6 Ways to See Faster Results From Your Workout Routine

We are officially in May. That means the first quarter of 2020 is already over. It’s time to re-examine your fitness goals and see how your progress is coming along. Have you been working on your bikini bod or plopping down on the couch on the weekends? 

Let’s kick it into high gear and get some great results. We have a few simple strategies for you to get faster results from your workout routine. And no, it doesn’t involve a single burpee. Let’s work smarter, not harder. 

Enjoy these simple hacks to boost your motivation and fast-track your fitness results. 

Awe, Sh*t

Have you ever let a four-letter word slip during your workout? Yep, we have too. When finishing up a final round of crunches sometimes it just slips out. 

It turns out letting out a few curse words may actually help you power through your workout, so channel your inner sailor and get to swearin’. 

A recent study found that exercisers who swore while working out boosted performance up to 4% and increased their strength by as much as 8% compared with those who kept it PG. 

Why does it help to swear while you are working out? The researchers hypothesized that swearing provides a distraction that allows people to work harder than they normally would. 

So next time your finishing up your last round don’t suppress your urge to let them how you really feel. It may just give you the strength to put in a few more and get faster results from your workout.

Accessorize Your Workout

One of the easiest ways to increase the intensity of your workout is to add a prop. From weighted medicine balls to exercise bands and everything in between, there are so many accessories for your workout. 

Need further proof? Research sponsored by the American Council on Exercise found that kettlebell training significantly boosts aerobic capacity. It can also help improve core strength and balance. 

In fact, using kettlebells in a workout can help you burn 20 calories per minute. That is about the same as running a 6-minute mile! Add it up and in just 20 minutes you’ve already burned 400 calories. 

Another study published in Human Movement Science focused on TRX bands. Using TRX bands to do a suspended pushup activated the abs 184% more than doing a standard pushup. Hello, six-pack abs!

Add a Little Friendly Competition

A study published in the Journal of Preventative Medicine Reports compared different ways fitness routines motivate people to work out. They found competition was far stronger as a motivator than friendly support groups. 

You’re better off leaving people alone than offering them support, which revealed made people less likely to go to the gym.

So start a friendly competition with your boyfriend or the best friend. Start a Fitbit challenge with your work colleagues. Or next time you’re at the gym try to run just s little faster than the girl next to you. Betcha you can lose five pounds before they do!

Competition in groups helps motivate each other to exercise because in return it places a higher burden on the individuals to achieve. In a competitive environment each person’s activity raises the bar for everyone else. On the other hand, if people stop exercising it can give everyone else permission to stop as well. 

So grab your boyfriend or your best friend and get competitive. Sign up for a race and see who has the fastest completion time or simply try to outperform everyone in your spin class. Whatever it takes to get you going. 

Start Doing HIIT

Did you know that a HIIT workout takes a lot less time to complete than a regular cardio workout? That because HIIT workouts majorly increase the intensity. 

One minute all-out exercise has the same benefits as doing moderately paced exercise for 45-minutes. So trade in your leisurely stroll and go all-out in a shorter workout to see faster results from your workout.

Interval training adds intensity to your workouts. Alternating between 8 seconds of high intensity and 12 seconds of lower intensity for a 20 minute period, three times a week leads to more weight loss than working out at a steady pace for twice as long. 

This type of training is more efficient at decreasing abdominal fat and body fat while maintining muscle mass. So say adios to your hour-long sweat sesh and push your self a little harder and get it over with. 

Listen to Some Music

When it comes to making your workout as painless as possible turns out it’s all in the music. 

A study from 2014 found that listening to music makes difficult workouts seem easier. It can help encourage people to push themselves harder. Another study from the Journal of Sport Sciences came to similar conclusions about the music used in HIIT workouts. Researchers founf that your playlist can make workouts more enjoyable and increase the consistency of your workouts. 

So what songs should you play while working out? The answer is simple: your favorite songs. 

If you’re a sucker for top-40 hits, 80’s hair bands, or you can’t get enough country in your life it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it is music that you like and enjoy listening to. See faster results from your workout by using music as encouragement.

Roll Up in This Gym Like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4A523-O5uk

Foam rolling has become increasingly trendy and this is a fad that deserves to stay. A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found foam rolling greatly reduces soreness and helps boost recovery. 

Muscle soreness was reduced one, two, and three days after a squat routine. It can increase your range of motion and help you do better in a vertical leap test. You don’t need to roll for a long time to reap the rewards. Just two minutes of foam rolling has been shown to help. 

And There You Have It

So if you’re behind on your 2020 fitness goals or you just want to see results come a little faster try implementing these 6 tricks. These 6 tricks are backed by science to get your faster results from your workout. Looking to mix up your fitness routine? Try this new total-body outdoor workout routine.

If you enjoyed this article please share it with a friend and leave a comment below if you’ve had success with any of the tips above. We’d love to hear from you!