Top 7 Time Wasters At The Gym
In case you hadn't noticed, it's nearly impossible to set aside the time you need at the gym each day. It seems there are always more "important" things to be doing. When you do get into the gym, avoid these 7 time wasters.
1. Too much time in the gym- Cardio exercise should be a portion of your time in the gym, not the bulk of it. It's meant to compliment your resistance training and a proper nutrition plan.
2 - No more long rest periods between exercises. Usually this happens when you see a friend and you spend 10 minutes chatting about fitness. Talking about getting fit isn't going to help you get fit. Don't take as many breaks and instead schedule some time over coffee when you're both of you are away from the gym.
3 - Plan your workouts. Make sure you know what exercises you're going to do, how many reps you'll do of each and how much weight you're going to use. If you're constantly trying to figure things out on the fly, you'll double your time in the gym.
4) Have a plan B. Unless you have the gym to yourself, there's a good chance someone is going to be using the piece of equipment you need at some point. Make sure you know another way of working out that particular muscle. That way you can keep your plan in motion and not have to wait around.
5. Not working hard enough- Intensity is one of the biggest factors to achieving results. If you are training in the 12-15 rep range, it should be a challenge to do 14 or 15 reps. If you can do close to 20 reps then you need to increase your weight. As you improve, never allow yourself to get to the point where you're doing more than 14 reps of each exercise.
6) Form is vital. Doing too many "cheat" reps will kill your time in the gym. Focus on the right form and you'll benefit greatly from every rep. Each time you do an exercise wrong, that's one more wasted rep.
7. Not seeking the advice of a professional- If all the top athletes have coaches and professional trainers, don't you think you could use their advice? Having a trainer will help you to get further along in your training then trying to do it by yourself. He or she will help you to use proper form, technique, rep ranges, tempo, rest intervals and exercise combinations to maximize your results and minimize your frustrations
If you could only relate to 2 or 3 of those items, don't just brush them aside thinking you're well beyond this information. Take those 2 or 3 things and concentrate on fixing them. It will give you more time away from the gym and increase the quality of your workouts.
