How to Make Your Workouts Fun Again
Training at Switch Playground in Manhattan feels more like a party than a workout. Bright lights flash as a DJ spins the latest tracks from Drake and Rihanna while you and your partner sweat through a series of workout stations.
In fact, there are more ways than ever these days—from boutique gyms to iPhone apps to upgraded virtual reality fitness devices—to infuse your workouts with the joy of play. The goal, of course, is to forget that your abs are on fire and your arms are turning to jelly. “Time spent in a gym doing something that feels like work just adds to the hours we spend at work in our day,” says Lenny Wiersma, Ph.D., a sports psychologist at Cal State Fullerton. “Play provides a ton of benefits, and you experience intrinsic motivation.” Level up your own daily workouts with these six ideas from the gamification age.
1. Win the Numbers Game
Tutorial
Trying to beat your own workout records isn’t as fun as chasing your friends’ top scores
in the mile or some other fitness challenge, says Reebok trainer Conor Murphy. Start a Facebook group with pals to keep track of the best times in classic workouts. Whenever you train, aim to surpass someone in the group.
Difficulty Level
9 out of 10
Cheat Code
Use this one only for workouts that include time requirements, such as AMRAP (as many rounds/reps as possible).
Boss Battle
Can’t beat the record? You have to buy dinner for the group champ.
2. R - E - P - S
Tutorial
Take the rules of HORSE off the hoops court and into the gym. Have your partner start, picking an exercise and a rep goal. If he misses, it’s your turn to pick a move; but if he hits, you need to do it. Miss it, and you get the letter R. Miss another, and you get an E. Spell “reps” and you lose—and do a move of your friend’s choosing.
Difficulty Level
6 out of 10
Cheat Code
Set the rep targets high enough to challenge your partner but not too high (shoot for 20 to 30 reps per set).
Boss Battle
You don’t just gain a letter when you miss reps; you also owe your partner 5 burpees.
3. Row Your Boat
Tutorial
Grab a friend and a rowing machine or assault bike and try this game from Ryan Wilke of Throwback Fitness, a group-focused studio in Manhattan. You will do a round on the equipment, rowing or biking until your pal finishes a three-exercise circuit (think 15 kettlebell swings, goblet squats, and overhead presses). Alternate until you both complete 3 rounds of each. Whoever burns more calories on the rower or bike wins.
Difficulty Level
9 out of 10
Cheat Code
Keep the total reps in each round to 30 to 45 per set.
Boss Battle
Set a calorie goal before starting. Work until you both reach it.
4. Pick Up the Pace
Tutorial
The treadmill beckons. You and your brethren in speed grab adjoining treadmills and tackle 30 seconds of max-effort running, followed by 30 seconds of rest. After 10 minutes, the person with the farthest distance earns the win.
Difficulty Level
8 out of 10
Cheat Code
It’s better (as in more fun) with a group.
Boss Battle
The person trailing after each interval starts the rest period catching the leader.
5. Roll the Dice
Tutorial
Bring a pair of dice with you to the weight room. Pick five exercises. Then, for each move, roll the dice twice. Add the two numbers; that’s how many reps you’ve got on deck for each move. Work through 4 rounds total of that circuit.
Difficulty Level
4 out of 10
Cheat Code
This is single-player gamification.
Boss Battle
Finished all the moves? Roll one die. Do that many reps of the first exercise.
6. Force Face-Off
Tutorial
Grab a partner and pick an exercise you can both do facing each other, such as a dumbbell curl. Stare each other down, about a foot apart. Let your partner do 1 rep; then you do a rep. Your partner then does 2 reps before you do 2 reps. Alternate and continue laddering up until one of you runs out of gas.
Difficulty Level
8 out of 10
Cheat Code
A good way to finish off a workout.
Boss Battle
Amp up the challenge by adding 5 reps every turn.
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