We all lead busy lives and one thing I get told is how difficult it can be to find time for exercise. So when we do get time it is important that we make the best use of it. To help you I have written 5 tips to make your workout more efficient.

1. Have a plan

No one should be training without a plan. A plan will allow you to work towards a long term goal and also set short term goals as well to measure progress. It will also allow you to go to your gym and know exactly what exercises you need to do so you do not waste time when you get there.

2. Time your rest breaks

If people are doing circuit training or weight training it is important to time your rest using a clock or a watch. It is too easy to allow a 1 minute break become 4-5 minutes break. This will decrease the effectiveness of your workout and also mean you spend longer in the gym than you need to.

3. Be flexible

If you use a gym then you probably know that certain machines or weights are always busy. You can waste half your workout just queuing to use them. If you have a plan (see tip 1) you can move onto other exercises until the equipment you want is free. Or look and see if there is a similar exercise you can do with equipment that is not used so much (for example do a dumb bell chest  press instead of a bench press).

4. Choose the right exercises

Do you need to spend 40 minutes running on a treadmill or doing 3 different exercises for your biceps? Unless you are training for a specific sport or competition then you probably do not. Instead of steady cardio, try doing high intensity intervals instead. You will find that you have a harder workout in a much shorted time. Also swap isolation exercises (exercises that target a single muscle, for example tricep pull downs or bicep curls) for compound exercises (these target multiple muscle groups, for example squats, burpees, pull ups, deadlifts and push ups). Not only do you train more muscles at one time (saving time), but compound exercises are shown to be much more effective for fat burning.

5. Don't get distracted

This is the most important one. When you are exercising focus on the exercise. Try not to get distracted by having a chat with people or catching up with friends when you are in the gym. Very quickly you could find that 30 minutes of your workout time has gone. Arrange to meet up after training instead when you can both relax and talk then. 

If you have any other great tips to make you workout more efficient or any questions then why not post them here.

TAGS: fitness