FINDING SUCCESS IN YOUR GYM
Dedication will always be more important than flashy moves during a workout
Look around any gym and you’ll see a lot of approaches to working up a sweat. While there’s always room for creativity, there are some workout antics that just don’t pass muster. Flashy moves aren’t the key to success in the gym — consistency and an unwavering work ethic are.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Sure, there are a lot of cool exercises out there on social media, but choosing an exercise or workout shouldn’t be determined by the number of likes or shares. Stick to the basics when putting together your workout, relying on tried-and-true exercises that are based on your fitness goals.
Remember: The more effort you spend trying to master the exercise, the less you spend challenging the working muscles. Substance beats style every time.
STRENGTHEN YOUR WEAKNESSES, NOT YOUR STRENGTHS
Most of us feel more comfortable leading with our strengths than with our weaknesses. But at the gym, the opposite approach is best. While it’s tough to step out of your comfort zone, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. A well-balanced workout is the key to staying injury free, and can make a difference when it comes to improving.
MIX IT UP
It’s easy to fall back on a timehonoured workout, but the love of familiarity can undermine improvement. Whether it’s always performing the same exercises, following the same order, using the same machines or sticking to either cardio or weights, you’re missing out on the benefits of a varied routine.
Create different workouts that focus on specific results like strength, speed, power, aerobic endurance and flexibility, and rotate through them. And make sure you have several options within each of these, so you’re not always falling back on the same speed or strength workouts. Variety not only improves results, it will keep your workouts fresh and challenging.
GET IT RIGHT
The more you challenge yourself, the more you need to be sure your technique is spot-on — not only to avoid the pains associated with doing an exercise wrong, but to ensure you’re not wasting your time.
Invest in a couple of sessions with a personal trainer to help fine-tune your technique, and use the mirrors at the gym to monitor your form. Use your phone to record your workout, and compare your movement patterns to those used by some of the more reputable online trainers. The web is a great resource — you just have to filter the good from the bad. The measure of a fitness expert is the strength of their experience and the quality of their message.
KEEP IT UNDER AN HOUR
Unless you’re training for an endurance event, there’s no reason your workout should last more than an hour. And if you’re organized and the gym isn’t too busy, you should be able to get in and out in about 45 minutes.
There are other benefits to an efficient workout beyond spending less time in the gym. Paring down the time it takes to complete your workout forces you to make better choices. It also forces you to come with a plan.
Opt for exercises that target several muscles at the same time — which is a reflection of how your body works in day-today life — versus one exercise per muscle group. And get rid of any exercise that doesn’t help achieve your goal.
CREATE A LONG-TERM AND SHORT-TERM PLAN
Go into every workout with a plan, which should be more than just a few notes. Start by writing down your long-term goal, and follow it up by creating a plan to achieve it. Work in six-week increments broken down into a series of weekly workouts that change it up every two or three weeks. Evaluate your results every six weeks, and adjust if necessary.
Bring your plan to every workout so you can stay on track — and don’t be shy about making notes afterward, recording successes and struggles. Charting your progress allows you to amend workouts based on where you’ve had success and where you’ve come up short.