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Your Workout Routine Needs Play

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This approach will make you physically stronger, too. A lot of the muscles that you target to “look good” are usually trained in one plane of motion (the sagittal plane, involving forward and backward movement), but your body is designed to move in three planes of motion (including the frontal, involving side-to-side movement, and the transverse, involving rotational movement, planes). Neglecting to move your muscles and joints in those other two planes can make you more vulnerable to injury down the road.

Play reduces the stress of training — exercise is a physical stressor on the body, after all. But it also minimizes the mental load. Say you’re always thinking: “I have to get this workout done. I have to do X amount of reps and X amount of time.” If you aren't able to stick to it because you’re tired or run-down, it takes a toll on your mental health. You can feel defeated, and that doesn’t help your ability to stick with your routine, either. 

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Ultimately, play gives you a creative outlet. It improves your ability to perform without the pressure — without the idea of, “I have to have to do this,” or, “I have to score this point.” 

Nothing’s off-limits. Sign up for an Equinox basketball or pickleball league. Take an Animal Flow class and treat your body to unfamiliar movement patterns. Go rock climbing, try martial arts, or do an obstacle course. Build up to performing a handstand or a pull-up just because it’s a cool party trick. It’s all about finding ways to gamify your workouts, forgetting about reps or weights or exertion level and focusing instead on whatever brings a grin across your face.

Josh Espinoza is a COACH+, PT educator, and MNR manager at Equinox Miracle Mile in Los Angeles. He has been at Equinox for more than eight years and has a master’s degree in exercise sciences and human performance, as well as business administration. He holds certifications from Precision Nutrition and StrongFirst and in ViPR and pre-/post-natal training, among others.