Add time to your day by saving it in the gym. Avoid these time wasters to improve your life outside the gym.
Multitasking is the norm for the day. You need to post to Instagram while updating your Facebook profile while getting updates from ESPN on your fantasy team while in a conversation about how the world is going to hell in a handbasket. It’s friggin exhausting, no wonder so many people have anxiety. I need a Xanax to calm down just from writing that.
And this multitasking fever carries over to the gym. Unfortunately, this fever cannot be cured by more cowbell.
People complain about not being able to lose weight or gain muscle but they’re tweeting in between sets. They lift for 20 secs and talk for 10 minutes. How the hell can you honestly expect change if you aren’t putting in the work?
But I’m not here to be all high and mighty because I’m just as guilty as everyone else. I sometimes text my wife when I’m at the gym, but most times I ignore her (sorry).
So after noticing this more recently, I decided to compile a list of the most common time wasting offenses I see almost daily.
This is my public service announcement so you can get the most from your workout and more than likely cut your workouts down so you can get on with your life. There is no reason to be in the gym from more than an hour. Well unless you work in a gym – in that case stay longer.
I see people sitting at a bench for 15 minutes between sets either tweeting, updating Facebook or finding the right angle for a selfie. It ties up equipment and disturbs other people’s workout flow. Everyone will still believe you went to the gym if you take the selfie after you are done.
Saying hi to some people will tie you up for 20 minutes. They talk to anyone about anything. For some people it’s fine, but if you’re trying to get your workout done to go on with the rest of your day it totally throws a wrench in your plans. Talk when you are done.
Not going into the workout without a plan of exercises and how much weight to use for each exercise, is a major time suck. Doing multiple sets to find the right weight plus rest periods could eat up a huge chunk of time.
Warm up sets are good but at a certain point you’re just taking away from your working sets. 2-3 sets of increasing weight to warm up is good, after that you’re just wasting time.
When it comes to trying to get stronger, keep the reps in the 2-6 range. If you can lift for more then you aren’t going to reach your goal. Load it up.
Putting aside bad form will lead to injuries; bad form also doesn’t work the muscle you want it to. For example, doing a bench press with your elbows close to the body will put more emphasis on your shoulders. Elbows further out will focus on the weight onto the chest, exactly where you want it.
Doing the same thing over and over will not help you get stronger or help you lose weight. Variation is the spice of life and of gainz. Every 4-6 weeks switch up what you’re doing. Add weight, remove weight, switch machines, switch exercises etc. There is a million different ways to build the body you want.
Putting a TV in a gym is like putting a Twinkie in front of a fat kid. There is too much temptation to stand there and watch while in the “rest period”.
Getting dressed at the gym before you work out is like trying to put a little kid to bed. There’s so many distractions and you end up spending 10-15 minutes in there doing God knows what when you could be warming up. Put the gym clothes on at home or at work before getting in the gym.
If you really want to keep the same body shape, then read while on the treadmill, bike etc. When you could be doing intervals to speed up fat loss, you’re engrossed in the latest People magazine. Keep your mind on what you’re doing and you’ll be able to burn more fat and cut the cardio down considerably.
Don’t get me wrong, I like machines and I think there is a place for them. But the whole workout is not the place. Machines allow your mind to wander which means you aren’t pushing it. Machines are also isolation exercises so you aren’t getting the most bang for your buck. Pick up a barbell and start supersetting some shit.
Becoming a treadmill hamster is not the best use of time unless you’re training for a marathon. A better use of time would be to do a full body circuit workout. You can save oodles of time, helps you burn fat after you leave and you won’t look emaciated.
Multitasking, to me, means doing everything so nothing gets done. Multitasking doesn’t work. If you are trying to get something done, focus on that one thing and move on. We all have limited time during the day, use it wisely.
If you know someone who could benefit from this article, please share it on Facebook or Twitter. 2 out of 3 people are obese today, let’s start a change.
Dave
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