Don't Forget to Have Fun

Why do you train? Some train because they just want to stay healthy and feel good about themselves. Others train because they have a specific goal. Often times chasing a specific goal is what makes us feel good about ourselves. The daily pursuit of getting better is what makes us feel alive.

Maybe you want to set a better example for your kids. After all, you owe it to them to be the best version of yourself right? Maybe you just want to impress the opposite sex so you can make hanky panky with the lights on.

Regardless of why you train, the constant pursuit of getting better can be quite an exhausting endeavor. I have been chasing maximal strength goals for about 4 years now and there are definitely days where I just don't feel like it. It can be pretty mentally challenging when you have already put in a 40 hour workweek by Thursday, then have to psych yourself up to squat above 90% after work. Physique transformation can be even more challenging. You have to be focused on training, food prep, portion size and macronutrient content from morning to night if you want to be successful. There are always some days you will dread going into the gym or prepping another week's worth of food.

Part of accomplishing any goal is about personal sacrifice. I always say: "Incredible results take incredible effort". Sure, I'd love to skip putting a shitload of weight on my back today, lay on my couch and watch reruns of Dexter while eating myself into a diabetic coma, but will that effort get me any closer to my goals? This constant sacrifice in the name of a higher cause can eventually wear you out. All of a sudden you find yourself wondering; "What happened? Training is supposed to be fun!"

I think along the way we need to remember that we only get one go around at this life, so we had better make the most of it. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step away from the grind and have some fun with our training. Here are a few of my favorite ways to inject some fun into your workouts.

1. Get Outside

Its stinking hot in the Carolinas right now, but fall is coming. That means mild weather and gives one the perfect opportunity to get outside and do work. Playing outside takes me back to the days of my youth. Its just plain fun.

It doesn't really matter what you do here. Vitamin D is good for you! Take your dog for a walk. Do some strongman training. Throw your kettlebell in the car, head to the park and swing that thing around, run some sprints, and do some calisthenics. Hell, recruit some of your buddies and make a day out of it. Challenge each other and have some fun. Everybody brings food and drinks and have a cookout afterward.

2. Challenges

Challenges give you the opportunity to break up the usual monotony of training and put all that hard work you have been doing to the test. Here are a few of my favorites.
*I use the term "fun" loosely here, but if you are a little masochistic like me, you will enjoy these.

• Bodyweight (half your bodyweight in each hand) farmer's walk for distance.
• Cliffhanger pull ups or dips - as many pull ups or dips as you can do until you can't hang on to the bar anymore.
• 10x10. Pick any compound lift, estimate 60% of your 1 rep max, and complete 10 sets of 10 reps resting only 1 minute between each set.
• 5x500 meter row. Row 500 meters, take a one minute break and repeat.
• Alternating arm Turkish Get Ups done for the duration of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird". If you thought it was long before, wait until you try this.
• The Mantathalon
• 100 Kettlebell swings with approximately 1/3 your bodyweight.

There are plenty more out there on the interwebz. Feel free to get creative and make up some of your own!

3. Experiment

The gym is your movement laboratory. Take the opportunity to try a new experiment. If you have never tried Turkish Get Ups, or a different squat or deadlift variation before, give it a shot.
Sometimes placing expectations on hold for a day feels good.

Just to be clear, if you feel the sudden urge to stand on an unstable surface, feel free to uppercut yourself in the face. If I had a transporter, I would beam around the world and pop every BOSU ball in existence.

Regardless of what your end game is, I think we need to remember that training should be fun. If you find yourself dreading going to the gym every day, maybe its time to take a step back and implement some of the strategies above. It might breathe some life back into your training.