Making Every Gym Visit Count
Getting to the gym or setting aside time to exercise at home is only half the battle when it comes to an effective workout—it is also important to make a plan. Because most people don’t have all day to spend at the gym, it is important to make every minute count and avoid common workout mistakes. Keeping these pitfalls in mind will make your workout more productive, and time is precious, so it’s important to make every minute count at the gym.
1. First, don’t hang out at the gym. Socializing or talking on the phone between exercises is counter-productive. It wastes valuable exercise time and gives your heart time to slow down. Studies show that keeping your heart rate elevated between sets or reps of exercises enables you to burn more calories.
Also, Remember that the gym is not a library. Intense cardio workouts, especially interval workouts, burn the most calories, but many people read books or magazines on cardio equipment. Reading distracts you from your workout, causing you to slow down. Instead, if you listen to upbeat music on your mp3 player rather than reading a magazine you will burn more calories. And rather than daydreaming through your workouts, concentrate on what you do at the gym as you do at work. When you’re doing a strength exercise, feel the muscle contract as you lift. Focusing like this will help put you in tune with your technique.
2. Slow down. Lifting slowly—taking at least 30 seconds to complete one repetition—enables you to gain more strength than lifting at a rate of 10 seconds per repetition. Slower lifting helps increase strength because it prevents you from cheating by using momentum.
3. Improper instruction, or none at all, creates problems. Embarrassed to ask questions at the gym, Many new exercisers just watch others and try to mimic their moves, which can result in bad form. Improper lifting techniques minimize your strength gains and can lead to serious injury. Most gyms will provide a trainer to assist you in learning to properly use the equipment. You can also take down what they tell you in a notebook.
4. Work out when the gym is less crowded. If you hit the gym during the slowest period of the day—usually mid-afternoon—you won’t have to wait on line for equipment or feel hassled in the locker room.
5. It is also important to vary your routine. After about four weeks your body will become accustomed to even the best weight routine, diminishing its effectiveness. Changing your routine every month will keep your body guessing, improving your results and fuelling your motivation. Changing the amount of weight or the number of reps you do can help to trick your muscles into doing something new, causing them to work harder. In the weight room, alternate exercises and modify how you lift weights. For example, if you usually do two sets of fifteen reps, complete one set of about fifteen reps, then increase the weight for another set of ten. On cardio equipment, switch from the treadmill to the stair stepper. Mix up your exercise classes as well, switching around from pilates to spinning, yoga, or kickboxing.
6. Setting a short-term workout goal will motivate you to work harder The best exercise programs set measurable goals to be achieved over a period of weeks or months, but sometimes, when you’re losing your motivation, it’s more important to set a short term goal to achieve over the next hour. Small, achievable goals—like maintaining a sweat for 15 minutes, running 5 kilometres on the treadmill, or just giving your arms a really good strength workout—can help you focus.
7. Resist the temptation to overeat afterward. After a good workout it’s important to replenish the nutrients you’ve lost with a post-workout meal or shake, but don’t go overboard. Going to the gym doesn’t give you license to indulge. An hour on the treadmill burns roughly 600 calories, but a very large fatty meal will put them right back and will also decrease your energy.
8. Drink a bottle of water or light juice on your way to the gym. According to studies, if you’re already dehydrated when you begin your workout, you’ll tire easily.
9. In a recent study, exercisers who thought positively achieved better results. Whenever you find yourself making excuses, stop and tell yourself, “I feel great,” or “Bring it on.” In addition, you can also ask a friend to meet you for a gym date. A friend can help you find the courage to try unfamiliar gym equipment, as it’s easier to laugh off your foibles in the presence of a trusted companion. Friends who work out together can also encourage each other to work a bit harder, which contribute to the positive thinking that can power your workout.
10. Lastly, Whenever you feel like you’re getting nowhere, go to a trainer. In just one session a trainer can squeeze just a little more motivation and juice out of you.
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