It started as a joke during a livestream. I was mid-session, sweating through a set of squats, and somebody in the chat asked why I kept saying "believe" between reps. I laughed and said, "Because this is The Ted Lasso Circuit, and Coach Lasso would want you to believe in yourself." The chat lit up. People started typing "Believe!" in the comments. And just like that, a tradition was born. Now I name all my workouts after whatever show Beth and I are bingeing — and it's become one of the most unexpectedly useful things I've ever done as a coach.
I'm Corey Nelson, and this is my Between Sets column, where I share the lighter side of coaching, the stuff that doesn't fit neatly into a how-to post. If you've read my other pieces, you know I take a no-shame, no-extremes approach to fitness. But here's the thing I've learned after 12 years of coaching everyday adults: the workout that works is the one you actually look forward to. And sometimes, all it takes is a ridiculous name to make showing up feel a little more like play.
How the Naming Habit Started
The first named workout wasn't planned. It was a Tuesday night, and Beth and I had just finished watching the final episode of Ted Lasso Season 2. If you've seen the show, you know it's full of warmth, stubborn optimism, and this idea that showing up matters more than being perfect. That's basically my entire coaching philosophy. So when I went live the next morning, I was still thinking about the show, and I started throwing "believe" into my cues without realizing it. Then I named the workout on the spot.
After that, the names stuck. Not because I planned them, but because they made people smile. A few weeks later, we did Yellowstone Leg Day, which I announced with a terrible attempt at a cowboy accent. People laughed. Somebody typed "yeehaw" in the chat. A woman named Patricia, who'd been following along with her camera off for weeks, turned it on just to say she'd never thought she'd laugh during a workout. That's when I realized the names weren't just a gimmick. They were lowering the stakes. They were making fitness feel human.
The Current Lineup
As of now, the Sweat Together livestream has a rotating roster of named workouts. Some are TV shows, some are movie references, and a few are just inside jokes with the community. Here are the regulars:
The Ted Lasso Circuit: A full-body circuit with optimistic cues. If you can't do a push-up from your toes, I'll say, "Do it from your knees, but do it with belief." That's the whole energy.
Yellowstone Leg Day: Lower-body work with a lot of hip hinges and squat variations. I'll occasionally say "the land demands it" in a serious voice, and then we all laugh because it's ridiculous.
The Bear Focus Flow: A shorter, calmer session inspired by The Bear on Hulu. It's not about intensity; it's about precision and doing a few moves really well. Mostly I do it because I love the show and I wanted an excuse to talk about it.
Stranger Things Strength: Usually around October, we do a darker, moodier session. I'll use phrases like "run up that hill" and put on some synth music. It's silly, but people show up in themed shirts sometimes.
The Mandalorian Carry Day: Farmer carries and core work, because carrying a foundling is basically a farmer carry with more armor. That one's for the dads and the sci-fi people.
The names rotate depending on what we're watching. Right now, Beth and I are working through an old show I won't name until I've decided if the workout is worthy. That's part of the fun — the community guesses what's next.
Why a Silly Name Actually Matters
On the surface, naming a workout after a TV show is just a fun quirk. But underneath, it's doing something psychological that has real value.
It Lowers the Stakes
When a workout is called "Leg Day," it sounds like an obligation. When it's called Yellowstone Leg Day, it sounds like a thing you might want to show up for, just to see what the coach is going to do with the theme. The name transforms the session from a task into an event. And events are easier to get excited about than tasks.
It Gives You a Mental Hook
There's a reason I remember every named workout I've ever led but struggle to recall specific gym sessions from years ago. A name creates a memory. When you finish The Ted Lasso Circuit, you don't just remember the moves — you remember the vibe, the jokes, the feeling of being part of something. That memory makes you more likely to come back.
It Builds Community
Inside jokes build bonds. When a new member shows up and hears us all say "believe" at the end of a set, they're a little confused at first. By the third session, they're saying it too. The names become shared language. They turn a group of strangers on a video call into a group of people who have laughed at the same dumb thing. That's not trivial. That's connection.
How to Name Your Own Workouts
You don't need to be a coach to do this. You can name your own workouts, and I genuinely recommend it. Here's how to start.
Pick Something You Already Love
What are you watching, reading, listening to, or thinking about? Name your next workout after it. Do a Taylor Swift Core Session or a Reacher Push-Pull Day or a Bridgerton Glute Bridge Marathon. It doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. It just has to mean something to you.
Match the Vibe, Not the Moves
The name sets the tone, not the exercise selection. If you want a Ted Lasso workout, you don't have to run around a soccer field. You just bring the energy of the show — optimistic, steady, a little goofy. If you want a Yellowstone workout, you don't need horses. You need squats and the occasional dramatic pause. The name is a filter for the feeling, not a formula for the exercises.
Let It Be Funny
The more serious the name, the less fun it is. "Ultimate Shred Challenge" sounds like a punishment. "The Ted Lasso Circuit" sounds like a place you might want to hang out. The goal is to make your workout feel less like a chore and more like a thing you do for the story. If the name makes you smile, it's working.
The Real Lesson Behind the Quirk
This isn't really about TV shows. It's about making fitness yours. So much of the fitness industry tells you to be serious, to optimize, to follow the plan exactly as written. That's why so many people burn out. They're trying to turn their workout into a second job, and jobs are hard to look forward to.
Naming my workouts after shows I'm bingeing is my way of refusing to be that serious. It's my way of saying that movement can be joyful, that showing up doesn't have to feel like an appointment, and that the person who laughs their way through a squat is probably going to do another squat tomorrow.
The night after my first Ted Lasso Circuit, Beth asked me why I was so cheerful. I told her I'd spent the morning leading a workout where forty people typed "believe" in the chat while doing wall push-ups. She looked at me and said, "That's the most Corey thing you've ever done." She wasn't wrong.
Show Up. Sweat a Little. Name It Something Good.
If you've been struggling to stay consistent, maybe the problem isn't your discipline. Maybe it's that your workouts don't feel like yours. So here's my suggestion: the next time you exercise, give the session a name. Make it ridiculous. Make it specific. Make it something only you would understand. Then tell someone about it, even if that someone is just your group chat or your dog.
Fitness doesn't have to be a grim march toward an imaginary finish line. It can be a thing you do because it makes you feel alive, and because the names make you laugh. The Ted Lasso Circuit taught me that. It'll probably teach you too.
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