Do you get to the gym ready to workout, but you don't have a plan, so you use whatever machine is open or do something you see other fellow gym goers doing? If so, you are among a large population of people in the gym. Here are some simple ways to organize your workouts in order to ensure you’re feeling confident and getting the most out of each gym session.
Step 1: Set Goals
Look at your schedule and see how often you can get to the gym. Then decide how much time you can afford per workout. Familiarize yourself with the reasons that make you step into the gym. What motivates you to workout? It could be anything from looking good in a bathing suit to wanting to be able to take your dog for a longer walk. Understanding where your motivation comes from will help you figure out and define your fitness goals. Try to make your goals realistic and specific. Set short term and long-term goals. This will ensure you’re organized and motivated. Once you have established your goals, you can plan your workouts accordingly.
Step 2: Always start with a warm up
One of the biggest mistakes that can be made when going to the gym is skipping a warm up and jumping right into your workout. This habit can increase the risk of injury, soreness and poor performance in the gym. Before you begin your workout, be sure to choose a warm up that prepares the muscles you plan on exercising. Do dynamic exercises to ensure your heart-rate is elevated. By warming up, you increase body temperature and blood flow to the muscles you’re going to use. This will help keep you safe and prepared to get the most out of your workout.
Step 3: Start BIG
At the beginning of a workout your energy level is highest, so you want to focus on the exercises that use the largest amount of muscle mass. These exercises are known as compound lifts. You can think of multi-joint, full body exercises. Some examples of these are squats, deadlifts, pull ups, bench press etc. Choose one or two of these per workout and focus on these muscle groups during the duration of the workout.
Step 4: Move into accessory exercises
Once you have finished your main compound lifts, pick accessory exercises that assist the targeted muscles used in the compound lifts you chose for that workout. Accessory exercises are typically isolation exercises that focus on a single muscle group rather than multiple. These complimentary exercises will help narrow the focus of your workout and strengthen the smaller muscles that assist you in your compound lifts. For example, if you chose squats as your main compound lift, some great accessory exercises would be lunges, hamstring curls and hip thrusts. Basically, start with large muscle groups and as the workout continues, get more and more specific.
Step 5: Cool Down/ Stretch
Make sure you include some sort of cool down! If you have some mobility issues, this is where you’d want to do static stretching or foam rolling. Foam rolling will help release any knots or trigger points that you may have. A full body stretch is ideal, however if you're pressed for time, focus on the muscles that you used during your workout. Each stretch should be performed once and held for 1 minute. This can help decrease soreness following your workout.
Make sure you change up your routine every few weeks and continue to challenge yourself. You can follow this 5-step guide to help construct your workouts, but most importantly, remember to have fun at the gym!