HOW TO BUILD A FAIL-PROOF WORKOUT

What if I told you that your workout didn’t have to include a 20 minute drive to the gym. It didn’t require you to block off an hour and a half of your day just to feel like you did something. It didn’t require you to toss out all of your responsibilities. What if I told you your workout could be fail-proof.

This is not a guarantee that you will never skip a workout again, or that other things might take priority once and awhile. I am also not saying that you should NEVER go to the gym because you have this fail-proof safety net. BUT I am saying that the more you set yourself up to be successful the more success you will have in getting in daily movement.

TIPS FOR KEEPING THE WORKOUT FAIL-PROOF

Set your expectations

If you think that every time you workout you should not be able to move afterward, you are only setting yourself up for failure. Even as a personal trainer, there are days that I just need to keep my body moving, not push for a 1 rep max in back squat or total exhaustion.

Life happens and you might feel a bit under the weather that day. Or your kid didn’t allow you to get sleep the night before. Or work asks you to put in overtime that night. If you have the expectation that everyday is a physical max-out day, you’ll only be disappointed when things like this get in the way.

Set yourself up for success! Remind yourself that getting movement in your day is better than nothing. Instead of giving up your workout completely, having a fail-proof workout in your back pocket will still allow you to feel accomplished.

It also helps to put on something that preps you to workout. Here my easy transition from house work to working out:

Shop the Look

Keep it simple!!

The less equipment, traveling, and set-up you have to do for your fail-proof workout the better! If it is going to require you to set up an entire station than it will just give you another excuse not to do it. If you can grab a change of clothes and have no equipment you can just get up and go!

I shared my go to gym workout in this article. Maybe you will love it too!

Also, pick exercises that you have done before and are familiar with. This will allow you to flow through the workout without having to pause to look up form and wonder if you are doing everything correctly. The more you know and enjoy the exercises you pick, the more likely you are to follow through with your workout.

Pick the right time of day

This one may seem counterintuitive, but finding the time of day where you are at your best is a large part of getting yourself to do your workout. If you are not an early riser, don’t force yourself to get up at 5 am. You will only end up disappointed in yourself that you hit snooze. If you know you get lethargic after lunch, don’t try and squeeze in a workout in the early afternoon. Find times that fit into your lifestyle!

I am not saying you should never try and change your habits, but we are looking to be successful in our fitness journey! And this means setting realistic goals. Life, as well as workout routines, are never going to be as perfect as we want them to be. So pick the time of day where you know you have a bit of extra time and energy to get after your workout.

Discover technique tips to get the most out of your workout.

WHAT TO DO

I had mentioned picking exercises that are familiar, require little to no equipment and that you tend to enjoy. This is going to be your recipe card for building a fail-proof workout. I am not going to leave you out to dry here. I want to show you what I include in my fail-proof workout for a busy day!

To start the workout, I am going to offer up a bit of advice. Start your workout with a 5 to 10 minute walk. Why? My number one reasoning would be to get away from your work (either your job or your chores). I find that physically stepping outside or even to a treadmill can help you mentally step away from the task at hand. Plus, it allows you to warm up your muscles to get ready to workout.

*If it is middle of winter and you don’t have a treadmill, just try some active mobility to start. You can learn how to use the TRX for mobility here.

WORKOUT

Now when it comes to exercise selection, I have put together a group of exercises that are all body weight and can pretty much be done anywhere. They are going to be higher rep to challenge yourself and get your heart rate up more. I tend to lose focus quickly in a workout so I like to keep things fresh by doing a quick superset and moving on.

WRAPPING IT UP

Just a reminder that this workout is custom built for me. It is important to customize your own fail-proof workout that will without a doubt get you going. Try starting with mine, see what you like and add or modify for next time. And be sure to add a cool down of stretching those problem areas for you.

Do you plan out every single part of your day? Do you keep a detailed, color-coded planner? Do you wake up in the morning and immediately start making a to-do list? If you are anything like me, then all of the answers to these questions are yes. And workouts are no exception to this planning process.

The great part about this is that you know exactly how much time it will take so that you can have that in your back pocket for a busy day!

Oh, and if you are wondering, yes I am an Enneagram 6. And if you don’t know you can find out more about enneagram types and your workouts here. Now, go build your fail proof workout!