Get Fit in Less Time - 5 Tips to Maximize Your Gym Time
One of the most common excuses people give for not working out is lacking the time necessary to complete a workout.
What most people don't realize is you can accomplish a lot in the gym in 30 - 45 minutes 3 times a week.
However, in order to accomplish your goals in this amount of time you must have a plan that maximizes your time.
Here are 5 quick tips to maximize your time: 1.
Use compound lifts that utilize movements involving more than one joint.
By using compound lifts you hit more than one muscle group at a time and burn more calories.
For example, instead of doing triceps pushdowns do dips or close grip bench.
Dip and close grip bench will hit the triceps, shoulders, and chest all at the same time saving you time in the gym.
2.
Lower your time on cardio and increase your intensity.
If you have given yourself 40 minutes to workout and you finish resistance training with 13 minutes left then go as hard as you can on cardio for 13 minutes.
You don't always have to do intervals or long steady state.
Get on the bike, set the level high enough that it makes you work hard and push yourself for the 13 minutes you have available.
You can also skip cardio altogether by decreasing the amount of time between rest periods during resistance training to get your heart rate going and burn more calories.
3.
Prioritize the exercises in your workout that are most important and get them done first.
If I have limited time I always focus on my big lifts and don't worry about secondary exercises like single joint movements.
If you are doing the right compound movements then skipping single joint movements won't affect your progress.
4.
Perform all your stretching, soft tissue work and mobility work at home before you sit down for the evening.
Most people sit down and watch TV for at least one hour at night.
This is the perfect time to get all your "extras" done.
Stretching and foam rolling is an important part of injury prevention and should be included in a program so take the time to put 20 minutes of work in before you sit down for the evening.
It can be done while you watch your favorite television program.
5.
Don't deviate from your plan.
If you gave yourself 30 minutes for resistance training and 15 minutes for cardio then stick to that plan.
By sticking to the plan and writing down what you got done you will be able to be more accurate when planning your workout next time around.
Utilize these five tips and you will be able to be more productive in the gym and improve your fitness regardless of how busy you are.
What most people don't realize is you can accomplish a lot in the gym in 30 - 45 minutes 3 times a week.
However, in order to accomplish your goals in this amount of time you must have a plan that maximizes your time.
Here are 5 quick tips to maximize your time: 1.
Use compound lifts that utilize movements involving more than one joint.
By using compound lifts you hit more than one muscle group at a time and burn more calories.
For example, instead of doing triceps pushdowns do dips or close grip bench.
Dip and close grip bench will hit the triceps, shoulders, and chest all at the same time saving you time in the gym.
2.
Lower your time on cardio and increase your intensity.
If you have given yourself 40 minutes to workout and you finish resistance training with 13 minutes left then go as hard as you can on cardio for 13 minutes.
You don't always have to do intervals or long steady state.
Get on the bike, set the level high enough that it makes you work hard and push yourself for the 13 minutes you have available.
You can also skip cardio altogether by decreasing the amount of time between rest periods during resistance training to get your heart rate going and burn more calories.
3.
Prioritize the exercises in your workout that are most important and get them done first.
If I have limited time I always focus on my big lifts and don't worry about secondary exercises like single joint movements.
If you are doing the right compound movements then skipping single joint movements won't affect your progress.
4.
Perform all your stretching, soft tissue work and mobility work at home before you sit down for the evening.
Most people sit down and watch TV for at least one hour at night.
This is the perfect time to get all your "extras" done.
Stretching and foam rolling is an important part of injury prevention and should be included in a program so take the time to put 20 minutes of work in before you sit down for the evening.
It can be done while you watch your favorite television program.
5.
Don't deviate from your plan.
If you gave yourself 30 minutes for resistance training and 15 minutes for cardio then stick to that plan.
By sticking to the plan and writing down what you got done you will be able to be more accurate when planning your workout next time around.
Utilize these five tips and you will be able to be more productive in the gym and improve your fitness regardless of how busy you are.
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