Abel Smith
In today’s World of hectic lifestyle’s, many people find it difficult to maintain a good level of health and fitness. Whilst there is no magic formula for good fitness without effort, there are a number of ways you can achieve it more quickly and efficiently. Below are ten tips which can be incorporated into your existing training to improve and re-vitalise it:-
1-Add interval training to your workouts.
For example, run full speed for 15 seconds, then slow to a jog for the next minute before returning to full speed for 15 seconds. Complete for as long as possible. Interval training can be completed on most CV equipment such as rowing machines, cross-trainers, exercise bikes and running machines.
2-Keep a fitness journal.
Record your workout, including the weights you use and the reps / sets achieved. Record what you eat each day and how you physically felt after that specific session. Regularly record your weight. If you ever ‘fall off the fitness road’, you can quickly get back on track by referring to your fitness journal and seeing what has given you previous successes. It will also allow you to measure improvements and adjust accordingly.
3-Produce a diet plan.
All the exercise in the world won’t give you peak fitness unless you are eating correctly. Research the internet and develop a diet plan which is based around your fitness goals, but which is also achievable.
4-Don’t over train.
Your muscles need time to repair and grow – make sure you allow regular rest periods.
5-Train specific muscle groups on specific days.
Make sure you do not train the same muscle group on consecutive days. Mix it up throughout the week so that each muscle group has adequate rest time. Below is a good example of a mixed training plan:-
Monday – Bicep and chest
Tuesday – Back and deltoids
Wednesday – Rest
Thursday – Legs and abs
Friday – Shoulders and triceps
6) Add a competitive element to your training.
Compete in fitness challenges against friends. There are a number of fitness challenge sites online, the best in my opinion, being Konkura.
7) Add variety.
Regularly review your training and diet plan and mix it up! Boredom usually occurs when doing the same thing over and over again. Aim to review and revise your plans a minimum of once every three months.
Visit any gym and you will more than likely witness people training with weights which are too heavy for them to maintain a good clean technique. Lower the weight (or number of reps) and do the exercise slowly with perfect technique and posture.
9) Find time.
Don’t allow yourself to fall in the trap of saying you don’t have time to train. Get up an hour earlier, go to bed an hour later or do an exercise every-time a tv advert is on! Make the time.
10) Benchmark people who have the fitness level you desire.
Why re-invent the wheel. There are people out there who had poor fitness and now have an amazing level of fitness. Want to know how they did it? – then why not ask them or research them!
