7 Ways to Maximize Your Workouts

Do you love to stay in shape and feel strong and healthy, but have very little time to hit the gym or do your morning runs? Don’t worry, you can minimize your workout time and maximize your gains with these practical tips. 

Have a smart warm-up

Cardio machines are often occupied, so eliminate the wait by doing your warm-up on your way to the gym. Brisk walking, jogging or cycling are all great way to get yourself to the gym and warm up your muscles and cardiovascular system. All of these activities employ big muscle groups, so you’ll get to maximize your warm-ups even if you have 5 to 10 minutes of activity. If you live too far, park a block away from the gym and jog to your destination. 

Follow a workout program

Walking around the gym thinking about what to do next is one of the biggest time-wasters out there. This will not only waste your precious time but also reduce the quality of your workout and ruin your focus. So, make sure to do some research and find a good program to follow. Take it with you to the gym and you’ll get to have very efficient and streamlined workouts. 

Concentrate on compound movements

Compound exercises involve more than one muscle group which means you can use your time at the gym more efficiently. For instance, leg extensions or curls target one muscle group so you need to engage in more repetitions and more exercises in order to develop the same number of muscles. So, instead of these isolation exercises, try compound movements like squats, lunges, presses, deadlifts and rows. You can also combine lunges with bicep curls or glute bridge with chest press. This way, you’ll maximize your energy-expenditure and calorie burn and save up some valuable time.

Try interval training

If you’re used to longer cardio sessions but just don’t have time for them anymore, try HIIT. High-intensity interval training maximizes cardiovascular stress and boosts your fitness in the shortest possible time period. If your goal is to lose weight or improve endurance, HIIT workouts are your safest bet. 

Eat well

In order to get maximal results out of your workout, you need to maximize your nutrition. What your body needs for a killer workout is a good balance between protein and carbs. You can eat a nice protein/carb source about an hour before your workout for fuel and another protein/carb meal right after your workout for recovery. Quality suppliers like reputable Australian Sports Nutrition offer everything from pre-workout drinks to protein powder which give you great energy and maximize your performance.

Create a library of exercises

Even if you follow your workout plan, you still need some backup. With your library of exercises, you will never be idle in the gym. If the machine you need is occupied, you can take a look at your exercise collection and choose something similar to do. Do your research online, write a few workout varieties and you will never waste your precious gym time and motivation. 

Minimize your rest time

Most people take rests that are way too long, chat with friends, check social media and hit the water cooler too often. Instead of wasting time, grab a stopwatch  or install an interval timer app and take only 30 seconds to one-minute breaks between sets. With your workout plan, you can hit one exercise after another with minimal breaks in between. For even better results, you can try “active rest” between your strength sets by incorporating some core exercises. 

With these tips, you’ll get to shorten your gym visits and get better results than ever. Just find a good workout plan, be smart with warm-ups and eat well and you’ll achieve all your fitness goals in the record time!