Five tips to make your workout routine more effective
Are you spending long hours in the gym but still not getting the desired results? Well, showing up on the treadmill is one thing, and losing weight another. In order to witness effective and long-lasting results, you need to work out harder and smarter. Here are top five tips to help you make the most out of your workout regime.
Go in with a plan
If you enter the gym without a decisive plan of action, you are bound to wander around aimlessly, thereby wasting much of your time and energy. So, make sure to prepare your mind about the kind of exercises you are going to do, and in what order. Also, have a backup plan, in case a machine goes off or is already occupied.
Keep distractions away
You don't want to get distracted by a text or Facebook notification in the middle of your treadmill session. Thus, we suggest you to put your phone on airplane mode. Or better yet, leave it back home or in the locker room. Separately, if others around you are too talkative, plug in your headphones and play some motivational music that gets you going.
Shorten your rest duration
If you always run short of time during your gym sessions, try reducing your rest intervals. Shorter rest duration between your workouts will help improve the intensity of your workout and keep your heart rate elevated, thereby enhancing your productivity. A general rule is to take enough rest so you feel strong enough for the next session, but still aren't recovered to the fullest.
Mind the weights
If you have mastered basic body-weight exercises like squats and lunges, perhaps it's time to challenge your muscles by starting to lift weights. You can start with lightweight dumbbells, barbells, and medicine balls during your workout. When it becomes too easy for you to pick a certain weight, level up. Pick your weights in a way that they're challenging as well as practically manageable.
Choose exercises you really enjoy
Any great workout routine isn't good enough if you don't enjoy doing it. So, if you are not a Yoga person, drop that idea already. In fact, pick the exercises that you enjoy doing and not because everyone else is doing them. By personally customizing your workout routine, you will remain more consistent and will see more effective and faster results.
