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Don't Waste Your Workout!
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What do you think is the number one reason that we hear, that keeps individuals from getting in shape or from exercising more? The overwhelming answer - not enough time. Life is hectic and it seems like we’re all over-scheduled, but take a look around the gym… There you’ll see the same people who complain about being too busy, wasting time, and wasting their workouts.
An efficient and effective workout can be done in 30 – 45 minutes. Look around the gym and you’ll see all sorts of time being wasted. Let’s take a look at some of the big ones…
Just winging it - Most people go to the gym because they “feel like it”, they get there and totally lack a plan. This is inefficient and definitely not the way to achieve your goals. When you go to workout you should know exactly which exercises you’re going to do - that means what exercises, how many sets, reps and rest periods.
Talking with everyone - Most gyms offer a social environment and chances are you’ll run into friends and associates. There is nothing wrong about being friendly as long as it doesn’t interrupt the workout. Say your hellos right away, then concentrate on the task at hand, if you have time leftover then socialize!
Wasting time stretching - Most gym goers start off with a bunch of static stretches to begin their workout. The problem is that it’s not specific to anything, which means that again there is no plan. Instead do an Active Warm-up. This fast series of dynamic movements prepares your nervous system for activity and actually builds strength, stability and flexibility - and it only takes about 4 minutes.
Doing the same thing on “cardio” every day - Most people do steady state, low-intensity aerobic workouts, the basic 20 – 30 minutes of cardio. Throw out that thinking, while there are certainly days when you should do that kind of workout, most of the time you should be doing interval training to move in and out of several energy zones. This will provide you with more complete cardiovascular conditioning. Change up your intensity every minute or two, and then recover. Just by raising your intensity by 15 to 20 percent, you’ll double the calories burned and cut a 40-minute workout down to 20 or less. Plus, you’ll be getting true cardio benefits.
Resting after every set - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with clients who perform 3 or 4 exercises while the person exercising nearby is “resting”. A time efficient training technique that also raises the intensity of your workout is, “supersetting.” That is, performing one movement after another without rest. You can work opposing muscles or movements (pushing versus pulling), You’ll work more muscles, raise the intensity and not waste time resting between sets.
Waiting for equipment to open up - With the New Year blitz upon us this can be a big time-waster. Instead think of complimentary movements. For instance, if you just finished doing your chest presses and are waiting for the lat pull down machine do an alternative pulling movement – pull-ups, dumbbell rows, cable pulls and band pulls could all be a substitute. Alternative pulling movements like these work the intended muscles but add variety, which can help you bust through plateaus, prevent injuries and recover faster.
Doing isolation exercises - Biceps curls, triceps extensions, leg extensions, and crunches – these types of exercises work only a single muscle or muscle group. Unfortunately they’re what most people have learned; it’s what they fall back on. Try replacing them with compound movements; these are more time efficient and physiologically beneficial because they work different parts of the body simultaneously. For example, instead of doing leg extensions do functional compound movements like lunges. The most basic compound movements—squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, push-ups and rows, for instance—are often the most effective.
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