Are you looking for an effective workout routine? Or do you want to increase the effectiveness of the fitness plan you’ve been following for a while? No matter what you seek, everyone has an opinion on how to maximize your gains. From recommendations of fasted training to people convincing you to try a supposedly effective workout program from TikTok, everyone has tips on maximizing efficiency.
But are there any proven strategies to help you get the most out of your workouts? And what are they? Read on if you want to take your training to the next level.
How can I make my workout more effective?
Working out is fantastic for us. There’s no doubt of that. Working out regularly brings benefits like:
- Can help support cognitive function
- Can improve mood
- It can support weight management and help us improve body composition
- Can reduce risks of health issues relating to our heart and metabolism
- Can support our immune functions
- It can strengthen our body, from our bones to our muscles
- It can help us age well, allowing us to keep active throughout our whole lifespan
- It may even help us live longer
All these reasons are great for having a regular workout routine. Many of us have specific goals and aspirations related to our exercise. Whether it’s getting fitter, slimmer, or stronger, we want to achieve results. And when the results take a while, we might want to think about effective training strategies and how to use them to our advantage.
Remember that if you have access to a coach or a trainer, they can be a great resource for helping you design an effective workout. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, as their experience may provide insights you can benefit from for years to come.
So, what are the ways that you can adapt your workout to be more effective and deliver the results you want?
Having a Quality Routine
Step one of an effective workout plan is a quality routine. This can be hard to pin down, as it may look different for everyone. However, there are some general traits of a quality routine:
- It’s a routine you can stick with. Nothing is more effective for your results than perseverance and discipline. To maximize your gains, you need to have a routine that’s easy to follow and will keep you looking forward to the next training session.
- The routine is sufficiently exciting. That being said, your routine needs to have ways to keep it fresh and exciting for yourself. Switching things up every few months by incorporating new exercises can be a great idea to prevent boredom. This can help you persist and max out your gains.
- It’s about more than just strength. If you’re looking for an effective weight training routine, you will need to add cardio. Incorporating multiple types of exercise can improve our health, so don’t try to skip cardio (or weight training, for that matter). Bonus points if your routine also incorporates moves to support mobility and flexibility, as these can help you perform better in your weight training.
- It contains exercises you know how to do. Who hasn’t seen a TikTok influencer show off some crazy gym moves that apparently target every area of the body? As impressive as they look, if you try to do them, you probably won’t get as much benefit from them. That may come down to your form. A quality routine must consist of exercises you can do correctly and properly. This will ensure that you’re not only staying safe but also maximizing the output of each muscle.
These four rules of a quality workout routine can help you design a routine that pushes your limits and produces maximum results.
Limit your workouts
Do you spend multiple hours in the gym each day and wonder, why am I not getting anywhere? Sometimes, more time in the gym is not always better. There are ways to shorten your workout while maximizing your output.
Ideally, you want to train for around an hour—anything more than that may lead to lower intensity and lower output. A good place to start is splitting your long workout into two shorter ones. This can help you feel less tired during the workout and increase your training volume.
Rule 1. Limit your distractions. This is especially important if you’re a social person who may find themselves chatting more than working. There’s nothing wrong with support from your gym buddies, but if chatting causes you to spend 40% of your time doing nothing, it’s not going to get you anywhere. Instead, save the hot gossip for the changing rooms.
Rule 2. Combine exercises in a circuit. A circuit allows you to save time by going from one exercise to the other without any breaks. However, make sure that you’re planning your circuit correctly. You must ensure that sequential exercises work for different muscle groups, allowing the previous muscle group to rest.
Rule 3. Combine sets in a superset. Ever heard of a superset? They work in a similar manner to circuits but tend to combine two exercises that you do back-to-back. They can help you stay productive while decreasing the time you spend waiting around. However, they might make you feel more tired, so make sure your recovery technique accounts for that.
These three rules can help you design a more effective training session and reduce your time in the gym.
High-intensity workouts
Increasing your intensity can be a fantastic way to improve your workout effectiveness. This may mean incorporating some high-intensity cardio into your training plan. Alternatively, challenge yourself by modifying your tempo.
Slowing down while doing your reps can prolong time under tension for your muscles, making them work harder. You can add iso holds at the top of your movement.
Alternatively, why not add a failure set-in? It can really get your muscles working and your blood pumping. Lifting to failure means that you continue your reps until your muscles give up and you can no longer do the exercise. This can be especially effective for those who have hit a plateau. However, don’t do every set to failure.
Roll it out
Foam rolling has been around for a while, and for good reason. One key to making progress is being able to train well after you’ve worked out. This means that you must recover between two workout sessions. Otherwise, you won’t be able to push yourself as hard.
Foam rolling is a great way to support your recovery efforts. It can help you lower soreness and support recovery. It can also support your range of motion, which is beneficial if it hinders proper lifting technique.
Resting Your Body
Any effective training accounts for the need of your body to rest and repair itself. Rest days are essential in any effective training plan. They can help your body recover and repair itself and can be beneficial for preventing injury.
Stretches
Stretching may be another tool you can use to make your workouts more effective. It can help you work on your range of motion, get your head in the game, and reduce the risk of injury. It’s a good idea to combine static and dynamic stretches. You can stretch before or after a workout, depending on your needs and requirements.
Having a Positive Attitude
Your attitude can make or break a workout. If you’re finding yourself dragging your feet to the gym, you may not put as much heart into your workouts. This may mean that the quality of your training decreases, and you may take longer to reach your goals.
You can help yourself feel better during a hard workout in multiple ways.
For example, listening to music you enjoy can help you feel more positive about your workouts.
Nutrition for effective workouts
An effective fitness training regimen is nothing without adequate nutrition. This includes the nutrition before, during and after your workouts. In addition, knowing when and how to use effective workout supplements can help you boost your results.
So, what is adequate nutrition in practice?
One part of it is your general nutrition. To maximize your results, you need to be getting enough calories during the day. In addition, you need to pay attention to your protein requirements. Get enough protein with every meal and try to have it continuously during the day. If that’s hard, consider adding a protein shake or two to your routine.
Another part of effective nutrition is pre-workout nutrition
You need to show up to your workouts properly fuelled. If you don’t have enough energy before a workout, you’ll wind up doing it half-heartedly. Alternatively, you may find that you get hungry during the exercise, and you’ll be distracted or tempted to call it quits early. Remember that fuelling yourself allows you to push yourself.
This means that about an hour and a half before working out, you need to have had a meal containing sufficient carbohydrates and protein. These two nutrients will supply you with the energy to keep going and the amino acids to support muscle synthesis. Before your workout, you can benefit from a small snack containing easy-to-digest carbohydrates. You may also consider a caffeine supplement or a cup of coffee if you’re feeling a little sleepy before your workout. To learn more about pre-workout nutrition, check out our post.
Effective nutrition continues during your workout.
Staying hydrated is essential to support performance, temperature regulation and allow you to push yourself to new limits. Therefore, drink water during your workouts. If you’re a salty sweater, you may benefit from adding some minerals, like Maxler Electrolyte Powder to your water. If you’re working out for longer than an hour, consider adding a source of sugar into your bag, so you can keep your energy levels up.
Some people may benefit from including supplements like BCAAs in their workouts. They may help with recovery, which can be beneficial if you’ve got a back-to-back training schedule.
Post-workout nutrition is also essential for effective fitness training.
Finish your workouts with the proper recovery-promoting nutrition. This means replenishing your water stores by continuing to drink water. In addition, consume a snack consisting of some protein and carbohydrates. This snack can help you kickstart glycogen synthesis and muscle-building, allowing you to feel right and ready to go again the next day.
Maximizing the results of your workout can seem like a challenge. However, with the proper tools and knowledge, you can adapt your routine accordingly. Effective training is about maximizing your output per unit of time. In addition, it is about supporting your body in recovery effectively so that you can keep training and pushing your body further. Become your best self with your effective training plan, and Maxler supplements will support you in your endeavors.
