6 Tips to Maximize Your Gym Time

Everyone’s time is valuable, there’s no denying that. We go through each week trying to get as much work done as we possibly can, while still trying to find time to hang out with family and friends, catch a movie (or whatever your hobby is), workout, study subjects outside of work, etc.

All of this makes for a pretty tiresome week. In order to have time to accomplish all that you want to, you must obviously manage your time wisely. The thing is this can be very hard in the gym.

It’s easy to get side tracked. With all the other people and the fact that you often have to wait to use a piece of equipment, time can slip away quickly. I’m willing to bet though you don’t want to end up spending a couple hours of your day every time you go to the gym.

You need to be able to get in and out still feeling like you had a great workout. That’s where today’s post can help. Here are 6 things you can do to ensure you are getting the most out of your gym time!

Photo Credit: http://getentrepreneurial.com/archives/the-secret-to-having-more-time/

1) Plan your workout

I know this may sound obvious, but most people don’t do this. You see them wondering around aimlessly trying to think of their next exercise. Nothing can keep you from maximizing your time like not having a plan.

It doesn’t have to be perfect, but if you have it written down you will be able to move from exercise to exercise without wasting excess time.

This is something that I was guilty of before I really started taking my training seriously. It was never efficient. Now when I work out, I’m usually done in one hour or less.

2) Use compound movements

Compound movements are exercises that use multiple muscle groups and multiple joints. Things like squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, and pull-ups are perfect examples.

Most of these exercises incorporate muscles throughout the entire body, making them very efficient. The opposite of compound movements are single joint movements.

As it sounds, these are exercises that only use one muscle group. Most guys at the gym are guilty of this as you often see them doing nothing but curls.

If your goal is to get the most of your workout, stick to using multi-joint exercises. You will expend a lot more calories because you are using more muscle mass. This will give you the best training stimulus for fat loss and muscle growth.

3) Incorporate super sets

A super set is where you perform two different exercises back to back with little or no rest in between. These can be non-competing (using different muscle groups) exercises like a lunge and a push-up or they can be competing (using similar muscle groups) like a lunge and a step-up.

These are a great time-saver because you are able to do two exercises in less time. For example, you could perform the lunges, rest 15 seconds, and then knock out your push-ups.

There are literally an endless list of super sets you could create. That’s what makes them so great.

4) Use interval training

With interval training, you perform some sort of cardiovascular exercise while alternating periods of hard work with easy work. Using sprints as an example, you would sprint hard for 15 seconds then walk for 45 seconds to recover for the next sprint.

This is a great way to increase growth hormone and testosterone, which can help you build muscle and burn fat (1). Another great thing is that it doesn’t have to be done for a long period of time to elicit this response.

Some people come to the gym only to perform cardio. They will spend hours on a treadmill in hopes of losing some weight.

Intervals can be done in 15-20 minutes. They are more taxing overall, but the shorter time period makes for a good trade-off.

5) Pick exercises you can do in a small space with minimal equipment

This tip is helpful for those who have to work out when the gym is usually slammed (5-7 pm). When it is crowded, there is never much space to do much.

Incorporating exercises where you do not have to use much equipment or space is an excellent way to combat this. Let’s use the exercise example I offered earlier, the lunge and the push-up.

All you need are two dumbbells and a small space. You could use the dumbbells for lunges then drop down and perform the push-ups.

When doing this, you do not have to go back and forth between equipment and wonder if someone is going to steal your spot. You can get in, knock out your exercises, and get out.

6) If very short on time pick 1-2 full body movements

If you do not have a lot of time, yet still want a great work out this is the way to go. If you want to get your heart rate up and sweat pick 2 exercises that you can do back to back.

An example here would be kettlebell swings and a squat jumps. You could do 10 swings then 10 squat jumps and perform as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes. Short and sweet, but extremely exhausting.

If you want to focus on strength, pick 1 exercise like the squat or deadlift. These lifts activate many different muscles across the body. You could do 5 sets of 5 reps and be done in 15-20 minutes.

As I mentioned with the super sets, there are many different things you could do here. Pick exercises that you can perform with great technique, so you will be able to get the work done as quick as possible.

Conclusion

You only have a limited time in each day, and you need to ensure you aren’t wasting it. It can be hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while also managing other things like a family and a job.

All of these tips will expedite your gym time, making it one less thing you have to worry about. I know you will be surprised at how much time you can save just by using these in your daily work outs.

If you are looking for a personal trainer in Savannah, contact me to set up a consultation.

And if you found any of this information helpful, or know of someone it could help please share with others!

References

1. Meckel, Y. et al. Hormonal and inflammatory responses to different types of sprint interval training. J Strength Con Res. 2011. (25)8, 2161-2169.