7 tips to make your workouts more enjoyable, because working out should be fun!

While lifting is something most of us do to achieve our health and aesthetic goals, that doesn’t mean it has to suck. In fact, the best results come when you’re truly enjoying your lifts. If you’re having a good time, you’re more likely to lock in and feel that mind-muscle connection in the short-term and stay consistent in the long-term. If you find yourself dreading your lifts, don’t worry, because there are actionable solutions.

Here are 7 tips to make your workouts more enjoyable:

1. Cut out exercises you despise.

   If you hate squats, for example, there’s no reason to do squats (unless you’re a powerlifter). There are plenty of other exercises that will give you indistinguishable results: leg press, bulgarian split squats, and reverse lunges, to name a few.

2. Gamify progressive overload.

   Track your progress (weight, reps, intensity) and make it your mission to beat your last “high score” week over week, even if it means just being able to do one more rep, or adding an isometric hold. An example of an isometric hold would be a three-second pause at the top of a hip thrust rep, or at the bottom of an RDL. This allows you to increase your time under tension.

3. Take progress pics.

   Once I started seeing the changes I wanted actually taking place, my motivation skyrocketed. This can be difficult if you have bad body image, but do it anyway—no one else has to see it, and you’ll be thankful you did when you have visual proof of the violent jump in your physique from month 1 to month 6. Besides, how else are you going to show off that before/after on IG?

4. Look your best at the gym.

   When you look good, you feel good, and that often leads to a better workout. Don’t be afraid to treat the gym like a fashion show.

   Do your hair and wear makeup if that’s what makes you feel the best.

   Buy cute gym outfits that make you excited to work out and make you think, “Damn, I look good!” when you look in the mirror. Get the shorts with the booty scrunch! Get the sports bra that lifts the girlies! These don’t have to be expensive brands, either. Amazon has great dupes for all the pricey gym clothes you see on IG.

5. Listen to something you enjoy.

   Whether that’s your favorite playlist, an audiobook, or a YouTube video. I love listening to audiobooks during my workouts! This really makes my workouts my zen “me” time of mental development paired with physical development.

6. Assess your training volume.

   If it’s excessive, it can make your workouts miserable. I naturally tend to creep up in volume from week to week as I try to push myself. But when I find myself dreading my workouts, it’s because I subconsciously know I’m doing too much. That’s when I know it’s time to change something up.

7. Join a community or work out with friends.

   While I prefer to work out solo, my goal is to grow this community to make it a place where women feel they can come for empowerment, tips, and motivation.

   Don’t have any gym-going friends? Make some at your gym. Approach a regular that you see all the time, maybe someone you’ve smiled at in passing. This is much less daunting in the ladies’ locker room, where women tend to compliment each other on their accessories, outfit, physique, etc. After a few friendly conversations, you may just have yourself a new workout buddy!

Overall, these tips are about reframing the way you look at your workouts. With the right effort, your lifts can become your much-anticipated ME time—your time to temporarily abandon any worries from your personal or professional life and to focus entirely on improving and empowering yourself.

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