Are you in a good training routine, attending everyday but just sort of going through the motions and not seeing any real results?

We see so many members like this come into the gym every day, spend an hour and a half even more in the gym ‘training’ but they never seem to make any real changes to their fitness levels or physic. So what are they doing wrong?

They are clearly committed to attending the gym which is sometime the hardest habit to form but they are almost too committed and in too good of a ‘routine’ that they just complete the same workout routine every day, using the same machines/equipment and never challenging themselves.

Here are 5 ways to get better results from your workout:

1. Prepare for the workout & make a Plan – Go in with a plan! If you have the knowledge to write your own workout plan, do it and stick to it! 4 week blocks are great for most training goals. If you are unsure on how to write a workout program see a fitness professional such as a Spartans Personal Trainer for guidance. ‘Not preparing, is preparing to fail’

2. Reduce Rest Time – Amp up the intensity! Every sport and fitness goal (power lifting excluded) can benefit from taking shorter rest periods, this style of ‘HIIT’ ‘High Intensity Interval Training’ encourages the body to recover faster, enhances ‘after burn’ for further calories burnt after the workout is over which in turn helps with fat loss and can increase lean muscle gain (hypertrophy). ALSO reduces your time spent in the gym!

3. Super-set – Following on from point 2, ‘super-setting’ is another fantastic way to speed up your time in the gym and increase intensity. Super setting is performing your workout by completing 2 sets of exercises straight after on an other with no rest in between sets, eg. Push ups x 10 reps + (no rest) Squats x 10 Reps, rest then repeat.

4. Warm up – Get loose! Warming up your muscles properly prior to commencing a workout is imperative to achieving maximum results from your session. Warming up correctly promotes maximal range of movement throughout the joints which results in all exercises being able to be performed correctly and efficiently with the most load possible being exposed to the muscle belly. This will give you the best chance of muscle growth and performance!

5. Do what you love! – If you hate the treadmill because you find it mundane and boring but want to be increasing your cardiovascular fitness so you just walk and walk everyday even though you hate it.

My question to you is; if you hate the treadmill why are you still on it? Get off! This goes for ALL exercises that you ‘hate’ STOP! There is always an alternative that will get you the same if not better, faster results. Ditch the hour long treadmill slog and give a HIIT class a go or a Bootcamp! Check out Spartans classes HERE!

Lana, Qualified Personal Trainer & Fitness Professional