Why You're Inconsistent With Your Workouts (and how to fix it!)
There is an alarming statistic when it comes to your health and fitness and sticking with a routine.
80-90% of people who make a New Years Resolution to join a gym, to get into a consistent workout routine, to eat better, quit within the first 30-days.
For us at Dynamic Strength and Conditioning this is unacceptable. And something we work everyday to change.
Over the past few years we've coached over 1,000 DSC members to live a healthier, happier, stronger, and more fit life.
Many, if not most, of our new members are actually brand new to working out or it has been years since they were in a consistent routine.
We knew something needed to change.
We knew that if we just offered the same old gym experience, we would be feeding into that New Years Resolution statistic and not changing it.
There are many reasons why people quit working out but there is one that stands out above the rest.
People simply don't enjoy it.
Yes, you can actually enjoy working out!
Let's quickly talk about the typical gym experience:
You walk in, sign-up and someone shows you around.
Here's the locker rooms, there's the cardio, equipment, over there is the strength equipment.
Ok, have at it!
You hop on the treadmill, bike, or elliptical, or bike for 30 minutes and wish to yourself the entire time that it was over.
Talk about BORING! Who in their right mind wants to suffer through that 3-5x/week for an hour?
Especially if you have some kind of old injury like knee or low-back pain!
Will power runs its course and your motivation drops. Then you simply stop going. To top it off, no-one there cares about or even notices your absence.
It's this very experience that makes people hate exercising. You DON'T need to suffer through it though.
What we have found is very simple.
In order to be consistent with your workouts (and in turn see fantastic results) you need to enjoy it!
It needs to be something you look forward to, not something you dread.
You see, when it comes to making real changes with your health and fitness, consistency is KING!
The more fun you have with your workouts, the more you look forward to them.
The more you look forward to them, the more you go.
And the more you go, the better you look and feel!
We are on a mission here at Dynamic to change the workout experience forever.
To help people get into a consistent workout routine, see fantastic results, and have a blast doing it!
We are here to get rid of the typical boring treadmill walk and jog workout.
We are here to offer support, guidance, and direction, no matter your fitness background.
We've created a list of 5 ways to make your workouts more fun and help you get into a consistent workout routine!
Enjoy!
1| Have a workout buddy
This is #1 on our list for good reason.
One of the main reasons our members are so consistent and see such fantastic results is because they aren't working out on their own.
They absolutely THRIVE with the support of others.
Working out with a buddy can not only drastically increase the fun you have during your workouts but also keep your motivation levels up, helping you see better results.
When you workout alongside a friend you're more likely to push through that last set and give a little more.
When you're on your own it's very easy to quit early.
Having a buddy will keep you accountable, working hard, and consistent.
We love to incorporate I-Go-You-Go circuits where one partner completes an exercise for a certain number of reps or time while the other partner rests, then they switch.
Here is a few buddy workouts to try at your next workout!
Complete as many rounds as possible in 10-12 minutes.
2| Add Variety to Your Favorite Workouts and Exercises
So you love push-ups.
You also love that machine that really works your abs at the gym.
So you do them both. And you do them a lot.
The more and more you do them, the better you get at them and progress begins to halt.
The good news is, to make continued progress, you do not need to give up your favorite exercises.
All you need is a simple change to the exercise to spark fitness improvement.
This is something we do almost daily at DSC.
Not only will adding variety to your favorite exercises allow you to continue to make fitness improvements but it will keep your training fresh and exciting.
Here are a couple simple things you can do to add variety to your exercises:
- Increase the number of sets or reps
- Increase the duration of the exercise
- Decrease the rest between exercises
- Increase the resistance
- Change the resistance (body-weight, kettlebell, medicine ball, etc)
- Pause at the top or bottom of the exercise
- Slow down or speed up the motion
3| Join a Group Class
One of the things our members love most about our group classes is how they don't have to think about anything like:
"What exercises should I do today?"
"What weights should I use?"
"How far should I run?"
"Should I lift weights today?"
"Am I doing this exercise correctly?"
"My knee hurts, what should I do to modify this exercise"
"I'm just not motivated to workout today!"
These are a few things you will never have to ask or say to yourself again by joining a group class at Dynamic.
As soon as you walk in the door our coaches are right there to guide you, support you, and motivate you to bring your very best each and everyday.
In addition to the coaches support, you have a room full of like-minded members, all cheering for you and celebrating your successes right alongside you.
Imagine the changes you could make with that kind of workout experience happening every single workout!
Our expert coaches have pre-planned your class to hit on a wide variety of muscle groups so you know that you are getting a total-body workout every single time. Taking the guess work out of your workout saves you both time and stress!
At DSC it is like combining the benefits of a personal trainer with the benefits of a group class for ultimate results because you receive individual coaching attention and a customized full body workout with the positive, high-energy atmosphere provided by the group members!
Once you've experienced a class like this, working out alone and with zero guidance will be a thing of the past!
4| Try New Equipment
Walk into DSC for the first time and you'll surely find yourself in a very different gym environment.
You won't find overcrowded areas of equipment like rows and rows of treadmills, ellipticals, and exercise machines.
Instead you will find big open space with a variety of equipment you may have never used or seen.
This is equipment like sleds, ropes, medicine balls, kettlebells, bands, Skiergs, Versaclimbers and slideboards.
We LOVE variety at Dynamic and our members do too!
Looking for a quick way to kill your progress?
Treat every workout like the movie, "Groundhogs Day" and hop on the same equipment or do the same old routine.
For us at Dynamic, variety is the spice of life and the spice of our workouts.
It is crucial for your fitness success to keep challenging your body and keep things fresh and fun using a variety of equipment and body-weight exercises.
This allows you to constantly attack different areas of your body, and continually improve your overall strength, flexibility and cardio.
Most importantly, this keeps you having FUN and looking forward to next workout.
Checkout some of our new equipment at DSC below!
5| Incorporate Circuits
Ready to switch up your training routine and get in a great, time efficient workout?
Enter the circuit!
They are one of the most efficient modes of training.
Circuits are a fantastic way to get out of your normal routine, burn fat, build muscle, and be awesome in a very short amount of time.
Even on the busiest of days, you can get in a great circuit workout in just 10-20 minutes.
In fact, research has shown that short, intense workouts like circuits are a better way to build strength and burn fat over traditional cardio exercises (i.e - treadmill running).
Circuits combine a series of 4-8 exercises done all in a row. They are done for the shortest amount of time possible.
They are typically total-body programs, targeting your legs, back, chest, arms, core, and cardio.
Because they are so effective, we use them daily at DSC with our Adult Co-Ed and Women's Group Programs.
Here are a few quick and effective circuits using just one dumbbell and your own-body weight.
Complete 10 reps of each movement for 4-5 rounds.