WorkOut: Tips and Techniques to Maximize Your Fitness Level

Whether you’re new to working out or have been at it for a while, understanding how to workout can make all the difference when it comes to achieving your fitness goals. This blog post, we will explore the essential tips and techniques to help you make the most out of your fitness journey.

Set Your Goals and Make it Happen!

The first step to a successful workout regime is to set realistic goals. Be specific about what you want to achieve and create a plan to get there. Make long-term goals and break them down into smaller, more manageable ones. As you progress and hit the smaller goals, the success will compound and achieving long term goals becomes manageable 

Starting a new workout routine can be tempting to jump right in. It’s crucial to start slow and gradually build the intensity. Break down your routine into push/pull movements for both upper and lower body. From there, decide what days you want to do upper body and lower body. Then go with 3-5 exercises for 3-5 sets each and shoot for working reps that make you slightly uncomfortable. What I mean by uncomfortable,  you should be gritting your teeth, possibly make some grunting sounds, toward the last 3-5 reps. Adding to that don’t stick with a certain number of reps in the beginning.

You’re still figuring out how strong you are and what you can handle.  Perform reps until you are uncomfortable. If you’re working bench press going for 10 reps but still feel like you can do more, do more reps! As you go through a routine you want to get to a point where you can do a working set till failure and repeat that for multiple sets. Once you get there, manipulation of reps, sets, and weight start to become real important but that’s for later down the road.

Apporpriate Methods When Exercising

Hitting full range of motion is crucial to build muscle to the utmost degree. Whether it’s a deep squat,  getting your hamstrings to touch your calfs or a barbell row protracting your shoulder blades to stretch out your back, full range of motion will give you the best bang for your buck. Using full range of motion enables the muscle to stretch in every aspect of the movement, not just partial movement. Talking about aches and pains going through full range of motion, exercise with caution and use best judgment.

 

If you experience pain start with your technique, is everything accurate to the movement you want to accomplish? If no, address the technique , if yes then maybe regress range of motion to just before the point of pain while still working other movements, not eliciting pain, through full range of motion. Going through the program and  everything hurts start with the basics and go from there. Mobility, stability, full range of motion with great technique, adding weight.  Strive toward a quality full range of motion movement before trying to add weight to it.

This point coincides with Full range of motion. Proper form during exercise is essential as it helps prevent injuries and ensures you’re targeting the right muscles. Slow and controlled for the decent portion of a movement and explode through the raising portion of the movement is the name of the game. form is consequential to the body adapting within an exercise program. Never add weight to anything if the form isn’t satisfying with the pervious weight used.

How to Finish a Workout

Before and after your workout, ensure you properly warm-up and cool down. This is essential for preventing injuries and aiding in recovery. Warming up with dynamic stretching or performing easy lightweight (Full ROM) reps can get your muscles ready for the workout. For example if you plan to back squat, start with light weight on the bar, and with perfect technique, perform the movement for a high number of reps and maybe complete it one more cycle depending on how you feel.

Cooling down with static stretching or yoga can reduce muscle soreness and improve flexibility. Implement some breathing exercises for 3-5 minutes to help relax you from an intense workout. Focus on relaxing and slowing your breathing down to help break you out of the sympathetic response and into the parasympathetic response.

Working out is a journey, not a destination. It takes time, patience, and effort to achieve your goals. By following these essential tips and techniques, you maximize your fitness journey ensuring you get the benefits of every workout. Remember, consistency is key, and it’s never too late to start your fitness journey. Find what works for you, and enjoy the rewarding benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.