Tips to improve your workouts

Published: July 29, 2019

So you probably know by now that exercise is good for you. Maybe you’ve even created a steady routine and you have been persevering it for awhile. Bravo! However, if you are still unsure that you are doing the right exercises or whether you are executing them correctly, your freelance personal trainer Dubai can help you improve your workouts. Even if you are an exercise fanatic, you could benefit from checking yourself and adjusting your habits. And what about your workout beliefs? Are you in the right mindset to achieve your body or conditioning goals? Here are the 11 ways to improve your fitness routine and your workout beliefs.

1. Exercising too much is not a good way to improve your workouts.

Believe it or not, you can overdo your exercise regime. Well, you better believe it, because it is coming from body functionality experts. Recent study scientists have conducted says that people who did 60 minutes of exercise a day lost less weight than the ones who exercised for 30 minutes daily. How can this be happening? The answer is hidden in our brains. It is actually psychological, not physiological. For some people who exercise a lot, it is true that they have routines that detract from their physical health outside of the gym. They may feel justified about eating more or drinking great quantities of alcohol. So in fact, moderation when it comes to fat-burning workouts helps. That way you won’t lose all your will power at the gym then go home and engage in behaviors that would derail you from your goals.

2. Enough variety is an amazing way to improve your workouts

Having enough variety in your regime means that you should have a well-rounded workout. Include muscle strengthening in your regime. You can use free weights, resistance machines, dumbbells, or some combination of these to create a healthy balance. Add stretching (which should always be mandatory), flexibility and balance exercises such are Pilates, Tai Chi, or Yoga. These additions will improve your workouts because you’re making sure that the muscle strength your building up doesn’t leave your joints too tight and stiff. Remember, you should exercise in moderation. Don’t work for the same muscle groups on consecutive days. Also, note that there is a 48-hour rule about muscle conditioning. Your muscle tissue needs a full day to recover. It is the time it will take for you to heal in between training sessions.

3. Take care of your extremities

Physical exercise will usually put a lot of stress on your lower extremities. Running, most kinds of sports activities and any type of aerobic exercises are particularly stressful on the knees. Most injuries happen during quick changes in direction. Sports that will impact you in this way the most are tennis and basketball. When you choose to pursue these activities, you have to make sure you can protect those precious joints. Get that protection sleeve, elastic wrist splint, compression glove, or Kinesio tapes. You may pay some more money now but you will save yourself the agony of time and pain later. Protect yourself from arthritis, fractures, or damage to your ligaments now with proper gear.

4. Find what motivates you

When you start a new activity, you need to experiment with different incentives that will get you in the mood. Try playing your favorite music and any other improvised ideas until you find the one motivator that can easily get you in the right mood and state of mind. If you’re a people person, the lonely run at 6 am will not work for you. You will benefit greatly from group exercise classes. If you’re a TV shows junkie, then you should improve your workouts by exercising in front of your TV or computer screen. When you are able to satisfy more than one need at a time when you are working out, it is more likely that you’ll integrate exercise into your daily life.

5. Save the best for last

When you do the exercise you like least first and save the one you like the most for last, you can improve your workouts greatly. This way you’ll apply a principle that psychologists call the “Premack Principle”. It’s the one that people call “grandma’s law”, which means you are saving the best for last. In grandma’s words, you should eat your dessert after you’ve finished with dinner. In exercise terms, do what you like least first so that you can be excited about finishing your workout with an exercise you like the best. That way you ensure yourself a well-rounded workout. Bonus is that the less desirable activity will eventually reward you with its own rewarding properties.

6. Don’t exercise when you’re hungry

Speaking of dessert, you should not be working out when you’re hungry. If you forget this rule, exercising on an empty stomach can create one of two undesirable scenarios. The first one starts on a physiological level. If you are haven’t eaten, you won’t perform at your maximum capacity, or worse, you risk passing out. The second reason is psychological. When you feel like you’ve deprived yourself on some delish foods, you might overeat after your session. It’s the effects of ego depletion once again. So in order to improve your workouts, try promising yourself an indulgence after exercising.

7. Adapt your exercise to your body’s level in order to improve your workouts

A good workout program trains your real body, not your ideal one. If you’re not very strong or toned, but you’ve always dreamed of being that, don’t start exercises with piling on heavyweights on your untrained frame. When you stop expecting instantaneous results, you can begin to improve your workouts. In the beginning, you must put your focus on form and proper technique. Leave obsessing with speed or strength for later. You have to set realistic goals for someone of your age, height, weight, health, and overall physical abilities. Never compete with the other people at the gym or anyone for that matter. Do what you need to do, and what you enjoy doing, then build up from there.

8. When something hurts, stop doing it

It’s surprising how many people keep going through the pain thinking that that will somehow improve their workouts. You must remember that the motto “no pain no gain” is better used to describe the psychological rather than the physical type of pain when it comes to getting results. Soreness and a small level of discomfort are normal when you want to improve your workouts, at least until endorphins take over. However, if you feel any kind of prolonged aches and strains, you need to see a doctor and start all over. Rethink your exercise strategy.

9. Measure your progress

And be honest while doing it. Keep track of your progress in order to be aware of how near your goal is. And that way you’ll know if you need to improve your workouts in order to reach your dreamed results.

10. Recognize that you will have setbacks

No one can make instant progress from a sedentary lifestyle to a perfect body. You will have setbacks and there will be days when you feel overwhelmed and tired. Don’t put yourself down because you missed one or two workouts.