Weight Training

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8 Time-Saving Strategies to Help You Get More Out of Your Workouts

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Get more out of your workouts? How’s that possible when your daily program is such: Get up in the morning, go to work, attend meetings, pick up the kids from school, and manage to squeeze in (a teeny bit of) rest in the afternoon…?
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After such an intense and probably stressful day, many people can’t (or even don’t try) to find any motivation at all for a workout.

Sustaining The ‘Get Fit’ Motivation ~ 5 Tips to Get Going!

Your schedule is too dynamic, so you can’t fit it in either. However, you can manage to stay healthy, get fitter, stronger, and leaner with just 30 minutes of super-effective workouts.
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There’s no need to spend too much time at the gym if you make the most of your workout time. This is how you can maximize your results with a few workouts a week by trying any one of these 8 time-saving strategies.

1. Swap stretching for a dynamic warm-up

According to research by the Austin State University, participants were able to squat with 8.36% more weight and their lower bodies were 22.7% more stable if they warmed up with light leg extensions than if they performed typical stretches (“bend and hold”).
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Dynamic bodyweight moves increase blood flow, improving your range of motion, without compromising the elastic properties of your muscles and tendons.
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So, if you’re going out for a run tomorrow, try doing some knee raises, lunges, and leg workouts for about 5-10 minutes before you hit the treadmill or the track.

2. Supersets

Performing supersets means working two opposing muscle groups with no rest in between. For example, an upper and lower body exercise, like a bench press and bent over row.
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The rest periods used during supersets are short, so you should lift less weight than your normally do (when you want to keep the workout duration down and the intensity up).
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This way, while you do a certain muscle group, you allow the opposing group to rest. Again, don’t work with heavy loads or you’ll compromise form.
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A very useful tip here is to take an anti-inflammatory like organic curcumin to prevent, reduce and eliminate the burn from the workout.

3. Use free weights

If you’re a newbie, starting with weight machines will help you learn correct form. Once you have that down, move to free weights such as barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells.
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Free weight exercises lead to greater hormonal responses than exercises performed on weight machines, according to the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.
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These exercises affect a wider range of muscles, because when performing them, there’s nothing to support you or guide you like a machine, eliciting all the synergistic muscles to help you.

4. Do intervals

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) presupposes periods of maximum effort interspersed with low-intensity breaks.
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This workout comes with more fat-loss and cardiovascular benefits than any other workout. A HIIT workout protocol is as follows: do as many reps (repetitions) as possible in 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Andthen, repeat it for as long as 4 minutes. Take a minute to rest, and repeat three more rounds.

High Intensity Interval Training and Safety

5. Cardio Burst

Cardio bursts can boost the benefits of HIIT, without having to go 20-25 minutes straight. Perform short, high-intensity bouts of cardio exercises between sets of strength training ones (about 20-45 seconds), such as sprints, tuck jumps, rowing, jump rope, etc.
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Adding cardio bursts to your circuit training can also help maximize the benefits by giving you a spike in your heart rate.

6. Circuit training

Perform 6-10 exercises (‘push, pull, legs, core, repeat’) on various types of workout equipment with minimal to no rest in between lifts, so you don’t work the same groups of muscles twice in a row.
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Also known as the ‘lazy person’s cardio’, circuit training helps you focus on good technique, breathing, and spend all your time lifting. Work with moderate-to-light weights and move quickly from one exercise to the other, and get a drink or rest only after completing your circuit.
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Circuit training is perfect is you want to get stronger and leaner (without getting big), as well as save some time.
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For enhanced muscle growth, take a stem cell support supplement which helps with tissue renewal.

Remember, too, that a healthy fat and protein diet is crucial for muscle building.
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7. Wear compression clothing

Wearing compression clothing during and after intense exercise is reported to reduce muscle soreness. When we’re experiencing an inflammatory response, white blood cells and fluid levels in the affected area increase, causing our muscles to swell and ache.
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Compression clothing constricts the muscles, reducing fluid buildup. Compression clothing won’t save you from soreness, but it will help.

8. Listen to Soothing Music

The last strategy for getting more of your workout is a real motivation booster – listen to good music on your headphones. Your favorite songs can get you fired up for a workout.
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The tunes you listen to boost your body’s level of dopamine and serotonin, hormones known to foster recovery. As soon as you finish the workout, play some more relaxing tracks to help your heart rate and blood pressure get back to normal.

Using these tips will help you stay fit and is a good prevention against degenerative diseases like cancer and cardiovascular problems.
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Article by Samantha Olivier
Samantha.marry.olivier@gmail.com
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Samantha has a B.Sc. in nutrition, and has spent two years working as a personal trainer. Since then, she has embarked on a mission to conquer the blogosphere. When not in the gym or on the track, you can find her at Ripped.me, or in a tea shop.