone force you to finish your workout is obviously the most efficient strategy. I mean, do you think anyone would actually get through a Barry’s Bootcamp class without some jacked guy in spandex yelling at you to sprint at a 12.5? No, the answer is a hard no. There’s a reason celebs are in such good shape, and it’s not because of some Skinny Tea they bought on Instagram. It’s because they have expensive trainers making them finish their workouts, so if you can hire a trainer, that’s ideal. If you’re a regular person, take a workout class or bring a friend with you to make you stay till the end.
7. Bribe Yourself
We all know the best way to power through anything in life is through bribery. I mean, there’s a reason you did so well on your middle school finals, and it’s because your parents promised you peace sign Juicy Couture earrings if you got straight A’s. The same mindset applies to working out. If you tell yourself that you’ll get your favorite froyo if you get through your workout, or like, the new Bandier crop top you’ve been wanting, you’ll have more motivation to actually get the workout done, and get it done FAST. People might think bribery is an unhealthy tactic, but like, if it does the trick, who cares? If it worked on the bouncer when you got your fake ID taken away in high school, it’ll work now, too.
