Most people can honestly put their hand up and admit that there are some things that they should be doing at the gym, but they don’t.
It could be because they forget, they don’t prioritize it or that they don’t see it as being very important.
The thing is, not doing the important things at the gym can actually cause you more setbacks, rather than helping you with your progress.
Here are a few things that you should always keep in mind when you are doing your workouts.
Stretch
Majority of people never stretch when they go to the gym. They wonder why they feel pains and sprains later down the line. The workouts that you are doing will cause your muscles to contract. As they contract, they can pull other muscle groups, which will cause aches and pains throughout your body. For example, if you do leg exercises, tightness in your quadriceps and hamstrings can cause your lower back to be in pain and even affect your posture. Spend at least 15 minutes before and after your workout stretching your muscles to avoid getting any aches, pains or injuries. Additional reading.
Cardio
You’ve seen those people that always go to the gym to do weights, but they never ever do cardio. If you want to have an amazing physique, you need to jump onto cardio equipment and start burning those calories.
There’s several cardio machines that will help you burn up to 10 calories per minute or more should you perform the movement at a steady pace. Alternatively, you can do a HIIT session on the bike, which will help you burn calories in a shorter amount of time.
Cardio exercise equipment you should be using include:
● Treadmill
● Cross trainer
● Spinning bike
● Rowing machine
● Stair climber
Commit to doing 40-60 minutes of cardio at least three times a week.
Maintain a strict form with your exercise movements
Many people work out at the gym, but they have no idea what they are doing. One of the biggest frustrations many people have is that they perform the exercise movement for months, only to see no results. No muscle growth, no shape and no definition.
Typically, this is because they fail to contract the muscle and break down the fibres in the muscle. It’s common with young men to lift very heavy weights and fail to contract the muscle through the full range of motion. They become stronger, but fail to put on any size.
Women will typically lift resistance weights that are too light for their fear of looking too muscular and bulky. When the weight is too light, it fails to do anything with the muscle.
Make sure that the resistance weight that is being used allows the muscle to go through the full range of motion and can peak the muscle’s failure at 15 repetitions. This will break down the muscle fibres and trigger muscle growth, toning and conditioning.
Consuming a protein shake within 20 minutes of your workout.
If you want to help your muscles with recovery, consume a protein shake within 20 minutes after your workout. As your muscles break down and fatigue, they will be craving for nutrients. By consuming a liquid that has the necessary nutrients, the muscles can absorb it quicker to repair and nourish the muscle.
Leg workout
Don’t be one of those people who purposely skips leg day at the gym. It is one of the most difficult muscle groups to train. But the benefits of training legs outweigh the cons of doing the exercise.
Make sure you do press and extension exercises such as squats, leg extensions. Deadlifts, sumo lifts, calf raises and hamstring curls. The workout should also help to stimulate muscle growth over your entire body.
Tracking your exercise routine
What you don’t track, you can’t manage. You need to know that you are following your workout plan successfully. The only way you can accomplish this is by documenting your exercise workouts in a diary. There are several web applications like Myfitnesspal, which can help you with this.
As long as you see yourself making improvements, you know that you are on the right track. As you can see, these things aren’t difficult, but they are easy to neglect. Make the conscious choice to prioritize these in your workout so you can guarantee the results that you want to achieve from your workout.
