SPONSORED

5 simple ways to challenge yourself in the gym

Why settle for second best?

1. Slow down

This sounds counter-intuitive but it actually makes a lot of sense. Rather than rattling through your reps in a race to the finish line, think less about speed and more about control.

Your muscles are naturally stronger when they are lowering weights. Get into a rhythm where your lift takes 2-3 seconds, and your release takes 4-5 seconds.

By prolonging the movement and concentrating on control, you’re challenging your muscles much more effectively.

shutterstock_153788108 Shutterstock / rangizzz Shutterstock / rangizzz / rangizzz

2. Find a fitter friend

A lot of people prefer to work out alone, and that’s just fine.

But if you want to challenge yourself to crank out an extra few reps, step up to a heavier weight, or push for another couple of hundred metres, working out with a fitter friend is a great strategy.

Nobody wants to give up in front of their friends, so you’ll definitely push yourself that little bit harder — and they’ll be able to spot you on those heavier weights.

They’ll believe in you when you’re starting to doubt yourself too, so they won’t let you give up that easily.

shutterstock_269886053 Shutterstock / Undrey Shutterstock / Undrey / Undrey

3. Switch to supersets

It’s important to keep lots of variety in your workouts but if you’re looking to challenge yourself on a particular day, try adding in a few supersets.

This combines two different exercises back-to-back, making sure you’ll really feel the burn.

Why is it so effective? For one thing, it minimises the rest time between sets and forces you to push your body that little bit harder.

Depending on the combination of exercises you choose, it will also allow you to target different muscle groups within the same body part.

shutterstock_275888195 Shutterstock / bezikus Shutterstock / bezikus / bezikus

4. Make a medium-term plan

It’s great to hit the gym and know exactly what your goals are for that particular session — and it’s even better when you knock it out of the park.

But there’s no better way to make serious improvements than by taking baby steps, one at a time.

As well as focusing on today’s workout, think about where you’d like to be in two weeks’ or four weeks’ time.

If you’re currently able to hold your plank for 30 seconds, and want that to be up at 60 seconds in a month, break it down into five-second increments and spread them out at regular intervals.

When the increase is so manageable, you’ll force yourself to hit it every time.

shutterstock_262624364 Shutterstock / Roman Prishenko Shutterstock / Roman Prishenko / Roman Prishenko

5. HIIT it hard

High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a go-to option for gym goers who really want to challenge themselves.

As the name suggests, it’s all about upping the exercise intensity to your max (or as close as you can) for a set interval, and then tapering off at a much lower intensity for an interval. Rinse and repeat.

Science loves exercise like this as it’s believed to work wonders for your heart, lung capacity, and all-round endurance.

It ain’t easy, but nobody said it would be.

shutterstock_296609828 Shutterstock / uzhursky Shutterstock / uzhursky / uzhursky

Avonmore have added added 50% extra high quality whey and casein protein to Avonmore Protein Milk – which is also low in fat, and a source of Calcium, Vitamin B12 and added Vitamin D. Add in the great taste you’d expect from Avonmore, and you have a delicious source of extra protein that will fit right into your daily routine. Breakfast, lunch, tea, after training… any time you like. For more great training tips visit Avonmore Protein Milk’s training hub.

Your Voice
Readers Comments
3
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.