BREAKING DOWN A BIG WORKOUT

Sometimes a workout can seem overwhelming. However, whether you’re new to fitness, still building up endurance or just lacking energy and motivation, I hope you still try to tackle it and don’t give up without a fight! A lot of the time it’s not as bad as it sounds once you start going (but sometimes it’s worse let’s not kid ourselves).

The best thing to do when approaching an intimidating workout is to break it down into smaller manageable blocks. Set mini goals along the way. And in worst case scenarios, give yourself an optional exit point to take if you’re still struggling once you get going.

If it’s a large amount of reps, break it into blocks. 50 reps may seem impossible, whereas 5 blocks of 10 is way more approachable. Or even 2 blocks of 20 and 1 of 10 - that gives you an enticing smaller set to finish with! Focus on each mini-target in turn and don’t let yourself stop until you reach it. Then you get to earn a small break at each checkpoint.

When it comes to running and other distances you can try breaking big blocks into working intervals. If a 400m run seems unachievable, try run for 200m then walk for 100m then run the last 100m. Go for smaller amounts that seem do-able for you and just work through them one by one. This way you’ll still cover the whole distance but in a more manageable way.

If there are a lot of rounds to a workout, a very long single distance or a long time frame allocation, consider giving yourself a potential exit option. For example, with a 5km distance, allow yourself an exit pass at 3km if you’re struggling or still haven’t gotten into the workout groove. Similarly, if you’re feeling good at 3km, you can still push through to the further finish line.The same rule goes for rounds - if ten rounds seems overly optimistic, offer an exit at 5 or 6! This way you still succeed, because you still hit a personal target even if it isn’t the original pre-set one.

Basically, do whatever you need to mentally manage the workout. It’s mostly in your head a lot of the time anyway, so once you’ve conquered that mental barrier you’ve won half the battle. Your limits are higher than you think, and your potential is infinite.