Get Better Results in the Gym

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If you’re not sure how to get better results in the gym, it could simply be because you’re working out too much, too long, or too hard. But how is that possible, you ask?

Let’s talk about how to work out smarter not harder.

You don’t have to spend 2-3 hours in the gym to reach some pretty impressive goals. 1-2 hours really is all you need. And this should include a 10 minute warm up and cool down, plus a 10 minute stretch.

This article is inspired by many, many people I have seen in the gym. People who are trying their hardest to get a good pump and reach new goals. Sadly, there is a very simple and yet huge component, that a lot of people miss. As a result, there are a lot of truly dedicated people who just aren’t getting their goals met, and don’t know why.

This article is directly written for beginners as well as all my pals who have been in the gym for . . . centuries. Because, as a newb, I remember observing the more seasoned gym rats and thinking they knew what they were doing. Looking back, I see that these poor guys were also missing out on something very important.

So let’s jump right in.

GET BETTER RESULTS IN THE GYM WITH FULL RANGE OF MOTION

First we are going to talk about some basics. Range of motion. This is one phrase you need to become aware of if you aren’t already.

There are very few times when you shouldn’t use full range of motion. So we will just focus on using full range of motion always. For now. There are exceptions to this rule, but generally speaking, one should always use full range of motion.

Full range of motion helps you build better balanced muscles. In other words, full ROM helps your muscles grow fully, filling out proportionately. When you don’t use full range of motion, you inhibit your movements and can stunt your muscle growth. Also, full ROM helps with balance and stability, and developing overall strength.

If you are not sure what full range of motion looks like, go on YouTube and search whatever move you’re trying to do, (i.e. bicep curl) and search “how to do a bicep curl using full range of motion.”

GET RESULTS IN THE GYM BY SLOWING DOWN

When you rush through your moves, you’re doing a lot of things, and none are for your good. One very specific thing that is not good is you’re increasing your chances of injury.

When I began my gym life as a newb, I really thought the faster I curled the stronger I’d become. It made sense to me. It wears you out faster, you get your heart rate up, you sweat . . .

When you slow down, you’re allowing yourself to focus on the muscle you’re working. Mind to muscle literally focuses all of your energy to the exact muscle you’re working, therefore maximizing the value of your move.

When you slow down, it allows you to fully extend your movement so that you are using full range of motion properly. In this way, you’re also able to utilize the entire flexing and extending capacity of the movement, maximizing every inch of the move to build your muscle proportionately, and increasing size and strength.

Slowing down your movements also helps you work those tiny stabilizer muscles which supports the larger muscle groups. Also, by slowing it down you have a longer time under tension which result in better muscle hypertrophy (growth).

GET RESULTS IN THE GYM BY MAKING EVERY MINUTE COUNT

When you are in the gym every move you make should count, and so should every moment.

When you are catching your breath between sets, do something.

One thing you can be doing is drinking water. Staying properly hydrated during your workouts is extremely important. If you’re not hydrated, your joints will hurt, and your muscles will cramp. Water also helps to regulate your body temp, and we all know it can get a little hot up in the gym!

Another thing that helps you maximize your time in the gym is to use a timer. It’s easy to sit down and scroll through IG. I know, I’ve had my “meh” gym days where I probably have spent equal amount of time scrolling as lifting. Time your breaks. If you’re lifting “light”, give yourself 30 second breaks. When you’re pushing heavier weights, give yourself 1.5 minute breaks. And, if you’re doing power and lifting extra heavy, you may need up to 3+ minute breaks. But don’t ever fully cool down between sets.

A third thing I like doing is throwing in a 10-rep set of crunches or a 30 second plank. It takes minimal effort, minimal time, and you don’t have to have an “ab day” when you’re doing abs between every set you do in the gym.

GET BETTER RESULTS IN THE GYM WITH VARIETY

Change can be a scary word and action, for anybody. It takes you away from your comfort zone, or your auto-pilot go-to. But it also throws you for a loop enough that it can jolt your muscles to wake up and grow.

Your body gets used to patterns of movement, lifting a set weight, and repetition without change doesn’t produce any sort of better results.

Every 5-8 weeks you should completely change up your workout. Go from light weight, high reps to heavy weight low reps. You can change from a balance and stability workout to a more cardio based workout. You can switch from using mostly machines to using bands, dumbbells and balance-inducing equipment like a Bosu ball or stability ball. Take a break from the gym on weekends and go kayaking and hiking. Something that changes up your routine not only confuses your muscles but also helps you psychologically as well. Change is inspiring. Getting “uncomfortable” and going out of familiar territory helps us grow.

When you’re doing cardio, jump off the treadmill and do 30 seconds of jumping jacks or squat jumps, etc. Changing it up like this helps to break up your time and keeps you focused.

GET BETTER RESULTS IN THE GYM WITH TRACKING YOUR PROGRESS

Write down how much weight you do when lifting, pushing, pulling, etc. Every time you work out, keep track of how much weight you did, then up your weight. Try to up your weight every week. Some times it takes 2 weeks, and sometimes the “up” is only a pound increase. Whatever it is, write it down. This gives you a visual track record of your progress.

GET BETTER RESULTS IN THE GYM WITH THE RIGHT SUPPLEMENTS

Axio — Say no to energy drinks, say hello to Nootropics. AXIO takes a different approach to energy—specially formulated to give energy to your mind, not just your body.

I have never been a supplement girl. Ever. Until about 4 months ago. But these supplements are different. This is not a multivitamin.

Let me explain.

Protandim® NAD Synergizer was specifically formulated to target NAD, and has been shown to double sirtuin activity in 24 hours. Supporting increased health, focus, energy, mental clarity, and mood.

These supplements go cell-deep. Have you ever wished to – feel young again? Well, these supplements basically help you begin your journey to aging backwards.

You won’t find a huge burst of jittery energy, and you also won’t watch your hair turn from white back to brown.

What you will feel (or, I should say, what I feel) is that energy from the teen years. That rarely-ever-tired, go-all-day, sort of energy.

Nrf2 — Time to evolve from just taking supplements to biohacking. Clinically proven to reduce oxidative stress by 40% in 30 days.

With this kind of energy, I have not had a bad gym-day yet. Which is a lot for me to say, because I always had at least 1-3 bad gym days a week. Just the low-energy ones, the days when no matter what, I couldn’t do a 20 pound concentration curl like usual.

Also, my nights are so much better, which in turn makes for less tiring days. I also very rarely experience afternoon lack of energy. My recovery time in the gym is also much quicker, making it much easier for me to advance and progress.

Let me warn you, this supplement is one that sort of sneaks up on you (slowly). I took it for 10 days before I felt anything, and even then I wasn’t sure it was the Nrf2. I thought maybe it was just because I had a good night’s sleep. It was 3 months before I started having better nights, and that also didn’t just hit me one day. But trust me, be patient, it’s so worth it! It’s not even expensive, which is a huge win!

FINAL NOTE ON MY FAVE TWO PRODUCTS

I take AXIO in the mornings on my way to the gym. It is my “energy” drink, but again, don’t mistaken “energy” for the same thing as a cup of coffee. This energy is an awake-ness, from the brain out. 🙂

The Nrf2 is what I have consistently been taking for 4 months now which has helped improve my lack of energy and recovery time.

For more on all of the products I offer in my store, please visit my LifeVantage website! I also have products for gut health, protein powder, skin and beauty, hair and pet health! Enjoy those here.

Please feel free to comment below, contact me on social media and follow me here! I love hearing from my readers. 🙂 I am on Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest and balance8life.

October 30, 2019September 1, 2020

Beginners Guide to Weight Lifting and Gym Life

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclaimer for more info.

If you’ve never been in a gym before, it can be very intimidating! Here are a few simple steps to boost your confidence before you walk through the doors into new territory!

If you have been in the gym for awhile, but never had anybody help you with some basics, you might find something here for you, too!

I know how daunting it is to walk into a large gym of seasoned gym rats and trainers, and know nothing.

I remember how overwhelmed I felt and how stupid I felt when I couldn’t figure out what some of the machines were for, how to use them, or how to adjust them to fit me. And just like middle school, you feel like you should already know and don’t want to appear dumb, so instead of asking someone for help, you skip that machine as if it weren’t leg day, and pretend it’s arm day and use something a little simpler. I’ve been that girl.

I’ve also been that one that did one set of arms, half a set of legs, some abs, and then something else, totally not knowing what body part I was working, just to keep moving and make it appear as though I had a plan and knew what I was doing. Been that girl, too.

But if you’re a newb, you might not even know a thing other than, you want to get in shape and a gym seems a good place to start!

Well, let’s get to work then!

TAKE THE TRAINING SESSION

First things first, when you sign up for a membership, sign up for a free session with a trainer.

Yes, the free sessions are an attempt to get you to sign up for training, and if you want a trainer, do it! But if you don’t want to pay for a trainer, sign up and show up, for that first couple of introductory classes anyway, just to have somebody that knows the gym and equipment to show you how to use the equipment with proper form. It makes all the difference in the world when you know your way around the gym and equipment.

WEAR PROPER CLOTHING

To some of you, this may seem like a duh. And if you don’t need this tip, skip right along, grasshopper. But, if you’re already insecure about going where you’ve never been, you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

When you sign up for a gym membership, find out what the dress code is!

This way, you don’t get embarrassed when you walk in the door with a (sports bra and flip flops?) and get approached by the big guy and sent home.

Don’t go to the gym in any sort of jeans or stiff, loose, clothing. You will need clothes that allow you to get into awkward positions and move freely without lumps and bumps to work around. Good form is a must for safety. Your form is more likely to be compromised when wearing uncomfortable clothing, just by trying to get away from the discomfort.

SHOES

When buying shoes, ask the person in the shoe Dept for “training shoes”. Running, walking, casual, and training shoes, are all different. It does make a difference!

LOUD NOISES AND SLAMMING WEIGHTS

Loud grunting, no matter male or female, is not attractive, and in some gyms not even permitted. There’s no need to be obnoxious. It won’t bring the sort of attention you’re looking for. When you’re pushing or lifting heavy weight and an audible exhale of relief slips from your lips, this is different (and fine). You will know what I mean once you get there. You’ll see (hear) both.

Slamming or dropping weights is also a no. It ruins the equipment, again draws unnecessary attention, and in general is just rude and unattractive. You’re also more likely to hurt yourself, or those around you, if you do this. You may even get asked to leave, depending on what gym you’re at.

FORM AND SAFETY

If you don’t have a trainer or a friend who is knowledgeable on what good form is, do yourself a huge favor and Google how to have proper form when using gym equipment and weights!

I am not going to be the one to give you those tutorials here, but study this before you start.

Proper form is for your safety!

Trust me, depending on how bad your form is, you can (and will) injure yourself, possibly for life, if you do not understand proper form and technique.

This is also another good reason to sign up for training for the first month or so, especially if you’ve never in your life worked with machines and weights.

SLOW DOWN

Faster is not better. Along with good form comes good lifting technique. This includes a slow, steady pace of up and down, or push and pull, at the same, steady, speed. Again, a trainer can explain this. But as a general rule of thumb, when lifting, you want a 2-0-2, steady rhythm and speed when doing your reps.

Count slowly 1, 2, 0(here you’re at the “top” of your move) 1 , 2.

When you’re throwing your weight around recklessly (with speed), you’re out of control and more susceptible to injury. You’re also not giving your muscles the proper training of endurance and load to grow adequately and evenly.

Building muscle means loading your muscle properly, and strengthening is done with endurance by gradually loading on more weight as you get stronger over time. This happens after about 2-6 weeks, depending on your fitness level in the beginning.

LIGHTEN UP

Heavier weight isn’t always better, especially for a beginner! When you are starting off, start light. Don’t worry about what others think about you. At the beginning you need light weight, – sometimes even no weight – with high reps. Once you’ve mastered this with good form, you can then increase your weight and lower your reps. (All of this in more detail later). Again, this will be 2-6 weeks from starting, depending on your fitness level at the beginning.

CARDIO MACHINES

As I keep saying, good form is necessary, not only for injury prevention, but also for gaining results.

There are a lot of cardio machines and options. All of them need to be used with proper form, but I am going to point out just two common machines that are used a lot and very often with bad form.

Treadmill:

The treadmill has a button that will change the incline. This will change your position from walking on a flat surface to up a hill. It can be slight or very steep, depending on what you want. When you use this button, never hold onto the handlebars to hold your weight so that you can lean back while walking. This is terrible form and potentially dangerous. If you increase the incline, you should always walk on the treadmill exactly the way you’d walk up a hill with no handles, leaning forward. If this is too hard, don’t use an incline until you have the leg strength and cardiac endurance to walk up a hill at a steady pace.

Stairmaster:

The stairmaster is one of my favorite’s. It also has handles for safety reasons. But they aren’t there to lighten the load. It is better and safer, to keep your speed slow, rather than speed it up and hold on in an unnatural position. Walk up the stairs the same way you would if you were walking up real stairs: standing in an upright position. Never lean (hunched) down while supporting your upper body weight on your elbows, forearms or hands.

If you are too tired to stand upright with good form, slow down, take a break or stop for the day.

CLEAN UP AND PUT AWAY WEIGHTS

Finally, wipe down and clean up your area before you leave to go to a new machine or location. It is rude and inconsiderate and just gross, to leave your sweat behind for the person that comes after you.

Always put away your weights.

ALWAYS.

Everybody is at a different level in their fitness and have different goals and workouts. Some move quickly and are on a timed workout that requires moving from one place to another in a timely fashion. Having to work around someone else’s weights, or re-rack someone else’s weights before they can do their set, slows them down and is just very irritating and also inconsiderate.

Also, if you are a large man and using heavy weight, a nice little lady coming behind you that does not have the strength that you have, cannot use that machine because she is unable to rack those weights. Always think of others when you are moving from one machine or location to another.

SHOULD YOU LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE JOINING A GYM?

Losing weight before joining a gym is absolutely not necessary!

A gym is for all body types, on all fitness levels, and for people that have all sorts of goals. It is a great place to start, no matter your fitness level.

You do not need to lose weight to walk into a gym, just like you don’t need to be saved before walking into a church, or be healthy before going to a doctor.

Check out several gyms before making a decision as to which one is for you. There are just about as many gyms as there are personality types, so take your time.

If you have any other questions, I’m here to help! Hit me up on any of the social media platforms you enjoy the most. I’m on (almost) all of them. . . Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest ,Linkedin, and balance8life.