Hate exercising? Your personality determines which workout works best.

Dreading going back to the gym? Maybe you're just not doing the right workout. A new study from a London university shows that the key to regular exercise lies in tailoring your workout to your personality.

For example, extroverted people thrive in intense workouts, while people who tend to worry more easily do better in short, quiet sessions, preferably without spectators.

The study, published in Frontiers in Psychology , examined whether certain personality traits influence which forms of exercise people enjoy, whether they maintain them and whether it has an effect on their fitness and stress levels .

The most important insight ? People who exercise in a way that suits their personality stay motivated longer and feel better mentally. "We wanted to understand how personality influences someone's exercise behavior," says study author Flaminia Ronca. "Most people want to exercise more, but often struggle to maintain it. Knowing which training suits you makes it easier."

The researchers used the well-known Big Five personality test and analyzed how the participants, all of whom had varying fitness levels, responded to an eight-week program of cycling and strength training . And these were the most striking findings:

• Extroverts enjoyed intense workouts most, such as HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and maximal cycling tests. They get their energy from action and competition.
• Neurotic individuals, who are more easily stressed and sensitive to stimuli, did surprisingly well in the program. However, they had a strong preference for short, intense sessions. They also preferred not being monitored while exercising—no heart rate monitors or apps.
• Conscientious people, who appreciate structure and goals, performed best physically. They were fitter, stronger, and more active than average. But surprisingly, they didn't necessarily enjoy exercising itself. They likely exercise primarily because it's healthy, not because they enjoy it.

Perhaps the most striking result was the effect on stress. At the start of the study, all participants' stress levels were roughly the same. But only among those with high neuroticism did their stress levels decrease significantly after eight weeks of training.

"For people who often worry or feel tense, targeted exercise appears to be a really powerful way to reduce stress," says Professor Paul Burgess. "They benefited most from the training program."

Whatever your personality, exercise pays off. Everyone who completed the program became stronger and fitter. But according to the researchers, the best way to maintain exercise is simple: make sure you enjoy it.

So no, you don't necessarily have to go to boot camp or run endlessly. Perhaps a gentle yoga workout in your living room would suit you better. It's not about having to, but about discovering what keeps you moving.

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