6 Steps To Reaching A Flow State In Your Next Workout

I am not attached to anything or anyone.
I am not angry, bitter, or upset.
I remain calm and peaceful.
I continue my daily activities with a good attitude.
I am free from all negative emotions.
I am totally detached from the world.

The feeling of a great workout is very real. My muscle is getting stronger and my body is adapting to the constant stress of the intense strength training.

I have achieved flow; I am in my zone.

Â Well, if it’s a text message, then this could be a text message. If it’s a Facebook message, it probably is a Facebook message. If it’s a song, we should listen to it.

Most people will make small changes to their workout routine to make it more enjoyable. However, if you are going to take your fitness to a different level, you may need to change your training in a slightly larger way.

6 Steps to Reaching A Flow State

The answer is simple, but we need to ask ourselves a question first. What is the goal of our workouts?
Is it just to get stronger? To get healthier? To lose weight? To look better? Or is it something else?
It is a question we need to fully grasp and answer before we can then focus on building a workout that will get us there.
If we answer the question “what is the goal of my workout?” we can then start asking the right question that will set us on the right track to achieving that goal.

– Focus on your breathing. Check out the Breathing Section for more tips.

1. Create a calm mindset beforehand

Don’t jump from one task to another, or the “switching” effect can cause poor outcomes; it’s best to set aside space in our brains to allow for new ideas to take root.

When we focus on the present moment, thoughts and emotions tend to come and go. Because of this, we can experience moments of mindfulness when we observe our thoughts and emotions arising, and we can also observe them passing. In this way, we can be fully conscious of what we are experiencing for the whole duration of our attention.

It is important to first recollect yourself and clear your thoughts before jumping into a workout routine.

Prepare your mind for the incredible things you will be able to do now. Get excited about your future and the benefits that will be achieved. Focus on your routine and how it will help your health. This is your time.

2. Set a playlist before hand

If you have a reminder in place, you might have more successes than failures.

I don’t know if I really have. I could never explain it. But I think that’s what music is all about. It is the one part of my life that makes me feel the most alive. The fact that life is a short thing, and that we can be so disconnected from it – music has been my saving grace.

Music triggers the release of dopamine which helps you to focus and enjoy what you are doing in your workout. Music is powerful and you can use it to your advantage when you are working out.

Instead of mindlessly numbing through your iPod’s huge music collection or getting irritated with Pandora like I do, set up a playlist beforehand. Put some thought into what songs start where and end where.

As you exercise, you might discover you need to tap into the calming songs in order to keep yourself from going crazy.

Musicians are required to make a lot of creative choices while coming up with instrumental music they find interesting and relevant to their songs and/or albums. As an example, it would be considered bad practice to just chop up an existing song and replace the lyrics with instrumental music because there are so many instances in which the opposite isn’t true.

Don’t glue your eyes to your phone. The gym is not an office where you can check Facebook or Instagram to pass time. Let the clock wind down, your workout is almost done.

You’re about to workout; now, let’s learn some rules.

3. Avoid looking at the clock

If you are staring at the clock during a workout, you aren’t living in the present. You are living in a future that you have to get to in some way. So, you can either focus on the clock itself or you can choose to focus on the present moment.

Watching the clock is a good way to get in touch with your body. You are focusing on and keeping time with your muscles, not your thoughts.

When you listen to your body, and feel yourself getting tired or feeling like you’re ready to rest, that’s when you should stop.

4. Pace around

After a set, stay loose. Shake your shoulders and feel free to move your body around.

While you are preparing for the next set, your mind will begin to think about what muscles you will be moving in the next set. Concentrate on the words (or entrancing sounds) of the music.

Let your body flow with the current.

Start by sitting upright and holding your arms up with one hand on your chin and the other in your lap.
Then, press your feet toward the center of your body and hold your knees slightly bent.

You gotta keep that mind-muscle connection going.

You’re going to win your journey and you’ll conquer your mind and body.

5. Embrace the struggle

The easiest exercises to do are also the most comfortable and safest. The only way to move into new levels of strength is to reach down into the depths of your own fitness, and then bring it out.

You can’t control a long, slow, and difficult practice session unless you are skilled enough to overcome the frustration of the time limit. Once you’ve found the correct solution you can play in the time limit without fear of frustration or abandonment.

This is why I think we should always remember that you have to work harder than everyone else else. Always keep pushing yourself and when you don’t you need to figure out a way to do so.

6. Smile

I’m excited for you to go to work out. You’re going to start working out. Just smile.

In the toughness of life, don’t forget how you felt in the best moments in your life. You remember and carry this with you because you internalized it with positive emotions, smiles and laughter.

If we lift our eyes to the heights, we will miss out on the beauty of the moment. We will miss out on a chance to smile.

Think of a happy memory from your childhood that you associate with a smile. Now, think of a happy memory from your childhood that you associate with happiness. Feel the excitement and joy in your body when you think of that memory. Feel the positive emotions that you felt when you were that child and think of something else that will make you smile.

A smile can really put us closer to a flow state. It is a way to smile and the expression of happiness helps you feel happier.

Summary

With each workout, we must not forget what the purpose of the workout is.

When we focus completely on the physical demands of a workout, it will become boring. I have had clients who want to workout, but when it comes to the actual workout they are scared. They are scared because they want to see results, but they are terrified of the actual workout.

When you work out, focus on working out. If you are going to go harder, focus on that harder. If you are going to increase reps, do it in a specific program and increase the weight you are lifting.