The fitness industry has come a long way since three sets of 10 reps of every exercise was the workout gold standard, but it can still be hard to get creative in the gym.
Despite seemingly endless options with supersets, circuits and high-intensity interval training (HIIT), a gym session can be a drag when you feel like there’s no real goal in sight, or if you’re making things up as you go along.
Fortunately, the fitness industry is continuously evolving and professionals see the value in innovative workouts to help people adhere to consistent exercise. If you’re not a fan of exercise, you might think you’ll never find it fun or engaging.
Task-oriented exercises beg to differ.
Task-oriented exercise refers to any movement sequence with a fun or direct objective, often taking the form of a game or challenge. Playful, purpose-driven exercises can push clients to work harder and give them more mental focus. Basically, when you engage in task-oriented exercise, it means you’re exercising the brain and body — and you’re ending on a high note of enjoyment and accomplishment.
How does it work?
Picture this drill: You have a medicine ball at your feet. Your job is to squat down, pick up the ball and lift it overhead, then throw it back down hard enough that it bounces knee- to waist-high. Let the ball settle, and do it 11 more times. Because there’s a goal within the movement itself, you’re more likely to work harder to get the job done.
Another way to program task-oriented exercise is by way of time.
An AMRAP (as many reps/rounds as possible) workout is a good example of this. In an AMRAP, you’re given a predetermined amount of time to complete as many rounds or reps of a workout as you can. For instance: You have 10 minutes to complete as many rounds of 10 air squats, 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups as you can.
Even though the workout in this example is only 10 minutes long, it’s incredibly effective because the time limit gives exercisers a mental push and a motivating challenge.
Task-oriented exercise isn’t exactly a new concept, but it’s being recognized now as the method supporting several popular and effective fitness programs. It’s very likely the reason programs like CrossFit and OrangeTheory and adventure races such as the Tough Mudder are so popular — they’re all task-oriented in their own ways.
When exercisers walk in the doors of a CrossFit gym, they are presented with a clear goal and a method (i.e. workout) to achieve the goal. Even when they don’t complete the workout — say, in a workout with a time cap — the participants still feel proud and accomplished. It’s like taking a timed test: Because of the mental stimulation provided by the time cap, exercisers are more likely to push harder during the allotted time.
In an OrangeTheory class, the goal is to hit and sustain target heart rates for the session. The goal in adventure races is to successfully clear all obstacles and make it to the finish line.
Getting people to concentrate on an outward objective distracts their attention away from the perceived exertion that comes along with exercise. As a result, they might end up burning more calories or increasing intensity without really noticing the extra effort.
Compare this to running on a treadmill. Not only are you breathing hard and experiencing muscle exertion, but you’re probably bored, too.
Good for body and mind
In addition to the physical benefits, task-oriented exercise has psychological benefits, too. It can give exercisers a larger sense of accomplishment and meaning — instead of mindlessly exercising, they are completing tasks and movements to reach an end goal, so every rep matters that much more.
Although traditional cardio and standard rep schemes correspond to a purpose for most people, that objective — such as weight loss, strength gains and better endurance — is usually unforeseeable in the moment. Part of the psychological appeal of task-oriented exercise involves an immediate objective, one that starts and finishes in a single session.
As soon as you put a purpose behind the drill or session, you’re able to establish newfound motivation.