No one hits the gym hoping for so-so results, you go in wanting to get 100% out of each rep, run and bead of sweat. Fortunately for you, scientists and researchers want the same thing from you – here are 13 ways to maximize your workout efficiency.
Lift Weights
“If you just do cardio, you’re sabotaging yourself,” says Jacob Wilson, Ph.D., a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Resistance training builds muscle to increase your metabolic rate, he says. Harvard study: Those who spent 20 minutes a day weight training gained less abdominal fat over the course of 12 years.
Listen to Music
People who listened to music after their workout recovered faster than those who went without tunes. Music boosts the body’s levels of serotonin and dopamine, hormones that foster recovery. Try listening to a few of your favorite, most relaxing tracks as soon as you finish your workout. It will help your blood pressure and heart rate get back to normal and recovery happen ASAP.
Swap Stretching for a Dynamic Warmup
Warming up with dynamic bodyweight moves like leg extensions and squats can increase blood flow and improve your range of motion without compromising your muscles’ elastic properties. If you’re about to go for a run, it’s a good idea to move through about five to 10 minutes of lunges, knee raises and leg swings before hitting the treadmill.
Preface your Workout With Carbs
Carbohydrates are your body’s primary fuel for any high-intensity workout. When your body is fueled, your body will put forth a better effort and get a better value. So even if you like your morning workouts, make sure to eat some toast or oatmeal before you head out of the door.
Do Intervals
High-intensity interval training burns more calories per minute than any other workout, according to University of Wisconsin-La Crosse professor David Wall. In one study, people who performed an interval workout with pushups, burpees, squats and lunges burned an average of 15 calories a minute. To burn similar calories, follow the protocol: Perform as many reps as possible for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, repeat for a total of four minutes.
Drink Water
Losing just 2% of your body weight in fluids can make your workout feel harder, reduce your exercise performance and reduce your body’s ability to recover. Some gym-goers sweat out 6 to 10% of their body weight; drink 1 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight per day. To make sure you’re drinking enough water during your workout, weigh yourself both before and after a sweat session.
Use Free Weights
Exercises using free weights lead to greater hormonal responses compared to similar exercises performed on exercise machines. Free-weight exercises tap a wider range of muscles. “Whenever you have to move a free weight and you don’t have anything guiding or supporting you like a machine, all of your synergistic muscles have to fire”.
Get a Better Night’s Sleep
Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every single night. Poor sleep hinders not only your exercise performance (and the number of calories you burn), but also your body’s ability to come back stronger after every workout. “Sleep drives the hormonal shifts that promote the body’s recovery to exercise,” says Carlson-Phillips.
Indulge in a Massage
Massage affects genes in your muscle cells to decrease inflammation and increase their mitochondria, which help power exercise and recovery. It’s important to remember that your muscles don’t get fitter during your workout; they do so between your workouts as they recover and adapt to exercise. “Massage helps this process along,” says exercise physiologist Anthony Wall.
Drink Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk contains a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein, which means it’s great for post-workout recovery. The protein stimulates muscle repair, while the carbohydrates replete your energy stores and help protein get into your muscles. After high-intensity or long duration workouts, try drinking a glass as soon after your workout as you can.
Switch Things Up
Exercisers who perform both deep and full squats reaped greater fitness gains than those who performed only deep squats. Performing multiple variations of an exercise changes the muscles recruited and the amount of weight you can lift. Changing those variations every month will also keep your body guessing.
Get a Cardio Buddy
Cyclists who exercise with a partner are twice as likely to finish their workout faster and get more out of every session, according to study. Having someone else around pushes you to perform at your best and makes workouts feel less difficult, says Perkins. The results mean you can exercise longer and harder and have more fun with each trip to the gym.
Eat Protein Before Bed
A nighttime snack rich in casein, a slow-digesting protein, keeps amino acid and muscle protein synthesis rates elevated all throughout the night. To get the casein protein you need, Carlson-Phillips recommends eating Greek yogurt or cottage cheese after your workouts and before you turn in for the day.
