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Bodyshop: Beat workout boredom by mixing it up

When your brain abandons your exercise routine, your body is soon to follow. Here’s how to burst out of almost any rut, thanks to the editors of Fitness magazine.

Lifting the same old way

Quit counting reps, says Los Angeles-based trainer Lalo Fuentes. Instead, lift until you can’t go one rep further with good form, then move on. And tinker with your technique. Do fewer reps with Fuentes’ Freeze method: Pause at several points throughout each move to work your muscles better.

For example, while doing a biceps curl, pause for one count each when the weights are one-quarter of the way up, halfway up, three-quarters of the way up and all the way up. Lower slowly. Fast results will restore your interest in iron.

Running on the treadmill

“The No. 1 mistake runners make is going one speed, at one incline, every workout,” says trainer Jamie Norcini, who teaches treadmill/elliptical classes at Clay in New York City.

His love-it-again solution? Play with the control panel. After a five-minute warm-up, jog for two minutes (at 5.5 mph, for example), then walk for two minutes (at 3.5 mph) or sprint (at 7 mph) — surprise yourself. Repeat for 20 to 30 minutes. Or work the treadmill into a circuit, Norcini says. Place a pair of 5- to 8-pound dumbbells beside the machine and jump off every three minutes to do one minute of arm toners.

Mix things up with hip-slimming side slides: Set the incline to 0 percent to 2 percent, speed to 2 to 3 mph. Turn your body to the right, holding the front bar with your left hand and the side bar with your right hand. Step your left leg to the left, then bring your right leg to meet the left. Continue for two minutes. Turn your body to face forward and walk normally for 30 seconds, then switch sides and repeat.

Another idea: Speed-walk for two minutes at an incline of 10, then lower it to one for two minutes, keeping your speed the same.

The elliptical

Take your workout in a different direction — literally.

After four minutes at a steady pace, set the resistance to eight and do four strokes forward, then four strokes backward, repeating for two minutes before returning to your original pace for another four minutes, Norcini suggests. Bonus: Every time you change direction, you work your core to maintain balance.

Pounding the pavement

Multitask to keep your mind from asking, “Are we there yet?” Or sign up for a charity run/walk to put purpose into your strides. Find one at www.active.com.