Often times when I talk to people about fitness, they’ll tell me that spend one, two, or even two and a half hours in the gym! When I hear this my first thought is always, “what could you possibly be doing in a gym for two and a half hours?!” This is just nuts to me. I’m usually exhausted after a 30-minute workout… and I mean dripping in sweat, drop-dead, exhausted. It’s obvious that they are not using their time in the gym wisely. If you’re one of these people who is literally spending hours at a time in the gym, your workouts aren’t efficient enough, so I’m going to tell you how you can make them more efficient.
Step 1
Move from one exercise to the next in quick succession. Instead of doing 10 reps on the bench press machine and then waiting 2-minutes to do another set, just move on to the next exercise. You’re not doing anything for yourself for those 1 to 2 minutes that you’re just sitting there.
Step 2
Alternate between lower and upper body parts. So, you just did bench presses and your arms are tired… well, your legs aren’t. Now is the perfect opportunity to do some squats, lunges, or leg curls.
Step 3
Mix cardio and strength training into one workout. If you follow step 1 and step 2, you’ll accomplish this. I think one of the main reasons people waste so much time in the gym is because they do all of their weight lifting/strength training exercises in one, very slow session, and then hop on the treadmill for 45 minutes to get their cardio. But, guess what? If you just move from one strength training exercise to the next without rest time, you will get a cardio workout and you won’t even have to hop on the boring treadmill.
Step 4
Save snacks, water breaks, and chitchat for after your workout. Another reason people waste so much time in the gym is because after each set they’re heading over to the reception desk to flirt with the receptionist, or walking to the water fountain, or even taking a “protein shake break.” If your whole workout only takes you 20 to 30 minutes because you’re working out efficiently, all of these things can wait until you’re done working out.
Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12127275/ns/health-fitness/t/dont-waste-time-working-out/#.Tuct4-NrPAo
http://www.andrewjensen.net/how-to-make-your-workout-more-efficient/
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/articles/2008/06/25/how-to-make-your-workout-quick-and-sweaty