Six Things You Can Do to Improve Your Workout Results

Do you ever feel that your effort doesn't equal the benefits you get from working out? You worked hard at the gym, but are you still having trouble maintaining that 8-minute mile or has your squat PR plateaued?

The adage "stop working harder, start working smarter" is well-known. However, what is meant by smarter? Here are six strategies to improve your training and get closer to your performance or body composition objectives.

Prioritize:

Focus on tailoring your workouts to support your specific fitness goals. Choose exercises that align with your objective, whether it's building strength or preparing for a marathon. Avoid spreading yourself thin by trying to excel in conflicting areas. Prioritize training that will optimize your results.

Periodize:

The overload principle requires gradually increasing exercise demands to improve fitness. However, overdoing it can lead to a performance plateau or decline. Properly periodizing exercise volume and intensity is key for optimal fitness gains. Periodization can span months, incorporating lighter training weeks every four to six weeks. It can also be done weekly by rotating high-intensity, low-intensity, and recovery days.

Plan:

Wandering aimlessly around the gym is the fastest way to kill an hour. After deciding on a training objective, you can create a strategy that gives the most beneficial training modalities top priority. In order to develop a long-term plan, consider:

How many days a week should I train, or is that really possible?

Which exercises are essential for my workouts? How frequently—once or twice a week, for example—should these exercises be performed?

Which repetition schema and set will help me reach my objectives the most?

Which movement patterns or exercises are the most important for me to focus on on any particular day?

Start with these exercises. How many days do I need to rest in between workouts?

Refuel:

To maintain fitness gains, it's crucial to refuel properly post-workout. Consuming adequate protein and carbs after exercise promotes glycogen replenishment and muscle repair. Research shows that 20 grams of post-workout protein can boost muscle protein synthesis. Carbs are also key for restoring glycogen stores, supporting muscle repair. Cutting post-workout carbs can hinder progress, so aim for a balance of protein and carbs to help muscles recover, grow, and fuel future workouts.

Recover:

Muscular adaptations occur post-training from muscle tissue damage, leading to growth in size or strength. After exercising, the body reverts to its resting state in 24-48 hours. Inadequate recovery time hampers progress. Sleep aids in recovery just like nutrition. Multiple systems benefit from sleep, such as immune function, hormonal secretion for repair and growth, and nervous system recovery. To optimize workouts, aim for at least seven hours of quality sleep nightly.

Reset:

Your body sees exercise as stress, activating the "fight or flight" response through the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Chronic SNS activation impairs performance, so it's important to engage the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) for balance. This "rest and digest" state counteracts stress effects and improves recovery. Practice deep breathing post-exercise to activate the PNS, aiding healing and progress.

Optimize Your Training:

Your health and fitness outcomes will be greatly enhanced by a little pre-workout preparation and post-workout refueling. You may maximize training, prevent injuries, and get the most out of your exercise regimen by using these six tactics.