5 Ways To Mix Up Your Workout Routine

Working out is great! It’s that thing that gets your body moving, makes you strong…and can get exceptionally boring. I used to be a girl that had a specific workout routine. I had a plan for every day I went to the gym, and it was the same every week. There was leg/shoulder day, back/bis day, shoulders/tris day and then any other day was abs and cardio. I bet you can relate to the issue of getting in a routine that goes from comforting to something you’re dreading.

Working out shouldn’t be something you dread, I mean of course there are days where you’re going to hate it. You’re definitely going to hate it if you’re jumping into it for the first time, but once you get into it and start seeing results it’s going to be this wonderful part of your day you get to dedicate to helping yourself.

SO if you’ve found yourself getting into a certain workout routine that is making you feel sour, here are some ways to shake it up and fall back in love:

1. Try A YouTube Video

If the gym isn’t scratching your itch anymore, a great place to go for inspiration is YouTube. There are fantastic workout videos from different content creators that are just waiting for you to give a go.

I’m a huge fan of kickboxing, so I go and search for videos that don’t require equipment that will provide a kick-ass workout. Another type of video that’s popular is yoga videos. There are so many awesome yogi creators that have put together guided yoga sessions that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home, just pull out your mat and you’re good to go!

2. Take It Outside

Another way to spice up your workout routine is moving the location outside! You can do a circuit while feeling one with nature. Not only will the air be fresher, but you’ll also get a little vitamin D.

The best way to workout outside in my opinion is to have a plan before you go out, that way if it’s hot you don’t spend a lot of your time figuring your shit out and melt before you start. If you’re looking for some circuit inspiration, check out my post 5 Kickass Workouts for former Gym Rats.

3. Change Up Your Days

Do you ALWAYS do legs on Mondays? Maybe try doing them on…Fridays? Switch it up! What I do when I’m switching up my days is really looking at my rest days. I normally (not recently but whatever) workout 5 days a week. My rest days are often Sunday and Wednesday. If I need some change in my life I look at the days I’m taking off and consider if there’s a better option.

At one point I did move my rest days, I would skip Tuesdays and Saturdays because my Saturdays were a little too busy to fit in a workout. The idea is, take a look at your schedule and see if there’s a better way to balance your time. Just because you’ve been working out on the same days for the past 5 years doesn’t mean you have to keep it that way. Really, it might highly benefit you and get you over a hump in your progress.

4. Do A New Challenge

We’ve all seen them, the abs challenges, squats, planks, running, you name it. Why not give one a try? When I was in college, I relied on these for some reason (I thought they were the solution to my problems). My favorite one to do is a good squat challenge.

You can easily find these on Pinterest or anywhere on the Internet. The gist of them is you start off doing like 20 squats one day, the next day 25, the next 30, and…you get it. It’s a great way to challenge yourself with some minimal effort. It will also get you out of the workout funk.

5. Take A Class

God willing they will remain open, you can take a class at your gym! I did this for the first time pre-quarantine and it was honestly my favorite day in the gym all year. Classes provide you a place to try something new with a bunch of other people that are also trying something new and are ready to enjoy it.

The energy in the room is great, and most gyms have a variety of options to choose from! Whether you’re looking for yoga, kickboxing, cardio circuits, barre, whatever tickles your fancy. I LOVE a good class and highly recommend it.