The Word on Weightloss

We’re all busy, but that’s no longer a good excuse to explain why you don’t have time to hit the gym. You can do a lot of damage (good damage!) at the gym in an hour or less – if you stick to your workout plan with the following 10 ways to maximize your time at the gym.

1. Stop the gabbing

• You’ve been going to the gym soo much now that you’ve made a few friends. If you look forward to seeing them to catch up and it encourages you to actually make the trip to the gym – then more power to you. But, if you find yourself often wondering why your workout took more than an hour, blame it on the gabbing. Save those catch-up conversations with your new found fitness friends for after the workout. In fact, take it to a local smoothie bar and enjoy a post workout snack that’s good for your muscles.

2. Pack more punch

• Spice up that long run on the gym or elliptical trainer with some sprint intervals. A 20-minute set of sprint intervals engages more muscles at a quick burst, which actually burns more calories than keeping your cardio training at a steady pace.

3. What’s your plan?

• Before I go to the gym I know what body part I’m going to focus on. I know the machines, dumbbells and stretches I plan to do before I ever make it inside the gym. If you plan ahead you can adapt easily and quickly around the gym. Practicing your movements beforehand ensures that your form is pristine in order to prevent injuries.

4. Bring a large bottle of water.

• Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. That’s always the name of the game when you’re exercising. Make sure to take an extra large bottle of water with you to the gym. That way you won’t have to waste time waiting in line at the water cooler.

5. Go heavy.

• When you lift heavier weights for fewer reps you actually recruit more muscle fibers. So when you lift with little time to spare – lift big and count fewer reps. You may even see greater muscle definition this way.

6. Focus

• The name of the game is focus. When you focus on your exercise so intently that you feel every single muscle contraction you move slower and more effectively through each repetition. Concentration on an individual muscle group actually works it more intensely, helping to exhaust that muscle group in less time.

7. Try 2 for the price of 1

• When you mix a lower body exercise with an upper body exercise you exhaust two muscle groups in less time. A good example is a squat with an overhead press. With flawless form, you’ll get a good bang for your buck.

8. Beat the rush

• More often than not, the peak gym hours are between 5PM-7PM, as most people are finishing up work for the day. If you can avoid the gym during these hours and come in the morning you’ll be more likely to finish your workout in less time.

9. Show your flair

• In between sets and taking a breather – use this as an opportunity to do a recovery cardio blast. Jump rope for 1 minute, pop on the treadmill for a 2-minute sprint, try jumping jacks or my favorite – 30 squat jumps. When you get your heart rate moving you’ll up the intensity of your workout in less time.

10. Only short breaks allowed.

• If you break between sets for more than 30 seconds – you’re waiting too long. Time your interval breaks and keep them to 30 seconds. Short break blasts increase your heart break keeping your workout short with maximum results.