Avoid the “Boring Workouts” TRAP with These 3 Strategies...

👉 The Whole Enchilada: A full year’s training plan with single and double exercises and lots of variation https://salutis.kartra.com/page/Iyq450

👉 Get Stronger & More Muscular Using Specialized Variety w/ the Clean + Press https://salutis.kartra.com/page/giant-x

👉 Get Stronger, Leaner, & More Muscular: Clean + Press, Snatch, and Front Squat with variation https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-maximorum-e/

👉 Get Leaner & Stronger using a Single KB with A LOT of variation https://go.chasingstrength.com/burn-sa3/

Have you ever felt bored with your workouts?

If so, you’re not alone.

In fact, I’ve recently gotten a bunch of emails from folks saying one of their biggest stumbling blocks with getting results is that their workouts are boring.

Let’s Unpack 3 Strategies You Can Use to AVOID This Trap.

[1] The Reframe:

When I do a workout (or a “training session” as I typically call them), I’m never focused on being entertained.

I’m ALWAYS focused on my goal.

That is -

What is the PURPOSE of my training?

What OUTCOME do I want to achieve?

I’m not looking to be entertained.

“Entertainment” is a completely different category - a whole ‘nother box that gets checked.

So, when I’m hoisting bells overhead, or squatting, or whatever…

I’m ALWAYS thinking about the OUTCOME.

Then, I’m focused on that process -

Feel of each rep…

Managing fatigue…

Body position…

And adjusting accordingly when necessary.

Then I log my work in my training journal so I can see what I’ve completed and look back on my work so I can measure successes and failures - to see what worked and what didn’t.

So that makes the process easy.

It’s kinda like following a recipe.

No one ever gets bored of following the recipe to bake chocolate chip cookies.

They’re focused on the delicious chocolatey gooey goodness they're about to enjoy.

So, reframe - look at the reason you train - differently.

Think “OUTCOME” NOT Entertainment.

From my coaching experience, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT way to view your training and to avoid “being bored.”

[2] Variation vs. Variety:

Most people bounce from workout to workout to “keep things fresh” or

“Keep their bodies guessing”...

You know, “switch things up.”

Part of this is because of #1 - boredom.

But the other part is bad information - the mistaken belief that variety is necessary to create an adaptation. (Many times we can trace it back to P90X and “muscle confusion.”)

Nothing could be further from the truth. For example, legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen, started playing the piano at age 6. He then moved to the drums. Played a short stint on the bass. Then he finally moved on to the guitar.

The result?

Voted #1 in a Guitar World Magazine poll for "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" poll.

Ranked #4 in Rolling Stone’s 2023 list of the "250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

And “Eruption,” my favorite guitar solo of all time and voted number 2 in Guitar World's readers poll of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".

Eddie didn’t play the same song all the time. He played different chords and notes - mixed and matched - and made them his own.

Likewise, you can still use the same 2, 3, or even 5 exercises, but change your:

Load - lighter (GASP!) or heavier

Sets - more or less

Reps - low or high, more or less

Rest periods - short, medium, long

Training frequency - 2,3,4,5 even 6x a week

This is called “variation”.

[3] Specialized Variety:

This is arguably one of my favorites.

Simply put, it’s using variations of the same exercise.

In his book, A System of Multi-Year Training In Weightlifting, World Champion Coach and lifter A.S. Medvedyev lists over 100 different exercise variations for the Snatch, the Clean, and the Jerk.

Examples:

Power Snatch

Power Snatch from above knee

Power Snatch from below knee

Power Snatch from hip

Power Snatch from plinths

Power Snatch without hook grip

Power Snatch on box

You get the idea.

For your KB work, you can do the following:

Clean

Clean from dead stop

Clean from dead stop under the body

Bottoms Up Clean

Clean outside the legs

Press

Press w/ pause at the sticking point

Press w/ 2 pauses - sticking point and lockout

Bottoms Up Press

Push Press w/ drop to rack

Push Press w/ slow negative

Push Press w/ active negative

Again, you get the idea.

Apply these three strategies to your KB workouts - ahem - training - and you’ll never have to worry about being bored again.

Stay Strong,

Geoff Neupert.