Local gyms have been given the greenlight to reopen their doors to 50% capacity and I know many of you are eager to get back into your fitness routine. But after seven months of them being closed, you may need some reminders and pointers on how to boost your performance your gyms. Here are five tips to maximize your time and your gains whenever you return to your gym.
1. Make sure you are well fed, well hydrated, and well-rested
If you want to change your body, you are going to have to challenge it and that means training with plenty of adaptation-triggering intensity. If you don’t train hard enough, you won’t get the results you want. The foundations of any good workout are food, water, and sleep.
Make sure you hit your calorie and macro goals for the day. Ensure that you are well hydrated and do your best to get six to eight hours of sleep per night. Master these basics, and you’ll have all the energy you need to train like a boss.
2. Warm-up
A great workout starts with a proper warm-up. Warming up prepares your body and mind for what you are about to do, making sure that every set of your workout is as safe and productive as possible.
A good warm-up should only take a few minutes but could save you months of wasted time by keeping you free from injuries. Do a few minutes of light cardio, some dynamic stretches for the body parts you are about to train, and a couple of light sets of your main exercises.
3. Set training goals
Get better results from your workouts by setting specific training goals. You should have long-term goals that may take years to reach, medium-term goals that are several months away and short-term goals for each and every workout.
Training without goals is like going on a long journey without a map – there is no guarantee you’ll ever reach your destination. Having goals increases focus and determination. Make sure your workouts match your goals.
4. Record your workouts
The only way to keep making progress is to gradually increase workout intensity, volume, or duration from one week to the next. If you keep doing the same workout over and over again, your progress will soon grind to a halt.
Keeping records makes it easier to increase the difficulty of your workouts. Whatever you did in your last workout, you need to try and beat it the next time you train.
5. Train with music
Music can have a massive impact on your mindset, so create a playlist that never fails to get you pumped up to train. I like to workout to rap music or soca. Keep adding to your playlist until you have a massive library of motivating music. Then, when it’s time to train, put on your headphones, pump up the volume, hit play, and let the music lift and motivate you to new levels of performance.
Next week I will offer five more tips to maximize your performance in the gym.