Improve Your Workouts With These 5 Proven Strategies
If you feel like you've been marching to the gym like a soldier to battle for months on end with no real results, your not alone
. Hundreds if not thousands of North Americans hit their local gyms on a weekly basis, in hopes of losing that last 10 pounds. Maybe you can relate. You go to the gym day after day but the six pack your fat burning pill promised you is still not there. Here are a compilation of 5 of the best workout tips to help put that 'zing' back into your workout and leave the calories in puddles on the floor.
1. Use your most important muscle... Your Brain!
Making a mind-muscle connection can help facilitate a much more effective workout than you would normally have. When you make a mental connection between the exercise your doing and the muscles your targeting will help ensure your technique is clean, thereby improving the pump you experience. Dial in your technique, eliminate momentum, stop cheating reps and focus on recruiting as many muscle fibers as you can through a full range of motion.
2. Pump up the Jam
Music has been shown to stimulate the central nervous system, which helps psych you up for heavier lifting. Why sing a solo when you can get the church choir to back you up!? Incorporating music into your workout can enhance the experience making it more attractive and more likely that you'll stay engaged in the workout and train longer and harder. If your a Zen warrior, then music might not be for you, but if you've never tried it, now is the time!
3. Get Intense
Spending two hours on biceps concentration curls is a counterproductive way to workout. Simply put, compound moves - multi-joint exercises in which you recruit a lot of muscle groups to move a lot of weight - should be your focus. Think squats, dead lifts, bent over rows, bench press and shoulder press. Big results come from big workouts. There's still room for an isolation exercise every now and then, just don't make it the norm.
4. Have a Plan
To really kick your workout into high gear, make sure you are setting goals - that is , realistic goals. Once they're set, figure out how to reach them safely and effectively. One of the most effective ways to stay on track with your training goals is to keep a journal. It takes the guess work, and might I say, laziness, out of your workouts. You'll know in advance what days you have to train, what muscle groups your going to hit and at what intensity. Most importantly, you'll know what you did last workout, so you can constantly be making improvements. Set small goals that add up to big gains.
5. Use Teamwork
Get a workout partner, trainer or coach. Having someone else to train with has many benefits, from motivating you to stick with your workouts to giving you feedback on your technique. You'll always train harder when you have somebody their push you. No more snooze button sleep in's, your training partner will keep you accountable to your goals.
So there you have it. Give your workouts the zing they deserve and give yourself the body you've always dreamed of!
Improve Your Workouts With These 5 Proven Strategies
By: Mike Dirks
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