So you’ve taken the first
step and have started an exercise program. Congratulations! That’s often
times the hardest part of getting fit. But once you’ve been doing the same
thing for a few weeks, you might want to think about upping the intensity of
your workouts. Results follow performance, so if you don’t advance your
workouts, then your results will stagnate. Here
are some tips and tricks to help you push yourself harder.
1. Have a goal
Whether you want to lose weight or get stronger, it’s a lot easier to push
yourself if you know what you’re pushing yourself for. Having a fitness goal
will help you stay on track and focused. Write it down. Tell your friends and
family. Give yourself accountability. It’s important to have a goal that’s
concrete, specific, and attainable.
Don’t say, “I want to lose weight.” Instead, specify how much weight you want
to lose and in what amount of time. This will let you measure your progress and
keep you motivated through a period of time.
2. Have a plan
Once you’ve picked a goal, it’s time figure out how you’re going to reach it.
Use a fitness program or connect with a trainer. Fitness shouldn’t be random;
it should be planned. Start with something that’s on an appropriate level for
your current fitness ability. Just like you wouldn’t run a marathon without
training for it, you shouldn’t jump off the couch and into the most intense
workout possible. “The toughest part of an exercise program is seeing it
through to the end, so you don’t want to sabotage it by making things too tough
out of the gate,” says Steve Edwards, Beachbody’s VP of Fitness and Nutrition.
“Basically, just doing it is plenty…at first.”
3. Switch it up
Once you’ve become comfortable with the workouts, then it’s time to start
pushing yourself a little bit harder. But remember, you have to work up to it
first. Depending on how fit you are in the beginning, the amount of time you
should wait before you ramp up the intensity varies. “It takes your body
between three and 12 weeks to adjust to new exercise,” Edward says. “The fitter
you are, the quicker you respond. With that in mind, you’ll want to schedule a
program that mixes things up from time to time.”
Edwards explains that it’s easy to make your
muscles sore in the beginning of a program, but you always want to keep a
little bit in reserve. “You want a little soreness, but not too much,” he says.
“As soon as you’re not getting sore anymore, pick up the intensity.”
There are a few ways to crank your workouts
up a notch. You can go faster, jump higher, or simply lift more weights.
“Change bands or add weight so you’re close to failing, and sometimes fail,
near the end of every set,” Edwards says. “This added intensity will force your
body to adapt and turn that improvement line skyward.”
Another way to push yourself to the max is by
combining multiple workouts into one day. This is a great idea, especially if
you’re training for something like a triathlon, Spartan race.
4. Focus on all the pieces
When you’re pushing your body to its limits, you need give it everything
it needs. This includes rest and correct nutrition. For a shorter program, like
21 Day Fix, you don’t really need to incorporate rest days into your workout
schedule. However, longer programs, like P90X, Turbo Fire, have recovery weeks
built into them. Active recovery allows your body to keep moving, but it
also helps your muscles become refreshed and reenergized.
In addition to taking care of your muscles,
you also need to fuel them. Food fuels your body, but only clean food will give
you the fuel your body needs to push yourself as hard as possible. “Junk
food is referred to as ‘empty calories’ because it tends to be low in vitamins,
minerals, and other nutrients,” explains Denis Faye, Beachbody’s Director of
Nutrition Content. “Missing some of those nutrients, such as iron or various
B12 vitamins, has an direct effect on energy levels. Other nutrient
deficiencies can be more insidious, like the way a lack of iodine might
eventually impact your thyroid.”
Not only do you need to eat the right kinds
of foods, you also need to eat the right amounts. In order to have the
energy to push yourself hard, you need to eat enough so you don’t feel
lethargic or unfocused. “Plateaus are a pretty good indicator that you’re under
eating,” Faye says. A fitness plateau is when you’re not losing any weight, but
you’re not gaining it, either. By upping your calorie intake, you can give your
body more fuel to help you effectively power through tough workouts.
5. Get reinforcements
Supplements can be extremely helpful when you’re body is exerting lots of
energy for a long time. Supplements aren’t just for endurance athletes –
they can be just as helpful (and important) for any shorter workout regime.
Pre-workout drinks, like Energize,
can pump you up to go all out in a workout. An extra boost of energy can do
wonders when you’re lifting heavier weights or doing cardio for longer
than you’re used to.
And when you start feeling the soreness
that was mentioned earlier, you don’t have to suffer through it all alone. Recover and Recharge help reduce post-workout muscle
inflammation, and also help with the muscle rebuilding process. So not only
will you feel less sore, but you’re muscles will also get an extra boost to
become even stronger.
6. Stay motivated
Fitness can be just as much of a mental exercise as it is physical. Some days
you’ll just want to give up, but that’s when it’s key to push yourself. Keep your eye on the prize so you can
reach the goal you originally set for yourself. “There’s only one way to get
there and that’s by exercising and watching what you eat,” Edwards says.
7. Stay safe
Although challenging your body helps your fitness improve and progress, you
should never push yourself to the point of injury. “You need to learn the
difference between good pain, which is being sore, and bad pain, which signals
an injury,” Edwards says. “Good pain gets better over time. Bad pain gets
worse.” He explains that this is why it’s important to start your program with
some caution, and then build up steadily as your body gives you feedback.
“Exercise is a constant dialog with yourself,” he says.
If you have a hard time deciphering the good
pain and the bad, it can be very useful to have a trainer or to follow a
program without veering off course. “It gets tricky, however, once you finish a
program,” Edwards adds. If you’re in great shape and want to keep going, that
can be fine, but it can also be a good idea to give yourself some rest and
recovery to see how your body really feels. “This doesn’t mean no exercise, but
it means to slow down a bit and reflect,” he says. “It’s why many of our
programs come with suggestions for maintenance schedules.”
Your body is capable of great
things, so you shouldn’t sell yourself short. Use this month as
an excuse to push yourself harder, and follow these tips to make your body the
best it can be!
Article written by Hannah Rex
