Wow, another month has gone by. What results have you had from your fitness routine? If you are at the same place as 30 days ago, what do you think you need to do differently?
Do you chart your progress?
OK, the last post talked about maximizing your results by using the principal of high intensity training. You want to get the most out of what you do, so you have to keep your intensity level high. Don’t slack off part way through your workout, don’t allow your mind to wander. You are at the gym (or in your home workout area) for a purpose, and that has to be your focus. Not what you need to do later in the day, not how your going to pay your bills, not your relationship status – focus on the workout. Period.
One expression that has stuck with me from my years in the military is the six P’s. Yeah, literally PPPPPP. This stands for Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. So what is your prior planning? Do you know exactly what you are going to do on any given visit to the gym? The more specific your plan, the more efficient your workout and the more likely you are to get the results that you are looking to attain.
So as you enter the doors are you thinking, incline dumbbell press, eight sets – ten reps each, 30 pound dumb bells, then flat bench, dumbbell flys, 35 pounds three sets of eight reps, then decline bench press, 85 pounds, two sets of ten reps. Or are you thinking, hmm, maybe a chest workout today. What should I start with?
I won’t lie, sometimes I don’t have my workout totally planned to the last rep and to the specific piece of equipment, but I do have a definite idea of what I want to do. I am not spending five minutes between each set trying to figure out what’s next.
The benefits of this planned speed workout are multiple. First, by working out quickly and efficiently you are actually getting a cardio workout at the same time you are doing your resistance training because your heart rate stays elevated. Second, that is burning more calories and raising your metabolic rate which is going to stick with you for hours after you leave the gym. Another obvious benefit is the resistance training itself which carries lots of further benefits, and lastly, you get more time in your day if you don’t wander around the gym trying to figure out what to do next.
