10 Brilliant Ways To Push Through Hard Workouts

Motivating to exercise is hard enough, but when you're sweating your way through the fifth round of burpees, it can be more challenging to finish your sesh. To help, fitness trainers have shared their top tips on how to push through hard workouts when you're losing steam.

Set The Scene

It's all about setting the mood for your home workouts: light candles, crank the music, or display your weights, suggests Rumble Boxing trainer Rachel Oyama. It'll put you in the mindset to slay.

Make It A Date

Schedule a workout sesh with a friend, suggests cure.fit lead trainer Katy Neville. Having a sweat partner in crime not only encourages you to show up, but helps you conquer the toughest parts of your workout since they're pushing through it by your side, she says.

Warm Up

Jumping straight into exercise can lead to poor form, muscle strain, and injury, all of which can cut your sweat sesh short. Do your body a favor and warm up so it's better able to carry you through your entire workout, says certified trainer Anthony Crouchelli.

Dress The Part

"Dress for the job you want" applies to your workouts, too. Throw on a cute set that makes you feel great, recommends Oyama. Feelin' yourself can give you the confidence and swag to go after your toughest fitness goals.

Pace Yourself

Go hard, but not too hard, says Crouchelli. Save some gas in the tank for the latter half of your workout. Jumping into things too fast can make it hard to finish strong and put you at risk for injury, he tells Bustle.

Switch It Up

If you're bored of your usual fitness routine, Oyama suggests switching it up. Swap out regular exercises or change your playlist — it could give you the jolt of excitement you need to power through.

Make Your Workouts Work For You

Hard workouts can be discouraging. Oyama recommends modifying exercises to work for you, instead of the other way around. Adapt movements to suit your body and fitness level so you can better stay in your workout, both physically and mentally.

Move To The Music

Research shows that working out to music can help reduce fatigue and make you work harder. Time your reps to the beat of your fave playlist to really put you in the moment (and maybe even inspire some dancing breaks).

Break It Down

It can be daunting to stare down 45 minutes of difficult drills. But taking it just 15 minutes at a time can help you overcome that dread and give you the endorphin boost you need to conquer the rest of your workout, says Neville. You'll be done before you know it.

Ditch The Clock

Counting down the minutes left in your workout only makes it feel like more of a chore. Instead of focusing on how much exercise is left, hide your clocks and stay in the moment — after all, time flies when you're having fun.

Listen to Your Pain

Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing how to push yourself. If you're in pain, powering through won't do you any favors, so take time to recover. "Listen to your body," says Oyama.