You may get the impression from reading this blog that working out should be easy and that you should just make sure you are exercising routinely.
True, exercising routinely is a good way to begin to get in shape. But there are times when you have to push yourself. There are times when you have to learn to dig deep inside yourself and go past the point of being comfortable.
Those times are when instead of calling it exercise, or a workout, you call it training.
Sometimes, you have to look like this after a workout:
There are many ways you can do this.
Sign up for a class at a gym. Some gyms don’t require a gym membership to sign up for a class. Kickboxing classes are good because they are usually intense. I’m not a fan of going to kickboxing classes over and over, but once in a while it’s a good kick in the pants workout.
Increasing the distance / time / reps of a particular exercise. Say you normally jog a mile or two. Go for a longer distance, or, go the same distance but do it faster. Increase the intensity.
5 minute snatch test. Do as many kettlebell snatches as you can in five minutes. If you’re not accustomed to snatches, don’t do this, try swings instead. If you are accustomed to snatches, this is a great intense exercise when maxed out for five minutes.
You have to know what kind of shape you are in before doing this type of thing. That’s part of what training is about—learning about your body. Knowing your limitations.
What types of workouts do you do when you want to increase the intensity?