"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Once said by Epictetus, this saying can be aptly applied to the task of improving your workout at the gym.
Do you know what to do in order to maximize your workout? Just follow these steps and you'll be surprised at the impact a
better workout will have on your body, strength, and sense of general well-being. After trying the approach outlined in these steps, you'll find yourself getting better results in the same amount of time (or even less time!) than you're already spending on working out.
Steps
- Define a purpose. If you've been working out for some time, you'll already have some experience, and that's good. But what is the purpose of your time spent at the gym? If you come up with specific goals, you'll get better results and maintain your motivation.
- An example might be that you want to achieve a physical form that women find irresistible and men will be jealous of.
- Get a clear picture of your goal. Simply bulking up is not a specific enough goal. What measurements do you want to achieve? What body shape do you want to have?
- The more detailed your goal is, the higher the chances of achieving it. Think about what your ideal body would look like and use this as your focal point.
- Write down the measurements of your shoulders, chest etc. that you'd like to have in three months, a year from now, or five years into the future. Ask yourself this question: "What muscles do I need to focus on in order to reach my goal?"
- Find a quality workout plan. You cannot build an irresistible body without knowledge of different kinds of exercises and what you can achieve with them. You'll also need to inform yourself about the proper workout structure and the particular muscles you'll need to develop. Take advantage of the vast amount of already researched knowledge available in this field. Derive a workout plan not all by yourself, but by consulting fitness experts. See "Tips" for some examples.
- Read books by fitness specialists, as well as looking for their videos online. You can learn a great deal watching the many uploaded videos from fitness experts, and all for free!
- Dedicate some time to warming up. Don't underestimate this important first step of your workout. Many people designate a mere two minutes or less to stretching. Wrong! Optimal would be to dedicate 10-15 minutes to warming up your body. Start with 8 minutes on the stationary bicycle and concentrate on the muscles you will be working on that day.
- For example, if you are going to train your chest, back and arms, do 1-2 exercises for each of these muscle groups, three sets each, using weights that make it challenging on the last few repetitions. To build strength, do 4-6 repetitions per set. For hypertrophy (larger muscle size), do 8-10 reps. For muscular endurance, 12-15.
- Avoid distraction. This includes chatting with staff or friends and listening to the radio between sets. If you want to talk to your friends, you can do so after your workout. To create your own personal workout space, take an mp3 player with a playlist of tunes that motivate you to push yourself harder.
- Take some time off between sessions. Train 4 to 5 times per week at maximum, which will leave you with 2 to 3 days off. It would be best not to train on weekends. If you'd like to go to the gym 4 times per week, you can do so on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. If you choose to train five times a week, it is best to take off one day in the middle of the week plus one day on the weekend.
- Avoid becoming obsessed and spending too much time at the gym. This will make you turn into a "gym rat." If your goal is to build a better looking body to improve your social life, how will this happen if you spend your life at the gym? If your training has become an addiction, limit your workout session to 80 minutes. This way you can spend enough time working on your body effectively while also maintaining a balanced lifestyle.
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