Fitness Tips

How to be more productive in the gym by Alex Macdonald

Alex article
Do you find yourself floating around the gym  from machine to machine. Spending hours in the gym thinking you are being productive but actually you are just wasting valuable minutes and even hours?
As a personal trainer I spend a lot of my time in gyms or studios and I see regularly on a daily basis people going through the motions in the gym,  hoping results will happen just by  being inside the gym.
Unfortunately this isn’t the case you do actually have to work at a reasonable rate that will probably make you feel slightly uncomfortable for short periods of time whether that be muscles burning or lungs and heart beating at a higher rate or even sweating..sweating is a good sign that your body is warming up and starting to cool itself down. 
By all means I’m not saying you have to go balls to the wall every session and make yourself feel sick or in pain for half the week so you then miss half a weeks worth of training. 
One good indication of whether you aren’t working hard enough is..  ..if you can hold a conversation whilst performing a set. Please work harder.
Specially in my experience I can’t talk to somebody in the middle of set and my clients certainly can’t.. Again not saying go flat out.. Just hard enough to cause you to focus on the exercise and the muscles you are working. 

  1. Some good ways of improving productivity and work rate in the gym..
  2. If you struggle with short a attention span, group 3-4 exercises together and make a little circuit and complete for 10-15mins.. Then change it up.
  3. Join a fitness class, classes are amazing for keeping you working at the correct intensity.
  4. Have an active rest exercise, or be active in your rest periods with lighter exercises usually bodyweight to keep you moving and stop you from losing interest. E.g Main exercise = squats Active rest = 1min jogging on spot
  5. Get a personal trainer for a session so you can experience the correct level for you and get some added knowledge!
  6. If you know the gym is going to be super busy, try and go at different times of plan ahead for that.. Go to a class! 
  7. Train on your own. Some gym partners are a distraction and only needed for a spot at certain times. 
  8. Train with a gym partner find someone with similar goals and ambitions as you and stick together make exercises or circuits into mini competitions between you. 

Above all leave happy and feeling like you have accomplished something during your time there. Don’t leave thinking you could have done more!!