19 Jun Workout Hacks: 12 Ideas That Make Workouts Less Boring

A boring workout routine could undermine your fitness goals and make it that much more difficult to stay on track. For some people, just committing to a workout schedule is hard enough. Mundane routines make it that much easier to choose not to work out, even when you know you should. That’s why you should look for ways to make workouts less boring.

So, what makes workouts boring? Men’s Fitness published an article about reasons people get tired of their workout. In the article, the authors included reasons such as stalled progress and working out solo all of the time. Eventually, you’ll become annoyed with and tired of your boring workout plans if you don’t intentionally improve them.

Benefits of adding variety to your workouts

If you work on making your fitness regimen interesting and enticing, you’ll reach your goals faster and avoid the otherwise inevitable plateau. You’ll also look forward to working out and get more out of your gym membership, too.

If you know you want to make workouts less boring but are not sure where to start, here are 12 great ideas to get you started.

13 Ways To Make Workouts Less Boring

1. Workout at different times of the day

If you always work out right after work, change your schedule and workout early in the morning instead. You could also mix it up during the week. For example, you could work in the morning on certain days and then after work on the other days.

Some people do better with evening exercise than morning exercise, or vice versa. Change your program up a bit to find out what works best for you and maybe bring some new energy to your workout.

2. Use apps that turn workouts into a competition

Download an app that makes your workout part of a fun competition with other people. That way, you’re working toward a tangible goal that other people can see and experience with you. As for which apps to try first, Lifehacker recommends Fitocracy, because it “connects you to others who are also trying to work out.”

Additionally, if your company offers incentives for working out – such as rewards for hitting 10,000 steps a day – participate in those programs. That will keep your mind focused on the goal and not on the exercises.

3. Go to a new group fitness class

Group fitness classes help you meet new people and learn new exercises, too. This is also one of the easiest and best ways to make workouts less boring.

Next time you’re at the gym, take a look at the group fitness schedule. Commit to trying out a class you’ve never been to before and then go to it. If you like it, you can incorporate it into your workout program.

4. Track and beat your personal records

You don’t have to be a serious athlete to track your personal records. To make workouts less boring, try keeping a journal of personal record times for running a mile or squatting with heavy weights. Then, when you workout, track new personal records and reward yourself for reaching them.

To take it a step further, share your progress with your friends on social media. This is a great way to make your workouts social and to keep them interesting.

5. Use YouTube for at home workouts

If you tend to workout at home a lot, you can add interest and excitement to your workout routine by following along with a video on YouTube. Most videos on YouTube are free to watch and you can find trainers who are really good at keeping you entertained and engaged.

With YouTube, you can also subscribe to fitness channels and follow trainers and experts so that you’re notified of any new videos.

6. Take a buddy with you

Ask your friends to come workout with you. You’ll be doing yourself and them a huge favor! Bring a buddy along on a run or to a group fitness class, or, grab someone to help you get a good stretch after a workout.

If you find yourself getting very bored during workouts and you always workout alone, try adding a buddy to your routine. Sometimes, just having someone to workout with can change your attitude. Additionally, friends will keep you motivated when you want to give up and end the workout early.

7. Try challenging yourself with HIIT

Try challenging yourself with a very intense workout program, if you’ve been looking for ways to make workouts less boring. One example of a fun way to kick up the intensity is HIIT (high intensity interval training).

For HIIT, you’ll want to join a gym that offers a HIIT group fitness class that you can follow along with. While you can definitely do HIIT at home, a group class led by a knowledgeable trainer will make sure every minute counts.

8. Go to a trampoline park

Here’s a new and different way to make workouts less boring: go to a trampoline park. Spend an hour jumping around on a trampoline – either alone, with friends, or with your children. You get an awesome cardio and strength training workout for your core, legs, and glutes, while having fun, also.

Search Google.com for the nearest trampoline park and then go check it out. Since trampoline parks are popular for weekend birthday parties and can be crowded, your best bet is to find one that’s open during the week.

9. Hire a personal trainer

Trainers focus on creating workouts that help you stay committed to your fitness program. While your own personal knowledge of different and more interesting exercises may be limited, a personal trainer is an expert.

Hire a trainer to help you come up with new ideas for your workouts. As a result, you’ll probably get better results and your workouts will go from drab to challenging and interesting.

10. Sign up for a Spartan Race or similar event

If you’re working out for a reason, you’re less likely to become very bored. So, take the opportunity to sign up for an event like the Spartan Race, which is an very intense, challenging obstacle course (there are over 120 Spartan races worldwide). In doing so, you’ll give your workouts a purpose.

Marathons and similar events count, too. While training for the event, your normally mundane workouts will have a whole new meaning. Most likely, you’ll need to train in new and different ways that you usually do in order to prepare for the event.

11. Workout for less time, more often

If you normally work out for an hour to two hours each time, try shortening that to 30 to 45 minutes. With less time to play with, you’ll have to keep your workouts intense. This one small change could make your workouts a lot less boring than they typically are.

If you think you’ll miss that extra time at the gym, just go to the gym more often during the week. Instead of working out 3 times a week for 2 hours each time, work out 6 times a week for 30 minutes each time. Make up for the time by upping the intensity.

12. Change the scenery

Lastly, change your workout environment if you find yourself getting bored regularly. Once or twice a week, do your workouts outside on a patio or in a park. If you usually run outdoors, switch to the treadmill from time to time.

You should also try listening to different music every now and then as a way to make workouts less boring. The reason to try this particular hack is that music can completely change the energy of your workout. Maybe all you need is a tiny change like that to bring you out of a workout funk.

Conclusion

Doing the same thing 3 to 4 times a week, in the same way, at the same place and time, is eventually going to become boring. That’s a problem, because boring workouts undercut your progress and waste your time. On the other hand, new and exciting workouts can take your fitness to a new level and keep you committed to your goals. Use these 12 ideas to make working out a treat you can look forward to every week.