8 Workout Secrets You Don’t Want to Miss

Staying active and in shape is a common task on merely everyone’s agenda nowadays. Despite the dynamic lifestyle that surrounds many of use on a daily basis, going to the gym or working out at home is still among our number one priorities. And there are so many good reasons why!

Get comfy, take out your leggings, and read on!

Staying Active Means Staying Healthy

We’ve all heard that exercising increases our health condition.

But how?

Working out or staying active through different physical activities has a number of positive effects on the body. Of course, one of the most attractive results from regular exercising is regulating your body weight. Although some of you may associate this purely based on visual aspects and self-esteem, it is a factor that greatly contributes to your overall health. Burning calories will help you avoid excess weight gain, which can seriously damage your health. 

Being persistent with your workout routine can also help you avoid a number of serious conditions and diseases such as heart stroke, diabetes, anxiety, arthritis, different types of cancer, high blood pressure, and more. Physical activity also contributes to better sleep patterns and supports you in staying away from insomnia. 

We haven’t even gotten to the part where staying active improves your overall mood and gives you an energy boost. It is also a social activity that can be shared with friends or family. 

In other words, working out or exercising is not only healthy but pretty amazing! If you’ve decided to go down that path and organize regular workout sessions to keep your body fit and happy – congratulations! However, it may be worth noting that it might be difficult for beginners to get the most of their workouts without the support of a professional trainer or some prior research before hitting the gym or starting at home. 

Today we’ve prepared a few workout secrets that can truly change how you tackle your workout sessions from now on. Knowing these workout hacks will guarantee a more productive exercising and more results to be reaped at the end. 

So here we go, get your pens and papers out!

There is no good workout without a warm-up and cool down.

If you’ve developed a habit of skipping the warming up and cooling down parts of your workout, we have some bad news. Chances are that you are seriously missing out on exercising potential. 

Not only will it limit the risk of getting injured while performing your workout, warming up and cooling down will ensure that your mobility is top-level throughout your training.  Warming up at the beginning is also a great way to improve your flexibility and perform more difficult movements without stressing the body. 

Forming new habits is one of the most difficult things to do but believe us – this one is certainly worth it!

Incorporate interval training as part of your workout routine.

There is a reason why so many eminent athletes and sports figures acknowledge the importance of interval training – it simply works wonders! 

There is a ton of research behind this type of training and it is proven that a 20-minute interval workout with a range of exercises such as burpees, pushups, squats, and lunges can get your body to burn twice as many calories when compared to performing long runs. Regardless of how your training is structured, making some room for high-intensity interval exercises will get you quick and lasting results. 

Complete as many reps as you can for 20 seconds, set aside a 10-second break, and repeat. That’s all it takes. Do this for four minutes, take a pause for a minute, and start over for a total of four rounds. It doesn’t sound that bad, right?

Keep a water bottle by your side at all times. 

Staying hydrated during a workout is among the top priorities but it is, surprisingly, a commonly underestimated and forgotten detail. Losing fluids as a result of severe sweating as part of your workout can have a strongly negative effect on your body and can make you feel heavier. More energy will be required to perform even the simpler parts of your workout when you are not hydrated properly. 

In addition, dehydration makes your recovery slower and more painful. To ensure that you are always ready and good to go, experts suggest that you should drink ½ to 1 ounce of water for every pound of body weight per day. It is a good idea to keep track of your weight before and after your workout to keep track of the percentage of bodyweight you are losing for every session. This way you can make accurate calculations and stay hydrated and healthy. 

Sleeping better the night before will make your workout more productive.

Did you know that sleep is an essential contributor to your workout? It can literally make or break your training session. 

In order to get the most of your training, it is vital to get a good night’s sleep. By that, we mean between seven and nine hours of sleep. If possible, do this every night or if not, at least three to four times a week. 

Some of you may already be aware but for others, it might be surprising to find out that sleep actually encourages the release of hormones that stimulate the recovery process of the body after working out. Depriving your body of sleep means that it is not able to regenerate its lost strength and energy. 

So if you’ve been wondering why you haven’t been hitting your workout targets, you may want to start by checking your sleep pattern. 

Stacking up on protein will improve your workout results.

Working out is quite stressful for the body, especially if you are just starting or you are an extreme overachiever, always pushing the limits. There are a number of ways you can help your body cope with its recovery and stay strong during physical activity.

One of the ways to do so is by eating protein-rich foods before going to bed. Protein is the substance, which assists your muscles with rebuilding after training. By giving your body move casein or a slow-digesting protein, you are helping it maintain high rates of amino acids and muscle protein synthesis. The perfect food for the task is Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. You will be surprised how well these two foods can fit in with your meals. 

Remember to change things around from time to time.

Once you get into the habit of working out it may be tempting to fall into the pitfall of comfort. You’re probably already at the stage where you are familiar with your training routine, you’re only slightly increasing your weights or reps, and everything just seems fine.

Well, some of you may be content with the results achieved but for the true pushers, chances are that you are looking for ways to get to the next level of your workout. Introducing change into your workout will not only avoid the chance of getting bored, but it will also have a stronger effect on your muscles and body condition. Try to give yourself a full range of movements and notice how your results will improve with time. 

Performing the same exercise in different variations involves different muscle groups and changes the amount of weight you are comfortable with. By doing this you are still performing the same exercise but gaining way more. 

Listen to motivating music when working out.

There are a ton of workout playlists available online across different platforms. And they are truly magnificent!

Certain exercises require a strong ability to stay concentrated and enter a mindset where you can keep going, even when your body is tired.  The mind truly controls every movement that our bodies perform and music is one of the factors, which can strongly influence the mind.

Find the tunes that get you going and exceed your boundaries!

Find a training partner and stick to the plan. 

Last but not least, a useful tip for improving your workout results is finding a buddy that will train with you. At first, this may not sound very promising but if you think about it, there is so much that a training friend can help with!

Your workout buddy can motivate you to exceed your limits and burn your boundaries. They can keep an eye on the way you are performing certain exercises and offer suggestions or corrections where necessary. You can also create a friendly rivalry to keep climbing higher levels and gaining more strength together. 

Training with a buddy makes the process so much more enjoyable and easier. You will notice that you may start to keep track of time in a different way when with someone. 

Now that we’ve shared these top workout secrets with you, you are one step ahead of unlocking your full workout potential. We hope that you will find these tips useful and will give them a go in your next training session.

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