There’s no escaping it. To live a longer, healthier life, keeping active is the way forward. The benefits of regularly going to the gym are self-explanatory but fine tuning your routine is something that can be life changing and can help bring you the results that you want to see. In today’s modern world, getting fit and keeping healthy is what’s in vogue and to help avoid being left in the lurch here’s 5 quick, easy to do, simple ways of improving your workout routine.
Quality not Quantity
One of the age-old myths that all gym goers will have encountered at some point is that the longer the workout out, the better the result. The truth however couldn’t be further from this outdated tale. The truth is that it’s not about how long you spend in the gym; it’s about spending your time wisely. We’ve all seen those gym members who spend an hour in between sets on their phones or chatting to their buddies. To avoid joining this group make the most of your time in the gym and focus on activities which test your endurance and strength and cut your sets down to 8-12 reps. Another way to make sure you make the most of the time spent exercising is to aim for short breaks of 1-3 minutes of rest between sets.
Set a Goal
Being goal-oriented in the gym is a valuable way of keeping on top of your workout and can go a long way in producing the results that you want to see. Setting a goal or a target can take various forms but should always aim to test you and be progressive. Whether its setting a PR on the bench press, shifting calories on the treadmill or beating your previous distance on the exercise bike, working towards a target is an effective way of getting the most out of your workout and competition against yourself can be an effective form of motivation in itself.
Track your Progress
Another way of keeping on top of your workout is by being organised when it comes to tracking your progress. Again there are multiple ways of doing this and it boils down to finding the best way that suits the individual. Keeping a notepad and pen at your side to list details about your workout can be handy, writing notes on your smartphone is another, even a simple before and after photo can go a long way in showing you the progress of your life in the gym.
Mix it Up
Going into the gym day after day doing the same 5 exercises will do you no harm and your fitness level will not be deterred. However as far as getting the most out of your workout, aim to mix it up every so often by keeping your muscles guessing by changing details about your workout that you may not have previously explored. Try exercises that you haven’t attempted to see whether it can be beneficial to you. Have a go on that machine that you’ve never dared to use before. Whatever the means, keeping things fresh is a sure fire way to keep you motivated and on top of your workouts.
