How Color Affects Your Workout - Muscle & Fitness (2024)

Color Me Badass

Have you ever wondered why some exercise rooms are painted red? Did you know bright yellow is the most fatiguing of all colors?According to behavioral psychologists, color affects a person’s mind as well as body. German neurologist and psychiatrist, Kurt Goldstein, showed in his book The Organism that light enters from eyes and skin, travels through neurological pathways and affects the pineal gland in the brain, which in turn affects our body, mind and emotions. That’s why we feel more energized when exposed to greens and more fatigued when exposed to bright yellow and orange colors.SEE ALSO: The Right Mindset for Optimal Training PerformanceDifferent colors exposed in different lights radiate different frequencies. This is why some colors can motivate, some can make you angry, some raise blood pressure while others calm you. Here’s how colors in your gym may have a subtle affect on your training and workout.

A Rad Workout with Red

Red has the longest wavelength among all colors. This makes it a powerful color. Red can invigorate you and add zest to your workouts. If you want to create a special corner for power workouts, you can add a dash of red on your walls. However, going all out on red is not advisable as it can cause aggression and agitation while increasing heart rate and blood pressure. Mix red with other colors like white to maintain color balance and avoid triggering over-aggressive behavior.SEE ALSO: 5 Mental Tricks for Better Workout Results

Do More with Blues

If you have some serious weightlifting on mind or want to increase the number of sets or reps you perform, blue is the color for you. Blue boosts productivity and can enable you to do more at the gym. Along with its calming effect, blue also helps improve concentration levels.Blue color has a wavelength of 450-480nm, which is considerably less than red’s wavelength (620-730nm). As a result, blue objects appear less heavy when compared to red objects, making them better suited for bigger lifts. Weightlifters tend to have more success lifting heavy weights painted in blue as it tricks the mind into thinking that they are less heavy.SEE ALSO: Sharpen Your Mental Focus

Go Green

Green is among the most popular color used in gyms. It symbolizes nature, which not only relaxes the body but also refreshes it. A study carried out by the University of Essex successfully proved that participants exposed to a green, natural environment were less tired and experienced fewer mood swings compared to those exposed to a black and white background. Green also has a healing effect and boosts satisfaction, which can make your workouts more enjoyable.SEE ALSO: 5 Secrets to Mind-Body Success

Pastels and Pinks

Research has shown that pastel colors help to calm the mind with pink leading the way. So if you have a yoga room or rest zone, where absolute calm is essential, try painting it pink or light green. These soothing colors can help relax muscles, reduce tension and curb aggression. Just know, too much pink can affect a person’s motivation.SEE ALSO: 5 Ways Yoga Can Boost Athletic Performance

Neon

From Pinterest to architectural magazines, you will find bright, neon color accents everywhere. Neon, bright colors can stimulate you and are being used everywhere from offices to gyms.You might have your reservations about using neon colors but adding a touch of bright lime green or neon orange to a wall is a good idea. These colors are meant to be used as accents and should be balanced with analogous, subdued colors. You can use two colors in painted stripes or use accents. Just a word of caution: don’t overdo neon, as it may create too much stress.SEE ALSO: 10 Foods that Reduce Stress

Chromotherapy

A lot of spas, health centers and modern businesses are using color therapy to create a welcoming, soothing environment. You can even find saunas with color therapy options known as chromotherapy. Colors can influence your physical, mental and spiritual well-being making it an important aspect for your gym. So the next time you are doing up your gym or redecorating, consider adding the right splash of color.

Have you ever wondered why some exercise rooms are painted red? Did you know bright yellow is the most fatiguing of all colors?

According to behavioral psychologists, color affects a person’s mind as well as body. German neurologist and psychiatrist, Kurt Goldstein, showed in his book The Organism that light enters from eyes and skin, travels through neurological pathways and affects the pineal gland in the brain, which in turn affects our body, mind and emotions. That’s why we feel more energized when exposed to greens and more fatigued when exposed to bright yellow and orange colors.

SEE ALSO: The Right Mindset for Optimal Training Performance

Different colors exposed in different lights radiate different frequencies. This is why some colors can motivate, some can make you angry, some raise blood pressure while others calm you. Here’s how colors in your gym may have a subtle affect on your training and workout.

Red has the longest wavelength among all colors. This makes it a powerful color. Red can invigorate you and add zest to your workouts. If you want to create a special corner for power workouts, you can add a dash of red on your walls.

However, going all out on red is not advisable as it can cause aggression and agitation while increasing heart rate and blood pressure. Mix red with other colors like white to maintain color balance and avoid triggering over-aggressive behavior.

SEE ALSO: 5 Mental Tricks for Better Workout Results

If you have some serious weightlifting on mind or want to increase the number of sets or reps you perform, blue is the color for you. Blue boosts productivity and can enable you to do more at the gym. Along with its calming effect, blue also helps improve concentration levels.

Blue color has a wavelength of 450-480nm, which is considerably less than red’s wavelength (620-730nm). As a result, blue objects appear less heavy when compared to red objects, making them better suited for bigger lifts. Weightlifters tend to have more success lifting heavy weights painted in blue as it tricks the mind into thinking that they are less heavy.

SEE ALSO: Sharpen Your Mental Focus

Green is among the most popular color used in gyms. It symbolizes nature, which not only relaxes the body but also refreshes it. A study carried out by the University of Essex successfully proved that participants exposed to a green, natural environment were less tired and experienced fewer mood swings compared to those exposed to a black and white background. Green also has a healing effect and boosts satisfaction, which can make your workouts more enjoyable.

SEE ALSO: 5 Secrets to Mind-Body Success

Research has shown that pastel colors help to calm the mind with pink leading the way. So if you have a yoga room or rest zone, where absolute calm is essential, try painting it pink or light green. These soothing colors can help relax muscles, reduce tension and curb aggression. Just know, too much pink can affect a person’s motivation.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways Yoga Can Boost Athletic Performance

From Pinterest to architectural magazines, you will find bright, neon color accents everywhere. Neon, bright colors can stimulate you and are being used everywhere from offices to gyms.

You might have your reservations about using neon colors but adding a touch of bright lime green or neon orange to a wall is a good idea. These colors are meant to be used as accents and should be balanced with analogous, subdued colors. You can use two colors in painted stripes or use accents. Just a word of caution: don’t overdo neon, as it may create too much stress.

SEE ALSO: 10 Foods that Reduce Stress