When engaging in physical activity, most people aim for progress and results. Imagine leaving your home gym and not feeling fulfilled with your workout session—it’s one of the worst feelings!
Regardless of the goal, whether it be weight loss, increased strength, or a faster mile, no one exercises hoping for average progress. Luckily, this guide can teach you how to maximize your workout for better results.
Switch Up the Usual Routine
Fitness operates on a constant trial and error basis requiring periodic finetuning to avoid monotony and plateaus in progress. In other words, it may be time to spice things up if you're growing bored of the usual 30-minute workout or noticing a flatline in progress.
Whether trying a new sport or adding a variation set to your leg day, adding variation to your workout can keep physical activity interesting while targeting different muscle groups, catapulting progress and results.
Weight Training
There’s nothing wrong with being an avid cardio lover; however, you might be missing out on maximum muscle growth and improved strength if you ignore weight training. Strength and resistance training provides fantastic benefits to your physical and mental health.
Over time, studies show that metabolism may slow over time, making weight loss more challenging. Fortunately, strength training promotes muscle growth, increasing your metabolic rate.
Cardio Endurance Training
Now, the benefits of strength training don't negate the excellent advantages of incorporating cardio into your workout routine. Cardiovascular activity improves your heart health, lowers cholesterol levels, and reduces your risk of developing heart disease.
Regular cardio activities may also promote lower blood pressure levels, improve sleep, and strengthen your immune system.
Running
A divisive sport, running is a basic form of exercise for those unaware of how to switch their routine. A few weeks of running or jogging can help build muscular strength, explicitly targeting your calves.
Regular runs can also increase bone density and reduce cortisol levels, making you feel relaxed during exercise.
HIIT
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a workout involving brief periods of intense movements alternated with moments of recovery. These sessions also reduce heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar while providing maximum intensity in shorter amounts of time.
Martial Arts
If you're looking for something entirely out of the realm of running and lifting weights, might we consider martial arts? Learning martial arts is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise dull routine asking for excitement.
Enrolling in the sport enables you to improve flexibility and increases your confidence and coordination while providing a full-body workout—without even stepping foot in the gym.
Compile a Playlist That Hypes You Up
If you haven’t considered listening to music during a workout, you may never notice the difference it makes in motivation and energy!
The right playlist is enough to fire you up during a session, boosting serotonin and dopamine levels and motivating you to pull a squat PR or run that extra half mile.
Swap Stretches for Movement
While the standard static stretches work well to relax and elongate muscles to increase range of motion (ROM), they may also decrease your maximum strength output during resistance training.
Dynamic Warmups
Dynamic warmups that mimic the exercise you’re about to complete. For instance, bodyweight squats or squats performed with an unloaded barbell are optimal before engaging in strength training.
Conversely, five to ten minutes of knee raises, leg swings, or power walking can get the blood pumping before a session on the treadmill.
Dynamic Wind Downs
Cool downs are just as critical as dynamic warmups! Coming to a complete stop after running 6 miles can cause light-headedness since your heart rate and blood pressure are still at heightened levels during the activity.
Consider walking or coming to a slow jog, and keep the pace for 5 to 10 minutes after your run. Doing so will allow your heart rate to lower gradually and enable you to catch your breath.
Consider Carbs Your Friend
Many often have a negative connotation with carbohydrates or believe carb-loading is something you would do to lift more weight on the platform or run a faster half-marathon. However, many don't see the benefits of eating carbs before strenuous activity.
Carbohydrates are the body's primary fuel source and increase endurance activity performance. A diet rich in these nutrients fuels the muscles and brain, allowing faster recovery and preventing muscle breakdown.
Don’t Forget About Protein
Another macronutrient alongside carbohydrates and fats, protein is good for your bones and promotes muscle mass, allowing you to perform better during your workouts. Protein is also beneficial to recovery, assisting your body in muscle repair after injury.
Chocolate Milk
Speaking of protein, did you know that chocolate milk is more complex than you would think? A glass of chocolate milk has enough carbs and protein to stimulate muscle repair and replenish energy stores over a strenuous workout.
Quench Your Thirst
Imagine what you would do without water! A true luxury in life, water is the ultimate hydration and energy source.
Drinking fluids during your workout can help maintain your concentration during performance, increase your endurance, and helps regulate the body's internal temperature and heart rate.
Catch Some Zs
Believe it or not, quality sleep is a primary determinant of performing your best during a workout or suffering through your session. Studies show that sleep influences hormonal shifts, allowing your body to recover from a workout.
If you aren’t getting at least seven hours of sleep each night and depriving yourself of rest, you can expect your body to demand that downtime by affecting your energy levels and mood throughout the day.
Phone a Friend
What better way to get the most out of your workout than finding a workout buddy? Having someone nearby to help motivate and push you the extra mile or rep can hold you accountable and make activities fun.
It helps to know how to maximize your workouts for better results and improve your physical health. Conversely, you want to remember to consult a physician before engaging in strenuous activity and ensure that the intensity is safe for you.
If you’re looking for a treadmill for a home gym, Treadmill Planet is the right retailer for you. For more information, don't hesitate to contact us on our website!
