7 Workout Tips to Maximize Results and Efficiency

If you’re like most people, finding time to exercise is a challenge. In fact, for many of our clients, it’s such a difficult feat that they become discouraged and just skip it altogether. While exercising essential to health, when it comes to time constraints, it is often one of the first things to be pushed aside. For this reason, and many others, we are big proponents of high intensity functional fitness training. This type of training allows you to get the most out of your workout, and to workout anytime, anywhere, for any amount of time that you are able to. Yes, even 5 minutes. Who really doesn’t have 5 minutes? If you want the most out of your workout, in the shortest amount of time possible, read on.

7 Workout Tips to Maximize Results and Efficiency

1. Do Not Always Rely on Equipment. We talked about the relative inefficiency of machines in this post. Reliance on machines is not only unnecessary but can even be detrimental to your overall health and fitness goals. If you’d like to use equipment, we recommend keeping a kettlebell or a couple of dumbbells at home or at work to use. If you don’t have these available, try using something in your environment: laundry detergent, gallon on milk, bag of kitty litter, a large rock, a pet or a child…the list is endless! And if you still don’t have anything available, the beauty of functional fitness is that you can actually do a very effective workout using body weight only. BAM! No more excuses.
2. Do Whole Body Movements. One common mistake when working out is focusing too much on the large muscle groups: hamstrings, quads, back, etc. But focusing only – or primarily – on these areas can result in imbalances, pain and even injury. We recommend whole body (or compound or multi-joint), functional movements that affect and benefit every large and small muscle group in the body. Learn more about the many benefits of compound/multi-joint movements in this post. Some examples of these include air squats, burpees, and kettle bell swings.
3. Be Ok with Sweating, and Breathing Hard. If you want the most out of your workout, and in a short amount of time, your workout needs to be high in intensity, you need to sweat, and increase your heart rate. Yes, it can be hard. But remember, it’s only for a short amount of time!
4. Take Rest. Make sure you’re incorporating rest periods, in both short and long workouts. There are multiple factors influencing the duration and frequency of rest periods; this article breaks it down.
5. Switch It Up. There’s no reason you can’t have a little fun with your workouts. It’s beneficial both psychologically and physically to vary up your routine and get creative. Vary up the movements, the style (tabata, power interval, etc), and the environment. The more interesting you make it, the more likely you are to want to continue.
6. Don’t Skip the Stretch. We are big advocates of incorporating yoga into any workout routine, and it’s not unusual for us to add in yoga postures between and after sets. Make sure you take the time to stretch after working out, take several deep breaths with each pose, and allow your body to enjoy it. Don’t think of it as additional time added to your workout, but rather a necessary part of your workout.
7. Be Kind to Your Body. This is a big one. Listen to your body and honor what it’s feeling. Modify the movements to avoid pain. Modify workouts to accommodate for injury or illness. Read more about why its important to keep moving, even when not feeling well, here.

So there you go. We hope you use these 7 Tips to Maximize Results and Efficiency in your workout routine. Just remember: exercising doesn’t need to be dreaded, it doesn’t have to be laborious, and it definitely doesn’t need to take a long time. If you need help getting started, or just need a little guidance to improve your performance, contact us for a free consult to learn about our personal training, private yoga sessions, or group fitness or yoga classes.