The gym’s a great place, and apart from the cozy comfort of jumping onto your mattress after a hard day’s work, nothing else comes close to the fleeting satisfaction of physical exercise, giving it your all, and feeling that afterburn from a tough workout. Plus, all that dedication and determination isn’t limited to the gym alone. Still, it’s also brought back home and into the kitchen, where everybody’s trying their best to eat like Chris Hemsworth and obtain the peak physique of their bodies.
However, if there’s one thing we are all guilty of doing when engaging in our favorite exercises is the sin of being unproductive at the gym and spending too much time idle when we could be a lot more focused. Sure, some would argue that a bit of slack may not seem like a big disadvantage in the grand scheme of things; it does reinforce bad habits that slow down your progress and annoys everyone else around you.
If You Go In Without A Game Plan, Don’t Expect A Win.
You see, just like anything else in this world, from your career to the simple chores around the house, going in without a game plan is a flawed strategy because it will almost always guarantee a loss. As a result, going to the gym, planning your workouts on the go, and not being responsible with your time management only end with you wasting time and substandard results. So before you swing those two doors open, here are two things you should stop doing at the very least:
- Spending Way Too Much Time On Your Phone: Whether we admit it or not, spending way too much time on our phones is a mistake we’ve all done at least once during our workouts. And even if you’re scrolling through notes, it does eat time that could be spent on your sets or some dynamic stretching between exercises. So, it is in your best interests to put the phone down and focus on the task in front of you.
- Treating Your Workout Time As Relaxation: Look, we understand that workouts can be challenging and tough on the body because we’ve had our fair share of grueling leg routines and high-intensity full-body splits. However, this shouldn’t be used as an excuse to treat your workout time as a means of relaxation wherein you’re taking up machines and benches by sitting and waiting. Sure, you deserve to take a breather, but if that comes at the cost of everyone else’s workout routine, then you might want to take a rain check on your gym etiquette first.
Stay On Your Toes But Keep Things Balanced
Given the reasons mentioned above, it’s pretty clear that everyone should try their best to be productive with their workout schedules, not just for the sake of their progress but also for not burdening other gym-goers too. And just like how you would play duckpin bowling, the goal is to stay on your toes but keep the plan balanced.
#1 Avoid Distractions And Limit Phone Use To Music/Podcasts
Firstly, an excellent way of staying focused and avoiding distractions that could take away from your workout productivity; it helps to limit phone use for tunes and podcasts. As a result, you drown out the noise from everyone else’s use of weights and can even pump yourself up for that next set. Plus, if you’re more inclined to listen to podcasts, it’s a great way of learning while exercising too.
#2 Don’t Take Long Breaks In-Between Your Sets
Just like we’ve mentioned before, nobody likes the guy who spends way too much time resting in between their sets to catch their breath. So, to help alleviate this problem, we strongly recommend that you use a timer for your rest in between exercises to track your entire workout routine better and avoid overdoing the recovery aspect. You might even end up with more gains because you’re putting those muscles under a lot more stress and time under tension.
#3 Seek Professional Guidance From A Personal Trainer
Last but not least, if you struggle with keeping track and managing your workout routines by yourself, you can always try seeking professional help from a personal trainer to show you the ropes and curate specific exercises for your goals. Furthermore, they can also monitor your progress and point out any areas of improvement so that you’re not just jumping from one superset to the next. And, what’s more, personal trainers can also provide workout recovery tips specific to your exercises and related tightness.
There’s Always A Time For Everything, So Stay Focused On Your Training!
Overall, we want to remind everyone that gym time is meant for being productive and getting the most out of your exercises. So save everything else that doesn’t have anything to do with your health and wellness, and stay focused on your training regimen instead.
