6 Workouts That Will Shake Up Your Current Routine
Most of us find a workout we don’t mind and then just settle into a routine, which is certainly easy for scheduling but can make exercise less effective and uninspiring. Break out of that rut by trying something out of your comfort zone or mixing up your weekly go-to sweat sessions. After all, trainers will tell you that the best workout is one that you actually enjoy and will stick with, so here are six options to kick-start your fitness regimen again.
Boxing
There are probably more than a handful of times where you’ve been so frustrated that you just felt like punching something. Get some aggression out in a healthy way by channeling that energy into a boxing class, where you can jab without judgment. Boxing is a full-body workout that combines cardio and strength, and just a few minutes of hitting a bag will help relieve an entire day’s worth of stress. Celebs like Adriana Lima, Gina Rodriguez, and Demi Lovato are all boxing fans. Take your own turn in the ring to throw some punches, and trust us, you’ll be hooked. (Photo via Rumble Boxing)
Rumble Boxing (multiple locations): Participants go 10 rounds in 45 minutes — alternating between punching a bag and doing strength-conditioning exercises at a floor station. Bumping beats provided.
Prevail Boxing (LA): This boxing gym offers three different types of circuit-based boxing classes.
Gloveworx (multiple locations): Gloveworx has personalized one-on-one sessions as well as small- and large-group sessions.
Smart Home Devices
You already use technology all day every day, so make it work in your favor by helping you achieve your fitness goals as well. Use a smart home device to easily schedule regular exercise times on your calendar, find healthy recipes, track your goals, and set better daily routines and habits for yourself. You can even connect smart devices to your TV to turn your living room into a personal workout studio. (Photo via Google Home Hub)
Google Home Hub ($149) + Chromecast ($35): Get all the smart functions of Google and project workout videos straight onto your TV.
Free YouTube Workouts: Some of the most viewed workouts require very little time or equipment, such as 10-Min Sixpack Workout, 10-Minute Ab Workout, 10 Min Bodyweight Workout, and 30-Min Full Body Workout
Getting Competitive
If you thrive on a little friendly competition, take a class that will give you that extra push. Sometimes all it takes for us to pedal a little faster or do one more rep is seeing your own results on a screen in front of you or feeling the energy of a room full of people who are also challenging themselves. Find a class that tracks your performance to make sure you give it your personal best. But remember, never judge yourself based on other people in your class — everyone is a winner for showing up in the first place. (Photo via Flywheel Sports)
Flywheel Sports (various locations): At this indoor spin studio, there’s a TorqBoard that displays everyone’s “power” scores on a screen at various times during the class. Even if you don’t opt in to having your score displayed, you’ll still see it on your bike, so you can see how you stack up to the leader in the class (it may be you!). Your numbers are also recorded so you can see your progress over time.
Orangetheory Fitness (various locations): Orangetheory is a 60-minute HIIT workout combining cardio with strength training. You wear a monitor to track your real-time heart rate, and the goal is to spend at least 12 minutes in the OrangeZone, where your heart rate is 84-91 percent of your personal maximum, the point where you really start to burn some calories. Numbers are shown on a TV screen so you know which Zone you’re in.
Studio: Studio is an audio-based app with running (treadmill and outdoor) and strength classes. Every class allows you to asynchronously compete with anyone else who has taken the class before, and you can track your distance and biometric data.
Yoga
Yoga is more than just namastes and warrior poses. Beyond just a physical workout, it’s also an exercise in mental strength and focus: It helps push you to the point of being uncomfortable and then pushes you a little more. There have been a number of studies that have shown that the mental benefits of yoga include reducing depression and improving self-image. There’s also a type of yoga for everyone, whether you want to chill, get your heart rate up, sweat it out, or even stretch with cats or goats. (Photo via Getty)
Glo: This digital platform has yoga classes of all styles at all levels, taught by instructors all over the world. Choose your favorite style, or let the app make suggestions based on your personal goals. There are also meditation and Pilates classes.
CorePower Yoga (various locations): There are 200 different locations that offer various levels and challenges, including hot yoga and a yoga fusion class that incorporates strength-training moves.
Y7 Studio (New York): This trendy NY studio offers classes in candlelit rooms heated by infrared technology. There are no mirrors in the rooms, but you’ll flow to motivating hip-hop music.
Personalized Home Strength Training
Strength training is important for increasing overall muscle strength, obviously, but also for reducing injury, building confidence, and maintaining healthy bones. Gone are the days when weightlifting involved a bulky machine or a cumbersome number of free weights. There are new tech-driven, interactive training systems that provide customized programs, almost like having a personal trainer right in your home. Best of all, you don’t have to wait for anyone to get off a machine at the gym. (Photo via Tonal)
Tonal ($2,995): Tonal is an all-in-one strength training fitness system that provides personalized workouts. You start with a strength assessment, and then the system continuously measures your reps, tension, and weight and adjusts over time to help you improve. You can take instructor-led classes or create your own workout from the library of movements. And if you’re struggling, Tonal will automatically spot you, just like a trainer.
MIRROR ($1,495): Mirror is a sleek home fitness system that has both live and on-demand classes (strength, but also cardio, boxing, yoga, and more) led by instructors. You’ll get real-time personalization depending on your goals, and you can train with your friends, sync your biometric data, or use your own playlists. You’ll even get shoutouts from the instructors during classes.
Treadmill Classes
For some people, using a treadmill seems like running on the longest road to nowhere. But it’s a great way to get a safe, effective cardio workout without worrying about the weather, time of day, or cars on the road. And if you do want to mix up your speed or incline, that’s all within arm’s reach. If you still need a little convincing to get on board with that tread life (it doesn’t have to be boring), there are both classes and apps to help with that. (Photo via Getty)
Equinox’s Precision Run program (various locations): Equinox offers group treadmill classes that take running to the next level by using a scientific formula to balance speed, incline, duration, and recovery. The classes are also held in an oxygen-enriched studio with a custom water bar nearby for post-workout rehydration (think CBD-infused or magnesium H2O).
Barry’s Bootcamp (various locations): Barry’s mixes up treadmill workouts with strength-training exercises. Don’t let that fool you into thinking that the running portion is easy though — all-out sprints and hills (and sometimes sprints on hills) are usually involved.
Mile High Run Club (New York): This gym is solely dedicated to indoor running. If you’re short on time, try the Dirty 30 with high-intensity intervals. If you’re training for a race, the studio has an all-tread 60-minute class called The Distance, which will help you cover some serious mileage.
Peloton Digital: Peloton’s digital subscription gives you access to their live and on-demand tread classes even if you don’t invest in the expensive equipment, so you can get your cardio in when and where you want it. The app also has yoga, strength-training, and cycling classes.
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