Why Your Workout Should Be More Like a Drinking Game

I’ve been turning my workouts into a drinking game.

I had to.

You know how some people (who shall remain nameless) used to play drinking games in college that had all sorts of crazy rules to make them drink?  There was Three Man, which for the life of me I cannot remember the rules for….because there were a TON of them that constantly changed.  I vaguely remember having to wear a football helmet at a certain point.

There was the game of Quarters.  Which I sucked at.  There was also Fubar and I Never.

I’m beginning to ramble, but the point is I’d become somewhat of a slacker with my workouts. I’d gotten into a routine of the same workouts on the same days, done with less than the usual passion and vigor.  I was doing them just to get them checked off my to-do list.

The body is very adaptable and can get very comfortable doing the same things over and over again, which can be a good thing, but not when it comes to exercise.  For instance, your body can get really good at a certain type of exercise or workout and doesn’t have to work as hard – which means you’re burning fewer calories.  You’ve got to keep your body guessing by mixing things up to really make your system work hard.

So the concept of crazy drinking game rules is the perfect solution.  For example:

The “So You Think You Can Dance Workout”

I’ve got my road bike on the trainer in the basement and I sometimes watch something on Hulu to make it tolerable.  I loooooooove So You Think You Can Dance and it makes the perfect drinking game workout.

The Rules

1. Whenever someone is dancing I have to pedal as hard as I can.
2. When there’s no one dancing I have to pedal at a strong pace.
3. When a commercial comes on I can pedal at a slower/recovery pace.

The “Chorus Workout”

I shuffle through my music selection and find a song I like.

The Rules

1. For the duration of the song I’ve got to work hard.
2. When the chorus comes on I have to push myself as hard as I possibly can.
3. When the song is over, I get recovery, find the next song and repeat.

The Landmark Workout

This is something I use while running.

The Rules

1. Pick a visible landmark on the route ie: the stoplight.
2. Run as fast as possible until I reach the landmark.
3. Choose a new landmark.
4. Run at a recovery pace until I reach it.
5. Choose  a new landmark.
6. Run as fast as possible until I reach it.
7. Keep alternating between running hard and recovering between landmarks.

So there’s no actual drinking involved, just the spirit of fun and competition.  And the only hangover you’ll be suffering from the next day is a delicious sense of muscle soreness.

What about you?  Got any great ideas?