New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: Have fun.
We take ourselves too seriously in fitness. Words like extreme, hardcore, elite are scrawled across gym websites, accompanied by images of skulls, blood, bending bars, and other hyper-aggressive imagery. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, if it’s your bag. But not everybody fits that personality type. Your average gym-goer doesn’t necessarily want to get screamed at, unleash their inner beast or be the most HARDCORE. Here’s a couple tips to help you be more playful in the gym:
Change your mindset
We all want to have a good time and feel better, though. Why can’t our workouts be fun? We’d be more likely to do them on a regular basis, feel better about it and get better results. Instead of viewing our workouts as obligations, let’s look at them as an opportunity to play, de-stress and relax. If we think of our workouts as another burden on top of the whole pile of our everyday stresses, we’ll dread them, avoid them and eventually hate them.
Enjoy yourself
Use movements and exercises that are fun, challenging and rewarding - not just exercises we think are going to give us the body we want. Try working out in a group, or with friends. It doesn’t have to be cutthroat competition - try a buddy workout where one person does a movement for a certain number of reps, then the second person does the same number while the first rests. Alternate back and forth, pushing each other and taking away the monotony of resting.
Consider different goals
Once you break out of the grind of typical movements, you’ll find a whole new world of fun exercises and challenging workouts. You’ll be driven to improve your performance, getting stronger, faster and more able. Let these become your goals - all of your aesthetic-based goals will quickly follow.
