6 Signs You’re Slacking Off
We’re all guilty of being distracted at the gym, but whether you’re bored, stressed or just plain over it, there are ways to get your body and brain back into a routine and on the way to results-ville.
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SIGN: You spend more time texting than you do squatting.
SOLUTION: Sever ties with your social media for an hour. Temporarily turn off your texting, Twitter and Tinder notifications, and use your phone to live stream new and exciting leg workouts.
SIGN: You dread going to the gym and just go through the motions.
SOLUTION: Time to change things up. Try a group fitness class, team up with a friend, or take your training outside to make things new and different, and reignite your passion for exercise.
SIGN: Your mind wanders while you’re training.
SOLUTION: Sit in the locker room for five minutes and mentally put your worries and stresses aside. When training, focus intently on the muscle you’re working and imagine how it will look if you continue to train it regularly to give your brain a job.
SIGN: You do the same workout day after day, week after week.
SOLUTION: You’re in a rut. Change the variables to make things interesting and kick-start your progress. Things to consider changing up are your rep ranges, weights used, exercises, bodypart splits or rest intervals.
See Also4 Signs You Are Overtraining
SIGN: You count the minutes — no, the seconds — on the treadmill and hang onto the rails as you plod along.
SOLUTION: Do a Tabata treadmill workout to burn a ton of calories and fat. Bonus: It’s only four minutes long, and there’s no way you’ll be able to hang onto the rails and zone out with this kind of intensity!
SIGN: You stopped pushing yourself and just go through the motions.
SOLUTION: Re-evaluate your goals and reasons for training in the gym and write them down. Perhaps you need to try a new activity for a while, then revisit the gym in a few weeks, or you need to find a new goal worth achieving such as a road race, a challenging hike or even a fitness competition.