IN THE GYM

FOCUS ON STRENGTH TRAINING

It’s not unusual to see seasoned gym-goers spend ages in the weight room completing heavy-lifting workouts. After all, research – including a study recently published in The Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research – shows longer workouts that include threeminute breaks between sets can help you to build muscle faster. But, “If you’re a total beginner, longer sessions may fatigue your body and contribute to injury,” says David. So, utilise shorter training sessions and “incorporate rest days into your training regimen to let your muscles recover and rebuild”.

Beginner sessions can also make strength training a less daunting undertaking, which is important when you’re trying to create a new habit or stick to a workout routine.

MAXIMISE YOUR MINUTES

When you lunge or squat repetitively with the addition of weights during a workout, you run the risk of injury, especially if you rush through essentials, such as warming up, rest periods and perfecting your form. For this reason, David says half an hour is the ideal length of a short strength-training session for beginners. “A 30-minute workout will give your muscles enough time to reach a level where they can perform well and ensure you’re still completing your exercise properly.”

PRIORITISE THIS

If your life schedule doesn’t allow for multiple half-hour gym sessions throughout the week, don’t worry. Trainer Rachael Penrose says these methods below will help you squeeze the most out of your workouts.

Supersets: This involves performing two different exercises, such as squats and bicep curls, back to back with 30 to 90 seconds of rest in between. Supersets, she says, help to “cut down on your workout time without minimising the time spent being active”.

Compound exercises: “These are movements that target multiple muscle groups at once,” says Rachael. “A great example of this is a deadlift – a move that requires you to slightly bend your knees, hinge at the hips, push back your bum and lower your torso until it’s parallel with the ground.

This deceptively simple move targets the glutes, hamstrings, back and trapezius (neck), while also engaging the core for stability.”

Push-and-pull movements: According to Rachael, pairing opposing movements that target one muscle group “puts that extra strain on muscle groups in a shorter period of time”. If working your upper body, for instance, she says, “You could pair together a push movement, such as a bench press, with a pull movement, such as a bent-over row, to work that muscle group to fatigue.” E