Train More in Less Time With These Training Density Tips
If you work long hours and lead any kind of social life, finding time to workout can be your biggest obstacle to achieving your fitness goals. But you don’t need to spend hours in the gym for results. Here are some ways to shorten your workout.
The key to training quickly and effectively is a concept called training density . It is often used interchangeably with training intensity , but it is not the same thing – intensity refers to how heavy the weights are compared to your maximum one repetition (i.e. your personal best), while density refers to your performance. most of the work (ie offset the most weight) in the least amount of time.
Building on this, Eric Cressy , co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance, provides the following tips to help you cut down on your time in the gym:
- Spend Time On Your Own The easiest way to cut back on your time in the gym is to make sure you don’t sit around “resting” any longer than necessary. The length of rest will vary depending on how hard you exercise. If you are walking light, half a minute or a minute should be enough. For heavy weights, it may take 2-3 minutes. If you’re unsure, do it long enough to think you can do it again, but not so much that you forget how you felt in the last set.
- Eliminate Distractions In the gym, it can be difficult to stay focused when a Candy Crush call from your phone beckons between sets. But resist! Set limits on yourself so that when you are in the gym, you are just exercising and ignore everything else.
- Minimize Diversity The amount of time wasted waiting for equipment, loading / unloading loads and changing equipment settings always amazes me. This is a real black hole. To avoid this, cut back on the total number of exercises in your routine and replace whatever you can with compound exercises – movements that target more than one part of the body. Likewise, use multipurpose equipment so you have fewer things to fiddle with in order to change exercises. For example, a barbell can be used for squats, barbell squats, deadlifts, barbell lunges, and hip jumps – and that’s almost a leg workout in and of itself.
- Don’t go beyond your capabilities. Admittedly, moving with less weights is not a cause for selfishness, but when you stick to a strict rest regimen, you cannot afford to fuel your ego, unless you want to pass out on the gym floor. Lose some weight so you can exercise safely and quickly, and don’t be afraid to lose a few tens of pounds if you start to get tired.
For more tips and details on how to increase your training density, see the article below.
7 Ways To Increase Your Training Intensity | ericcressey.com
Images of Olga Zelenskaya and Berry .
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