With these small changes, every training session will become more efficient!
Leveling up your workouts doesn’t always mean running longer distances or doing more squats. Including smart, effective workout tips to get the most out of the moves or workout routines you’re already doing also makes your workout more efficient.
And these don’t have to be big changes, some small changes to your training program can really make a big difference in helping you get the most out of every session.
Here are 11 suggestions from experts on how you can do an effective workout!
1. Take Some Time to Breathe
The first step to a great workout is focus. Before starting a workout, you should focus on your breathing, come to the present moment, to get away from negative emotions or stress.
2. Praise Yourself
Start by speaking positively to yourself so you don’t give up or be overly critical of yourself. For example, when you manage to focus, congratulate yourself for this achievement, or for having excellent squat form or for developing your core enough to do push-ups… Repeat this praiseworthy sentence a few times. This type of thinking will get you started in a positive mood, which will help you get better at your training.
3. Turn On The Music That Moves You
Another way to get in the right mood during training is to listen to your favorite songs during training. It doesn’t just put you in a good mood; It also improves exercise performance.
4. Eliminate Distractions
Put your phone on airplane mode and fully focus on your workout. Replying to messages and emails or checking social media can be tempting, but it takes too much of your time and distracts you.
5. Have a Clear Plan
Having a training plan and knowing what you’re doing and why is your secret weapon. When you have an action plan for what to do when you go to the gym, you will feel ready for your workout and avoid wasting time.
6. Be Flexible
Let’s say in the exercise you did in the previous step, it’s time for the bench row, but there is someone using this equipment. Instead of waiting for the equipment to drain, skip to the next part of your workout and come back here later. The same rule applies to any cardio equipment you might want to use. Are the treadmills all busy? You can row instead! It’s good to have a plan, but be flexible so you don’t lose the momentum you built during your workout.
7. Start Your Exercise With Foam Roller
Foam Roller helps to untie the ‘knots’ that can hinder mobility. Research shows that relaxing the muscles with the Foam Roller before a workout takes less effort for that muscle to produce a certain amount of force during the exercise.
8. Touch the Muscles You Use
To get the most out of your workout, you want to make sure your target muscles are fully functional. The easiest way to do this is to touch them. Receiving such feedback from the outside helps the nervous system to activate in that area. If you want to activate the muscles you target in an exercise, you can do so by tapping that muscle group with your fingers for a few minutes. You can do this before you start the exercise or after a few repetitions.
9. Make Sure You’re Not Too Hungry
Not eating enough before your workout can negatively impact your performance and make your workout overall unpleasant. That’s why it’s essential that you properly fill your fuel tanks beforehand if you want to get the best workout possible.
10. Keep Things Simple
You don’t need to do too many different exercises to get a great workout. In fact, it’s usually better to keep things simple. When you limit the number of equipment you use and the number of exercises in your workout, you won’t waste time walking around the gym. Another benefit of narrowing your focus is that you can do enough reps to better see improvements in the exercises you do. Your progress is more obvious when you do the same movement often, and it’s harder to understand when you move from one exercise to the next. Repeating a move also allows you to work more efficiently by adding weight to your reps or doing more reps with the same weight.
11. Know You Don’t Have to Put in Maximum Effort in Every Workout
You have every right to take it easy when you need or want it! If for some reason you don’t feel really good in your training, that’s fine. Not every training session will make you feel overly energetic. You may decide to do the exercises without maximizing your effort, or you may choose to end your workout early and spend your time on something else that will make you feel better. Treat both options as normal, we’re human after all and need a break every now and then.
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