The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Workouts
- Sharpen your Gym Routine
- * Seven quick tips
As imaginative as this title is, I have been thinking about how best to provide snippets of information in the form of my blog.
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, chances are that you will have seen something similar (but not as comprehensive). My main focus with my blogs now is moving them in the direction of providing more information (albeit a little longer).
From the advice that I’ve received last few weeks, I’ve decided to really ramp up the value on these free blogs.
Today I’m focusing on how you can make your workouts more effective and ultimately get faster results.
The problem with gym culture is that there are many misconceptions and myths with fitness – these can be detrimental to your goals. Here I will try to set the record straight with 7 factors.
1) time
Straight from the top, don’t spend time that you don’t need to in the gym.
Making your workouts time sensitive is a fantastic way to spike your heart rate and get more from less.
Working TOWARDS High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) aka structured sprints, is a great target for beginners.
Similarly, you can use rest between sets as a systematic motivator to improve your stamina.
The RYPT app has hundreds of workouts / styles that can be personalised to your goals.
2) “Toning”
“Toning” is the biggest myth in fitness. You already have muscle otherwise you wouldn’t be able to stand up so it’s impossible to carve muscle in that sense.
Building muscle may sound far less glamorous but it’s exactly what happens when you change your physique.
Nobody ever “toned” their muscles – instead they lifted heavier weights for few repetitions to get stronger and reveal their muscle!
The sets and repetition structure is clearly defined on the RYPT app with workout descriptions and breakdowns into exercises. Besides the RYPT “Beginner’s Guide to…” YouTube series addresses lots of these issues for free.
3) cardio
I am a firm believer in restricting cardio as much as possible (certainly in one-to-one sessions where time is crucial).
Yes that sounds controversial but from personal experience, you can achieve lots more by lifting weights in a variety of different ways.
It’s also a lot more interesting and fun.
Cardio doesn’t necessarily need to crosstrainer, treadmill, rowing machine or bike!
Anything that gets your heart rate up is considered cardio. As the old joke goes, asking a bodybuilder what he does for cardio: “lift weights faster.”
I’m not dismissing the fact that you need to work the biggest muscles in the body and running, swimming etc is a good way to do that but it doesn’t build lean muscle as quickly.
The RYPT app has hundreds of exercises that can be combined into a personalised plan – so all this is taken care of… All you need to do is follow the calendar and workout!
4) machines
Yes, they are standard issue with any gym. However, much like your first bike probably came with stabilisers, you should look to move away from them. As I always say “just because something is popular, it doesn’t mean that it’s the best!”
Machines are ideal for total beginner’s who have never lifted a weight before but these shouldn’t be used as an excuse or a crutch.
Free weight exercises are more daunting but give a far higher return!
There really is a world of possibilities! Kettlebells, Dumbbells, barbells, plate loaded kit – these can make workouts far more exciting too.
Rather than having a predictable range of movement, the instability really focuses you to concentrate on smaller muscles – giving you a great core workout in the process too.
The RYPT app has fully demonstrated exercises (by me in many cases) completely described and with descriptions too. The format is concise 30 second videos so you can watch as many times as needed!
5) Too Much
Doing too much can lead to injuries, hamper your progress and affect your outlook.
Being sensible and factoring in rest (particularly for beginners is essential). Don’t get sucked into the “go hard or go home” mentality.
Balance is vital – exercise addiction does exist and without moderation (even in the healthy aspects of life) it is tough to juggle work and leisure.
With the RYPT app, I work in conjunction with you to find a plan that will get you the best results but also enjoy life.
Workouts are scheduled and can be altered by you (if the days don’t suit). Above all, a fully qualified personal trainer is only an email or phone call away!
6) Routine
Routines are great. They give us comfort security and we never feel threatened. However, once we move outside of our comfort zone, we begin to notice real changes.
This certainly happened for me when I transitioned into resistance training – my whole physique changed from a runner’s physique into a better build (although it didn’t help my marathon times).
All too often, I observe the same people doing the same routines and not changing at all.
Variety is the spice of life! As mentioned above, moderation is vital in all aspects.
To paraphrase Einstein, doing the same things and expecting different. results is insanity. If you want to change (emotionally or physically) you need to do something different.
You’ll know if you’ve read my blogs for long enough that psychology underpins everything that we do. The brain loves comfort – we don’t need to think about our routine or be challenged when we do the same things.
Change is difficult to accept but is ultimately rewarding.
The RYPT app is designed around you and transitioning you from beginner to intermediate at a comfortable pace! It works around the idea of personal training (periodisation) whereby your plan is adjusted gradually so you are constantly improving. I have a system that I use with my clients and it’s continued via the app.
7) Cost
Gym memberships can be cheap but you get what you pay for!
The biggest mistake most gym newbies make is not seeking help and giving up.
For less cost than you expect, you can experience a personal trainer in your pocket. The app is £40 per month (equivalent to one personal training session) and you get full support included in the monthly subscription.
Until Sunday you can sign up to four weeks of the RYPT app for FREE!
Try the Festive Fat Furnace plan with no obligation, no credit card details and see if it’s for you.
Be quick, only a handful of places left!!
