When you make the decision that you want to get fitter, feel better and maybe you want some weight loss as well. Every day after waking up, you shower,then take in a highprotein based breakfast, and head to the gym. You spend quite some time on the treadmill, tire up by doing the chest workout, then do a few sets of curls, become exhausted and go home. Next day, the same routine. Rinse, and repeat.
READ: 5 WORKOUT MISTAKES BEGINNERS SHOULD AVOID
Ring a bell? Well, I’ll bet you that it’s not working.
“People who just go through the motions, doing the same workout over and over again each week, don’t make progress, In order to see results, your body needs a new training stimulus,” says Craig Ballantyne, C.T.T., owner of CB Athletic Consulting, Inc.
“A new program demands more from the body,” says Ballantyne. “The body reacts by changing—think muscle growth, increased strength, and improved aerobic capacity.”
The body is a lazy machine and unless you push it to improve, it has no reason to get better.
It’s not hard to get used to the feel of workouts and do better in them. But to get more results in weight loss program, you’re going to need that extra boost. If you’ve been doing a lot of weight loss exercises but you just can’t seem to lose that stubborn fat. Then what you need is some changes in your weight loss program.
Use these 5 tips below to break the chain and amp up your routine.
- Set Your Goal:
Be clear on the end result. If you don’t know where you are going then how are you going to get there? “I go to the gym to keep fit” is too vague and shows that you don’t have a specific goal. If you are unhappy with your 5 months pregnant looking belly, then make the goal that ‘I want to get rid of my pregnant belly in 2 months’ or any specific goal.
Plan exactly what you want then work your butt off to achieve your results. You’ll have the fabulous feeling of achievement once you reach your goal as opposed to “dragging your behind” to go to the gym.
SEE: Gym for beginners
- Master The Correct Form:
The most important factors in your training are your form &technique– if you don’t do it right it could result in injury and stop you from training. A good technique can allow you to continue your training longer without leaving your joints sore.
To utilize the full benefit of exercises you need to master the correct form of every exercise. Else your pain will be in vain. Note down the points below to get the most out of your weight loss program,
- Squat: Always keep your knees outward.A common mistake is letting the knee fall inward. It can be easily remedied if you consciously keep your knees apart.
Tip- Do air squats with a mini band around your thighs. It’s an effective process of getting the technique on point.
- Deadlift:
Another mistake you should avoid is keeping your backbone in an unnatural shape during training. This could injure your lower back. Avoid this by maintaining the natural shape of your backbone.
Tip- Imagine a straight stick running along the length of your spine; if your pelvis curls off the bottom of the stick during the deadlift, then you’ve lost your lumbar curve.
ALSO: 5 Commandments of Gym Safety
- Shoulder Press:
Follow the natural plane of shoulder motion to decrease the risk ofgetting your shoulder impinged.
Tip- Keep your elbows in front of your chest level, rather than keeping them at your sides.
- Plank:
Free yourself from unnecessary spinal compression by not letting your head and belly sag to the floor.
Tip- Keep a concentrated core and shoulder girdle and be as straight as possible from the top of your skull to your feet.
- Running:
Your landing should be as soft as possible for decreased impact on your joints.
Tip- The trick to do this is to decrease your stride length while increasing your cadence simultaneously.
- Stay The Course:
The most vital point of getting good results from weight loss workouts is to stay the course. You cannot give up in the middle. It’s mandatory for you to maintain the weight loss program regularly you’re in. Keep these below in mind to stay motivated.
READ: What a beginner needs to know about the gym!
- Make a workout squad. Competition is always good.
- Exercise in the fitness machines can be very boring. To nullify these boredom rowing machines can be very effective. It’s interesting because of its various exercises. And more if you have partners in crime.
- It’s basic human instinct. You do what you like. You leave what you don’t like. So choose a machine and workout routine which you prefer and is enjoyable to you.
Don’t just go crazy and come out having sore joints and minimal weight loss. You don’t wantthat. You want to stay in the course, do the heart-wrenching exercises and be a winner by losing weight.
As Jason Fyk says and I quote, “If you give up, you’ve lost. If you haven’t given up it means you just haven’t won yet.”
- Work Smart, Not Hard:
The equation for success is simple. Working hard doesn’t give you the success. Hitting the right points by working smartly does. It’s the motto of the smart people.
You need to burn calories without fully exhausting your energy reserve.Use these determining factors to really get the best out of workouts.
- Mix up between types of exercises
- Keep the intensity of exercise always high
- You have to at least spend 20 minutes a day exercising
- Work as many muscles as possible. Exercises on rowing machineare good for weight loss by working 82% muscles! Rowing works 9 major muscle groups: shoulders, triceps, back and biceps,core, quads, hamstrings, glutes, as well as giving you an amazing cardio that you can really fit into your own liking and needs. And most of all your precious time!
- Control Your Kitchen Habit:
Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not in the gym. For weight loss, cardio on machines such as the rowing machine should help. But you should know that the Battle with the Belly will be won or lost in the kitchen. Calories out Calories in. More out than in? Get thin!
SEE: 5 Tips to Succeed at the Gym
To sum up, erase from your mind that shortcuts can get you there. The only way to achieve your goal is old-fashioned disciplined hard work, smart technique,and determination. I believe shortcutting your efforts results in shortchanging your results.
AUTHOR BIO
ABOUT Alycia Gordan
Alycia Gordan is a freelance writer who loves to read and write articles on healthcare technology, fitness and lifestyle. She is a tech junkie and divides her time between travel and writing. You can find her on Twitter: @meetalycia