10 Scientific tips so that your workout feels less difficult

Heavy legs, irregular breathing, thinking you’re going to faint during the warm-up… Whether you do cardio or strength training: according to science you can workout make it feel less heavy, so you actually achieve better results. Below are ten scientific tips to improve your workout light up.

1. Drink coffee

Yes, drinking coffee helps! During a research of the scientific journal Appetite Cyclists who had drunk coffee an hour beforehand found their workout less difficult and more enjoyable than cyclists who had not had caffeine.

2. Find a workout buddy

According to a study by Oxford University, people who exercise together have twice as high a pain threshold and twice as great an endorphin boost as solo athletes.

3. Look forward

When walking, jogging or cycling, it is best to look straight ahead. A recent study by a New York University showed that runners who had looked straight ahead during the study thought the finish line was 28% closer and ran 23% faster than runners who had looked around. Moreover, they found the workout less strenuous.

4. Exercise during your personal peak hours

If you’re not a morning person, don’t drag yourself to the gym at 8am. Everyone has their own peak times and if you train during those hours, you will find your workout a lot easier, according to a study by the University of Cape Town.

5. Eat a pre-workout snack

Do you exercise in the morning? Then don’t skip your breakfast! If you haven’t eaten for a few hours, you will experience your workout as much harder and you will also get less out of it. This was evident from a study published in Sports Sciences for Health.

6. Eat beets (or drink beet juice)

Beets contain nitrates, which transport more blood and oxygen to your muscles when you breathe. A study by the British University of Exeter showed that people who drank half a liter of beetroot juice two and a half hours before exercise needed less oxygen during their workouts and were able to cycle 15% to 20% longer than people who did not drink beetroot juice.

7. Make sure your iron levels are up to standard

Iron is an important mineral for your strength and fitness. A study from the University of Melbourne found that women of reproductive age were able to exercise more efficiently and with a lower heart rate if they increased their iron intake.

8. Take a warm bath

If you take a warm bath after your workout, you’ll probably find your next workout less challenging – especially if that workout takes place in the heat. This was evident from a recent study by the British Bangor University.

9. Cool down before you warm up

If you drink something ice-cold before your workout, this can be done according to a study published in the scientific journal Gait & Posture improve your endurance and performance. And according to a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science you can achieve the same result with frozen underwear.

10. Create the perfect playlist

A study from Canada’s McMaster University found that people who do high-intensity interval workouts do not find it harder when they listen to their favorite music, while people who do without their favorite music do. Useful to know: an earlier study from Northwestern University in Illinois showed that music with more bass gives you a more powerful feeling.