If there is one thing that we can all agree on, it’s that breakups are terrible. But can you workout to get over a breakup faster? All signs point to this being the case.
In this article, I am going to help you get over your breakup by working out. We are going to learn why it works, and what you can do about it.
If you are reading this article, this means that you have either been through a breakup or are currently going through a breakup.
It can be a time of extreme doubt, self confidence destruction, and hopelessness. But there is one thing that I can assure you of. You will get out of it.
For proof, I was dumped out of the blue by a girl I thought I was going to marry. Yes, it took me months to get over it, but I am now married and loving life.
We need to get you to the point where you are loving life. And you will get there.
Start with a plan
Most people fail their goals because they fail to make a plan. First of all, you need to identify what your goals are. You only have 2 options at first. Do you want to lose fat, or do you want to build muscle?
If you want to lose fat, you are going to need to do high intensity interval training, also known as HIIT. These workouts elevate your heart rate beyond what normal exercises will, and end up burning a ton more fat than other workouts.
Check out our list of our 10 best HIIT workouts that burn the most calories.
Now, you are only going to need to do HIIT workouts 3-4 days per week. I recommend doing a little bit of weight training in between. It can even be on the same days as your HIIT workouts.
If you want some great direction for plans and ideas, go ahead and download our app All Workouts: Personal Trainer (iOS | Google Play). You can workout as little as 3 days per week and still see massive results.
But what if you want to build muscle for your workout to get over a breakup? Well, you will have a little bit easier time doing that, because you can eliminate the HIIT workouts completely.
Some people prefer to do HIIT workouts alongside their weight training routine. But from my experience, if you are trying to build muscle, you need to retain as much calories as you can.
So obviously, there are 2 different paths that you can take. Losing fat, or building muscle. Both are choices that are dependent on your goals and what you want.
But it’s not just about working out. There is a more important part of the equation, which we will discuss in the next section.
Don’t just workout to get over a breakup
Working out is great, but you are going to need something else to push you over the edge. And what is that something else? Nutrition.
And I know that anytime someone talks about nutrition, the general population glosses over, and they can’t imagine a life without Chick-Fil-A milkshakes and McDonalds french fries.
One of the most difficult times to be a stickler for what you eat is when you are going through a breakup. But it is also one of the best times to discover who you are as a person.
Let’s just put it this way. If you can get through these tough times while following a strict routine, you are going to be way better off mentally and physically when you come out on the other side.
So what should you do in order to make your nutrition right? It all starts with calculating your maintenance calorie number. This is the amount of calories that your body burns on any given day without gaining or losing weight.
Now that you have that number, we can go back to our goals and work from there. Do you want to lose fat? Eat at a caloric deficit, and do HIIT workouts. Do you want to gain muscle? Eat at a caloric surplus, and do weight training.
For those that don’t know, a caloric deficit is when you eat under your maintenance calorie number daily. And a caloric surplus is the opposite. When you eat above your maintenance calorie number daily.
If you are going to be in a deficit, I recommend starting with 500 calories under maintenance, while if you are in a surplus, I recommend 500 over maintenance.
You can always adjust your diet, but getting to know your body during this time is going to be one of the best things that you can do.
Give it time
Working out to get over a breakup by itself is not going to cut it. Working out and eating right is going to be the key formula to make your body’s dreams come true. But there is one more piece of the equation that we are missing.
And that part of the equation is time. Meaning that working out and eating right is only effective if you are consistent with it for extended periods of time.
Give it 3-6 months, and see how impressed you are with yourself. One of the great things about nutrition and fitness is that you can always adjust what you are doing to drive towards your goals at a quicker pace.
For example, let’s say you are currently eating at a caloric deficit, but you are only losing a half pound per week. Simply drop your deficit by another 250 calories per day until you are losing at least a pound per week.
The opposite is true for a caloric surplus. If you aren’t gaining at least a pound per week, it is time to up the calorie count.
In a study of 6,800 Reddit users, the average time it took to get over a breakup was 6 months.
Knowing this information, we can really take advantage of this time by transforming our body.
It is safe to lose 1-2 pounds per week if you are losing fat. And it is safe to gain about a pound per week if you are building muscle.
Therefore, it is safe to assume that by the time you get over your breakup, you will have either lost 26-52 pounds, or gained up to 26 pounds of muscle.
That is the true power of time. And although you might not be able to see the short term results, realize that although it takes time, you will look back in shock when you see the numbers.
Main Point: Workout to get over a breakup
As you can see, it is definitely possible to workout to get over a breakup. But it might unlock some potential that you have never seen in yourself up until this point.
Working out, eating right, and doing that for an extended period of time is not easy. It is going to take discipline that you never thought you had. But that is ok. Think of it as unlocking parts of your brain and body that you couldn’t before.
Remember to start with a plan. If you are trying to lose weight, do HIIT workouts 3-4 days per week peppered with some weight training exercises. If you are trying to put on muscle, do weight training 3-5 days per week.
Of course, our app has plenty of plans for you to choose from.
But it’s not all about working out. It is more important to find out what your goals are and eat towards those goals. Don’t forget that if you want to lose weight, eat at a caloric deficit. If you want to gain muscle, eat at a caloric surplus.
I cannot tell you how many people I have met that say they have been going to the gym for so long, but aren’t seeing results. It is directly related to their eating habits, but they just don’t want to give up their eating lifestyle for the greater good of their body.
The last thing that I will reiterate is that it is going to take time. Not just to get over your breakup, but to see the results that you are looking for.
If you stick to the formula outlined in this article, by the time you are over your breakup, you are going to see massive results from diet and exercise.
So what do you think about all this? Can you workout to get over a breakup?
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