Add variety to your workouts by trying these 51 ways to eliminate workout boredom and get your fitness on.
I dig the “Croatian Sensation” Rick Kaselj’s stuff here at Exercises for Injuries. He’s the number one guy I point my readers to when it comes to injury prevention and how to get people addicted to coffee (long story – but Rick was the one who got me addicted to coffee).
His Shoulder Pain product changed the way people approached shoulder health forever.
And I hope to do the same for you.
Once you read this, you will change how you approach your training forever (and no, you won’t be stopping your favorite workouts), and don’t feel workout boredom.
In the fall of 2011, I released a program called “Workout Finishers,” based on what I did with my clients to get faster results. More importantly, it made them more consistent because they looked forward to their workouts and avoided workout boredom.
What Are You Doing on an Injury Blog, and What is a Workout Finisher?
I’m here because you’re about to discover a NEW way to demolish long workout boredom. That means you won’t be on the “Overuse Injury” radar because you’re going to work more muscle than just legs (which you will find most of the time when doing “cardio”).
In a nutshell, a finisher is a VERY metabolically demanding superset or circuit (and yes, sometimes even just one exercise) with very short rest periods. They include some of the craziest yet most effective set and rep schemes you have seen.
It’s the perfect solution to replace long workout boredom and even intervals (plus, they are much more fun).
The good news gets even better – they last just a fraction of how long cardio and intervals take. Some areas are as short as three minutes!
The best ways to stop workout boredom are to change the time of day you exercise, mix up your exercises, incorporate variety in your shapes and stretches, and try a new type of exercise. The monotonous repetition of the same workout can be challenging, especially if you’re prone to boredom. However, your physical and mental health relies heavily on consistency with your exercise routine, so you must find ways to keep things interesting and exciting. Luckily, there are ways to prevent workout boredom before it happens.
Take a Fitness Class
Exercise classes are a great way to prevent workout boredom and improve your fitness levels. If you’re bored with the same old exercises, you can mix things up by taking a few weekly fitness classes. You can try many different types of exercise classes, from indoor cycling to hot yoga. And you might even want to try a class with a friend to make it more social. You may even find that you enjoy some classes more than others. This can help you to focus on a few classes that you prefer, which will engage you more and help you to avoid becoming bored with them.
Avoid Workout Boredom
Another way to prevent workout boredom is to mix up your exercises regularly. If you always lift weights or focus on one type of exercise, it can get boring, and you may lose interest in going to the gym. To keep your workouts fresh and exciting, you need to change your exercises each time you go to the gym. The best way to do this is to use exercise variety when creating a workout routine. This can be challenging if your goal is to gain muscle and strength, but you can counter this by focusing on compound exercises.
Workout Finishers Can Be Used
- At the END of ANY workout for an ultimate workout grand finale for improved conditioning and faster fat loss
- As off-day conditioning and the perfect solution for people who are stuck on a plateau
- These are some of the fastest workouts you can do when you are tight on time or have a very busy schedule.
How Do Workout Finishers Work?
Because they’re awesome.
Seriously – the real “secret” to workout finishers is based on one simple yet brutally effective factor. We did a lot of work in a short amount of time.
This is also known as “density,”… and there is a lot of it.
That’s why Workout Finishers 2.0 came about. I stumbled upon this study revealed in 2012:
Canadian researchers at Queen’s University tested a Workout Finisher style workout against long cardio.
Twenty-two college-aged women did four weekly workouts for four weeks in one of three groups.
- Group A- 30 minutes of treadmill running at 85% max heart rate
- Group B- 8 rounds of 20 seconds of a single bodyweight exercise (burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or squat thrusts) with 10 seconds of rest between rounds.
- Group C- nothing (they were the non-training control group).
Results:
Both training groups increased their aerobic fitness levels by the SAME amount (about 7-8%). That’s right, the short finisher-style workouts (of 4 minutes) worked just as well as 30 minutes of cardio.
BUT…only Group B, the Workout Finishers style training, also increased muscular endurance in common exercises like chest presses, leg extensions, sit-ups, and push-ups.
And finally, the Finishers style of training used by Group B also resulted in greater overall workout enjoyment.
The Canadian Scientists concluded that this style of training would boost cardiovascular fitness just as well as cardio while giving you BETTER improvements in muscle endurance and avoiding workout boredom.
All in just 4 minutes.
Enjoy Your Workouts = BETTER Results.
So I took something already good and got great results, but I made it even better.
That’s what people like Rick and I are challenged to do to make something great GREATER.
So after tweaking and experimenting, the finishers got an improvement to avoid workout boredom. Based on feedback and results, the density style of the finisher has become a big favorite.
So, What Does a Sample Density Workout Finisher Look Like?
In a nutshell, you’re given a certain time frame to do as many reps or rounds (or even a
combination of both) as possible. The rest periods are up to you; however, you only rest when needed. If your form becomes sloppy, you have to rest.
Other than that, it’s like the Soup Nazi in Seinfield “NO REST FOR YOU!”.
Here comes the crazy part – the set and rep schemes are varied. You’ll sometimes go from an exercise on the floor to a stand-up exercise with as little as 1-2 reps each. That’s part of the challenge.
You’ll find yourself huffing and puffing by transitioning from one exercise to the next. That’s a good thing.
That means you’re burning calories and improving your conditioning.
Wanna’ rock one? Sure thing.
The Metabolic Quatro
Do the following circuit as often as possible in 5 minutes, resting only when needed.
- Box Jumps (4)
- Decline Close-Grip Pushups (4)
- KB or DB Swings (4)
- Mountain Climbers (4/side)
FIVE Minutes? Yes, FIVE Minutes.
Working for multiple muscle groups with intense exercise and short rest periods instantly UPGRADED your workouts without sacrificing time.
That’s why I HAD to develop a new version of Workout Finishers. After all, if I could get even better and faster results with my readers and clients in less time, it would be time to improve the original classic.
That’s exactly what I did with Workout Finishers 2.0.
These fun workout grand finales (or even off-day conditioning workouts) are what have kept off the 105 pounds I have lost. I love working out now, but back when I was big, I didn’t enjoy exercise.
But with fun challenges like the Metabolic Quatro – who says you can’t improve your conditioning and performance, lose fat and have fun simultaneously?
Enjoy your workouts again,
Mike Whitfield, CTT
Author of the Workout Finishers 2.0 System
Mike Whitfield, CTT, has lost 105 pounds propelling his passion into the fitness industry. He is known across the fitness industry for his effective “workout finishers” and humor. His unique approach of using workout finishers has helped thousands of people lose fat with his online and offline programs. His workouts have been seen in Men’s Health, Turbulence Training, AJC, and more.
