Everyone says that they know what they are doing when it comes to working out effectively or at least they think they do.
But this is not always the case.
Throughout the years of experience, I have acquired a few fundamental tactics that could help you get the most out of your hour of power when you train.
Some might seem obvious, but still respect them and learn to apply them consistently.
1. Warm up!
- “Duh, dude” is probably the first thought in your head. Well let me ask you, do you know how to warm up in an effective manner. Maybe you do, but bear with me. The warm up is so crucial to getting a good work out in because it is what establishes the pace for the remainder of the workout.
- In order to warm up for a kick ass work out, take your time.
- Start by shaking off your limbs. Do some slow movement and some isometric holds to start raising your body’s temperature. Make sure you are continuously moving so that you can keep getting warmer.
- You should incorporate stretching after you’re a little warm. You can hurt yourself if you stretch cold.
- Once you got some blood flowing, go ahead and smack the muscles that you are targeting in your workout. That’s right, slap that area like it was a bongo. It should definitely make a sound. This will bring even more blood to the area.
- You also want to always have the core warm too, this is because it is literally used in almost every movement you do. Unless you are isolating a small muscle like the bicep or shoulder. But even then, you will still ask for help from the core.
- Warm up for the core can involve doing planks, one of my all time faves, or the a glute bridge which will engage the lower back like hell.
- Make sure you go in the working sets, with blood flowing through your veins!
2. Do ATLEAST one set to failure.
- Growth is your body’s response to stress. It is the adaptation that happens when we pound our bodies with movement that is unfamiliar.
- Even if you are not training for muscle growth, failure sets will help improve your skill and/or strength.
- Why? Simple. It forces your body to adapt to a new level of demands.
- Repping till you can’t anymore is the fastest way to produce growth on the human body, take advantage of it.
3. Cooldown
- Are you the type to just finish the workout after the last set of your working exercises?
- If you are, quit the habit. Incorporate at least 5 minutes of cooling down, either by stretching or doing low intensity movement like hanging after a pull up session, twists after a core session or hold top of a push up after a push session.
- Stretching is specially important so you can restore flexibility and full range of motion into the muscles that you were contracting throughout the whole workout.
- You will also release extra wastes from your muscles like lactic acid.
- It speeds up RECOVERY! This is a big one.
- It gives your heart and your blood flow a smoother transition. Sometimes, when you don’t cool down, your blood will stay in your large muscles and your brain wont get enough supply of oxygen causing dizziness or lightheaded.
These 3 fundamental principles should be practiced in each of your workouts. They will make a difference.
The warm up will absolutely help you get a better workout.
The failure sets will force more growth in your body.
The cool down will restore flexibility, range of motion, redistribute blood around the body and speed up recovery.
