7 Tips to Get More Out of Your Workout

If you’re the type of person who goes to the gym on a regular basis, I’m sure you’ve developed a workout plan that works for you.

That’s awesome!

When it comes to exercise, it’s all about knowing your own body. If you’ve figured out what works best for you, keep on doing what you’re doing. However, there are a few small things you can do to further tweak the effectiveness of your workout plan.

These tips are designed to help you get the most out of your workouts. They are designed to optimize your workout plan, not to replace it. If you apply these tips, I guarantee you will see much better results in your overall fitness and body composition. I personally apply these techniques to my daily workouts, and they have contributed to tremendous results in my overall fitness. I’ve burned off 6% body fat in 12 weeks, I’ve lost 15 pounds, and I’ve actually gained muscle mass in the process!

Hard to believe? Try them out and see for yourself!

1. Moderate to high intensity cardio before you eat your first meal: Studies show that you can burn up to 300% more body fat with a 30-minute cardio workout in the morning before you eat, than you can if you workout after you’ve eaten your first meal. The reason for this? When you wake up, you’re in a fasted state. Most people haven’t eaten in 10-12 hours. While you are sleeping, your body is slowly metabolizing the carbs in your system. This means you’re body has low carbohydrate and blood sugar counts when you wake up. Since there are no carbs in your system (standard energy used during cardio workouts), your body begins to burn fat directly (alternate form of energy). The energy must come from somewhere! Also, this type of cardio workout has a strong after-burn effect. Since your metabolism is kick-started before you’ve eaten your first meal, your body will devour and metabolize everything you put into it following your workout. Try it out for a few days, and you will realize you’re extremely hungry right after your workout, and will continue to be hungry shortly after your meals throughout the day.
2. Heart-rate train: This has proven to be one of the most important factors in enhancing the effectiveness of my workout. I’ve seen great fat-loss results simply by adjusting my target heart rate zone during my cardio workouts. To figure out your optimal fat-loss target heart rate zone, use the Karvonen Heart Rate Calculator. Once you’ve gotten the output from the formula, scroll down to the “New Method,” and look at the 65% and 70% numbers. When you are between these two heart rates, the largest percentage of your calories burned will be from fat. This is accurate for about 75% of people, and even if it’s not 100% accurate for you, you’ll know you’re close!
3. Purchase a heart rate monitor: Obviously if you want to know whether or not you are training in your optimal heart rate zone, you’re going to need a heart rate monitor. Most cardio equipment comes with a built in heart rate monitor (you put your hands on those metal sensors), however I’ve found these to be inaccurate compared to a heart rate monitor with a telemetry strap (wraps around your chest). Another great thing about HR monitors is that most cardio equipment picks up the signal from the telemetry strap and displays it on its dashboard, so you don’t have to wear the heart rate watch. This is much more accurate because the machine takes into account the intensity of your workout and calculates calories burned accordingly. You can purchase a Polar heart rate monitor, or an Acumen heart rate monitor. I personally use Acumen, because it’s cheaper, and it works just as well as Polar.
4. Keep a workout journal: Recording the amount of reps, sets, and weight you are lifting is essential. A journal gives you the ability to view your progress, make adjustments to your workout, and keeps you on track with your fitness goals. I typically don’t take a journal with me to the gym. Instead I record my workouts in Live Journal after I’m done. Being able to look at my results for the day helps me figure out what I need to do in my next workout.
5. Constantly improve: Each time you go to the gym and workout a muscle group, you need to make progress. This useful technique prevents you from hitting a plateau. For example, I recorded my results from today’s chest, shoulder, triceps and abs workout in my journal. I recorded the weight I lifted, the amount of reps I did, and the amount of sets I completed for each muscle group. The next time I’m at the gym, I’ll increase the number of reps in each muscle group’s workout, even if it’s only by one. This means I’m always making progress. Once I hit 12 reps for a specific workout, I jump to a new weight, usually adding 5 pounds to the routine. The same concept applies to your cardio workout. Each time, strive to make progress. This may mean cutting 10 seconds off your 1-mile time, or increasing the resistance level on the elliptical machine.
6. Always carry a water bottle: When you’re at the gym, I’m sure you see the really lean, muscular guys walking around with huge 1 gallon jugs of water. They do this because they understand the importance of hydration to their workout routine. Water keeps your body functioning optimally, and is especially important to the fat loss process. Your kidneys process the urea, salt, and other waste products in your body. In order for your kidneys to their job, your body has to be adequately hydrated. If it’s not, the liver will have to come over and help out the kidneys with the waste processing. This is bad because the liver is supposed to be processing the fat you’re burning during your workout. How can it perform this task if it’s busy helping your kidneys? It can’t. Make sure you’re drinking enough water so your liver can do its job, not only while you’re working out, but throughout the entire day!
7. Create a progress spreadsheet: A progress chart will hold you accountable for your results, and will keep you motivated. Create a weekly progress chart in Excel. On the chart, record the date, time, your body fat percentage, and your weight. This is the chart I use: Progress Chart Example. Just enter data into the first 5 columns, and the rest will be calculated for you. You can measure your body fat easily by purchasing a body fat caliper from Accumeasure. You will become excited as the end of week approaches, because you will be eager to see the progress you’ve made. You’ll find it hard not to go to the gym because you’re seeing such great results!

Share Your Results

Incorporate these steps into your workout plan, and watch as the quality of your results increases exponentially. Please let me know about your results using these techniques. Contact me, or leave a comment. I’m excited to hear about the progress you’ve made! Also, if you have any other additional tips or suggestions, please leave a comment so everyone can benefit.

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