17 TIME-SAVING TRAINING TIPS

17 TIME-SAVING TRAINING TIPS
By Garrett J. Braunreiter


For most people, it seems like seconds count in their personal and professional lives. Catching a plane for a sales trip. Critical appointments with clients. Running around with your kids, making sure they get to school, to practice, to games, or whatever other hundred things they're involved with each day.

But YOU don't have to leave that philosophy in the locker room when you hit the gym. Although there's never an excuse for sloppy exercise technique, there are dozens of safe ways to shave time from your workout routine - and still train like a champion. Here are some of the most effective time-saving strategies..


1. Change your foot placement.
Doing something as simple as this from exercise to exercise can turn a simple leg press into a total leg workout. Placing your feet a couple of inches apart hits your quadriceps in the middle. a bit more. Move them further apart, about hip width, will stress the outer portion of your quads. Place them at the corners of the leg press platform (with toes pointed at 45 degrees) will work your inner thighs and butt.


2. Polar opposites.
Train opposing muscle groups during your rest periods. Also called "modified compound sets." For example, after you get done doing a set of bench press to work your chest, IMMEDIATELY go to the lat pulldown machine to do a set of pulldowns for your upper and middle back.


3. Stay focused.
You've heard it before: he who fails to plan plans to fail. Said in fitness jargon, he who walks into the gym and wanders around wastes massive amounts of time. Plan your routine before you walk into the gym (or your basement). And STICK WITH IT.


4. Rev up your fat-burning furnace.
Treadmills are great for walking, jogging, or running, but doing a little of each be INTERVAL TRAINING can help kick your body's fat-burning ability into high-gear. Walk for 5 minutes to start. Then jog for 3 minutes, then run at a higher level for 2 minutes, alternating back and forth until you've reached anywhere from 15-30 minutes of total time. If that's too difficult, start at 30 seconds of jog, 30 seconds of run, and increase gradually by 15 seconds until you can do 2 minutes jog, 2 minutes run.


5. Bring a bottle.
Sure, you could go to the drinking fountain every time you want some water. A better idea is to carry a water bottle with you as you work out. Not only do you save time, but you keep your body properly hydrated, resulting in better workout performance.


6. Avoid peaking.
If you want a peak performance workout, avoid working out during your gym's peak hours - typically 4 pm - 8 pm. You'll wind up wasting time waiting in line for workout equipment. And a wasted workout.


7. Early bird gets the worm.
Most gyms have fewer members in the early-morning hours. Plus, you'll often find they're less talkative - maybe because they're trying to wake up.


8. Grab and hold a bench.
A single, adjustable bench allows you to do a multitude of exercises amongst a gym-ful of chaos. You can do bench presses, shoulder presses, crunches, curls, triceps extensions, upright rows, etc. Your workout goes smoothest when you have all the barbells and dumbbells nearby, so the only time you have to move is to grab different weights.


9. Warm up intelligently.
Just 5 - 10 minutes raises your body temperature, helps get the blood flowing, and lubricates your leg joints, enhancing workout performance and decreasing risk of injury.


10. Cross-train aerobically.
If your gym enforces a 20 minute rule for occupying an aerobic machine, just switch from treadmill to bike and get a great 40 minute workout without leaving the area.


11. Quit the B.S.ing.
Yes, you look forward to chatting with your friends at the gym. But when time is on the line and you have to zip through your workout, TELL THEM. That way you get your workout in without making them feel ignored.


12. Race against the clock.
When you're crunched for time, try taking 30 second rest periods between sets. Keep a close eye on the second hand. As soon as it's been 30 seconds, BAM, start your next set.


13. Train with your partner.
Sometimes exercise can seem like it's stealing time away from your spouse or significant other. Why not go to the gym together? You don't actually have to work out together - your workouts will be very different. Better than feeling guilty about not spending time together.


14. Learn your gym geography.
It may take some searching, but you'll save all kinds of travel time if you can find a gym that is either on your route to work or on your way home.


15. Get a permanent locker.
Here's where you can stash extra clothes, extra workout clothes, and toiletries to help you out when you need to train in a pinch.


16. Prepare.
Remember when you were a little kid your parents made you lay out your clothes for the next day before you went to bed the night before (did that make sense?)? Prepare for your next exercise between sets will save you time. If you're going to use dumbbells, for instance, pull them from the rack and place them at the bench you're going to use. This also alerts others that you are using the equipment.


17. Rack 'em.
Your fellow gym-goers may not like this, but you can cut training time significantly by spending your time in front of the dumbbell rack instead of going from one machine to another. Think of the range of exercises you can do with dumbbells: rows, bench presses, all kinds of curls, shoulder presses, lunges, etc.

2. Polar opposites.
Train opposing muscle groups during your rest periods. Also called "modified compound sets." For example, after you get done doing a set of bench press to work your chest, IMMEDIATELY go to the lat pulldown machine to do a set of pulldowns for your upper and middle back.

I already do that....why wait around when you can be working out constantly
:benchpres

super sets can be good for smaller muscle groups