By Sancket Kamdar
Many people head to the gym almost every day yet fail to see the results they desire. You may be lifting the weight, hitting the mat or cranking up the treadmill, but if you are not making the most of each workout, you’re not going to see the results you’re aiming at.
It’s the quality of your workout, not the quantity, that determines a successful workout. The best thing you could do to maximize your workout every day is to choose the right mindset and follow these super-effective workout tips to get stronger, fitter, leaner, or just look good.
1. Have a game plan ready.
Whether you work out at home or the gym, it’s always good to have a game plan. When you have a ready game plan, you won’t waste time standing or sitting on the floor thinking about what routine you’ll do next. With a game plan, you’ll know exactly what you’ll be doing and how many reps you’ll be doing for each routine.
2. Mentally connect your workout to the muscles you are targeting during each exercise.
One way to make your workout more effective is to think about the muscles you are involving during your exercise. Don’t go through it mindlessly. Focus on the contraction of the muscles you are engaging to get better results. For example, if you are doing a squat, think about the glutes you are engaging through each rep to make sure you are doing it correctly while using the right form.
3. Embrace strength training to target specific muscles.
Don’t get scared of dumbells. To get the most out of your workout regime and the time you spend in the gym, you need to lift some weights and get familiar with strength training.
4. Maintain a log of each workout details to track your progress.
Tracking your workouts is a great way to stay disciplined and keep challenging yourself. Maintain the log details either on a physical book or an app. When you perform the daily workout, make a note of the details, such as:
- What muscle did you exercise?
- How many reps?
- How many sets?
- What weight did you use?
The next week, perform the same workout but increase the difficulty level by adding more reps, more sets or more weight. Tracking your progress and seeing how far you have come will definitely give a boost to your workout.
5. Slow lift for the desired effect.
Most people contract their muscles slowly but release them more quickly. If you want your workout to give you the desired effect, maximize each move by lifting weight slowly and lowering it to a 5-second count.
6. Reduce rest breaks between exercises to maximize your gym time.
If you are strapped for time in the gym, you can reduce your rest intervals. When you take fewer rest breaks, your heart rate stays elevated, and you are already increasing the intensity of your workout. As a rule of thumb, you should take rest just enough to push yourself harder for the next set, but not so much that you totally recover.
There are many ways you can maximize your workout, but you’ll only notice the change when you practice all of these above tips consistently. Regardless of how intense your workouts are, don’t expect immediate results; the longer you practice these tips, the sooner you’ll see the results.
AUTHOR BIO:
Sancket Kamdar, a certified weightlifting coach, and a successful entrepreneur founded SF HealthTech with a single goal in mind – to bring high quality, international standard exercise equipment to help fitness enthusiasts and athletes reach the next level of fitness. When he’s not working on new equipment ideas and designs, he loves to create educational content about health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness. He also writes to help budding entrepreneurs on running and growing a business, based on his experience.
