How to Beat Gym Boredom: 5 Workouts that Kick Your Butt in Under 30 Minutes

Today I'm sharing a few little tweaks that will show you how to beat gym boredom. I've implemented these tweaks into my workout routine to get myself excited about going to the gym regularly.

Plus, I'm sharing with you 5 workouts that will keep things interesting in the gym.

If you've ever committed to a gym routine only to find yourself bored and unmotivated a couple months later, I feel your pain.

I myself used to be less than excited about going to the gym regularly, but kept coming back only because I knew that the gym was charging me every month regardless of the frequency of my visits.

Running saved me from quitting exercise back in those days, but that's a different story.

In the past year or so, I've changed my approach for gym workouts, and finally started seeing results while spending less time at the gym!

These are the 3 steps that made the difference.

How to beat Gym Boredom: 3 Easy Gym Routine Tweaks

1. Change it up - every day

If you do the same set of exercises every time you step into the gym, it won't be long before you get bored out of your mind and stop seeing any progress. I did that myself for years!

A much more challenging and interesting approach is to do something different every time - read on for some ideas!

2. Break up with exercise machines

Machines can be great if you know what you're doing, but if your gym routine is stuck at using the same 3-4 machines every time you're at the gym, it's no bueno.

Cut your overall time at the gym by doing full-body exercises with free weights to work more than one muscle group at a time.

3. Make workouts short but intense

Let me guess: you don't have 1.5 hours available every day to spend at the gym, but you'd love to see progress even with shorter gym visits? I hear ya!

The workouts below allow you to break a sweat and work your major muscle groups in about 30 minutes or less, so you don't have to spend all of your free time at the gym.

My relationship with the gym has changed quite a bit in the past few months thanks to these gym tweaks, and I've got to admit that I love my gym visits now.

As promised, today I'm sharing my 5 favorite gym workouts that keep me challenged and excited. You'll find that you can do all of these outside of the gym if you have some dumbbells or kettlebells on hand. Running on treadmill can be substituted by running around the block in your neighborhood, or on a local track if you have one nearby.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: I am not a licensed personal trainer or fitness professional. These workouts reflect my own experience and should not be taken as a call to action. Please consult a licensed professional for creating your own exercise routine.

5 WORKOUTS THAT BUST GYM BOREDOM

1. The Basics

Run ¼ mi, then do a set of:

• 15 goblet squats (use a moderately heavy dumbbell or a kettlebell, start with 15-20 pounds if you're new to weights)
• 20 push ups
• 25 tricep dips
• 30 butterfly sit-ups

Repeat this circuit 4 times, including the running part. Go from one exercise to the next without rest, but allow yourself to rest up to 1 min between rounds.

2. The Ladder

Use the same exercises as above (skip the running part), but do rounds of 15-20-25-20-15 reps of each. Skip rest between exercises, but use up to 1 min of rest between each round.

3. The Cardio Blast

Ideal for when you want to add some upper body work to your running routine:

Run ¼ mi (or around the block in your neighborhood), then do 10 burpees. Repeat until you reach 8-10 running segments, or 2-2.5 miles.

4. AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

Use exercises from the workout #1 above, but do 10 reps of each to complete one round. Repeat as many rounds as you can within 20-30 minutes, or any stretch of time you set for yourself.

5. The 10-Minute Scorcher

Yep, this one kicks some serious butt in only ten minutes!

Set a timer for 10 1-minute intervals, or keep an eye on a reliable clock (that's what I do at the gym), then do without taking a break:

• - 5 burpees
• - 5 goblet squats with a moderately heavy weight

Rest until the timer/clock hits one minute, then repeat the routine.

The full workout will only take you 10 minutes, but it's challenging because if you do the exercises slowly, you won't have a lot of time to rest before the next round; if you do them fast, you'll feel like your heart is going to jump out of your chest.

Hope these workout ideas help you spruce up your gym routine and make it less, ahem, routine!

See more of my fitness-related and running-related posts for more inspiration.

Question for you: Have you ever lost motivation to work out only to regain it later? What helped you overcome the slump? I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please share them in the comments!

If you've enjoyed this post, share it with your friends on social media! And stick around for more awesomeness - subscribe to Vegan Runner Eats to receive the latest posts (I'll send you my free 10 Easy Vegan Dinners e-book as a thank you), or follow the blog on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Alina Zavatsky - Vegan Runner Eats

Alina Zavatsky is a vegan of 12+ years, a passionate blogger, YouTuber, and a mom. She helps new vegans and their families navigate a vegan diet and lifestyle in a sustainable and enjoyable way. Check out her new vegan meal planning app, Veg Easy, designed to make meal planning a breeze for everyone.

See Full Bio