Do you feel you’re a little stuck with your weight training workouts? If so, here are 4 little tips that should improve your results and shake things up a little for you.
1.) Bookend your workout with a warm-up and a cool down. Before you begin, be sure to always do either a general warm-up which is usually about 5 minutes of walking easy, cycling, jogging, any other gentle aerobic exercise or you could also do a dynamic type of warm up that includes something like bodyweight squats, push-ups, jumping jacks etc. The main purpose of the warm-up is to prepare your body for exercise by increasing your body’s core temp, increasing blood flow and also improving the elasticity of your muscles and connective tissue. Which is a great injury preventer and it also preps your muscles for the work-out. Also be sure to do another post work-out easy cardio stint for about five minutes or so. This active recovery type of activity can help aid in your recuperation of the workout and cut down on muscle soreness. If you still feel sore the next day or two after, don’t worry. Muscle soreness is completely normal and is usually a little bit more intense if you’ve just started with your fitness program.
2.) Go Total Body. If you’re goal is to get your metabolism cranked up and get your biggest bang for your buck, your ideal strength training session should engage the muscles in your legs, back, chest, abs, hips, shoulders and arms. You’ll also gain a lot more benefit metabolically and neuromusculary if you include compound or combination type exercises in your workouts like a squat with an over-head press or a lunge with a bicep curl. Workouts like this not only address all the major muscle groups, but they also hit all the basic movement patterns or ways our bodies move:
Warm‐up Circuit
Exercise 1
Prisoner Squat
Exercise 2
Knee or Regular Push‐up
“Cellulite Circuits” Jiggly Arms 3 Workout
Exercise 1
Ball or Elevated Push‐ups (Left Arm)
Exercise 2
Burpees
Exercise 3
Ball or Elevated Push‐ups (Right Arm)
Exercise 4
Burpees
Exercise 5
Dumbbell Squat with Arm Curl
Exercise 6
Dumbbell Floor Chest Press
Exercise 7
Burpees
Workouts like this one found in the “Cellulite Circuits” program are perfect for not only melting the fat away, but they also tone and shape all of those key areas that need the most help such as your belly, hips, thighs and arms.
3.) Crank Up The Count- Your best bet for making improvements or increasing your strength is to try to strive for 3 rounds or 3 sets for each movement in the workout. A 2007 study in the Journal of Conditioning Research reported that people who did 3 sets of a quadriceps exercise twice a week for 2 months significantly improved the amount they could lift. Those who did only one round remained the same. If you’re an experienced lifter you can more than likely handle the 3 rounds or sets of the exercises. However, if you’re just starting out, I’d stick with one or two rounds and then progress into three when the workouts aren’t a challenge. You need to consistently challenge the body if you desire change. If you want to stay the same, keep doing the same routine.
4.) Fuel Wisely – Don’t go into a workout thirsty. In a 2007 study at the University of Connecticut they found that athletes with less than normal levels of body water performed poorly on certain strength exercises. You don’t need to go to the extreme either and drink after each exercise, but keep the water bottle handy in case you feel thirsty. You also might want to consider a post workout snack that includes both protein and carbohydrates. Something like a slice of sprouted whole grain toast with organic peanut butter or a pear with organic almond butter are great post workout choices. This helps your muscles recover and nourishes the damaged tissue that has occurred during the workout.
Let me know how these 4 little tips improve your workouts and if you have any other suggestions that have boosted your workout results, please add them to the comment section below.