7 Ways to Optimize Your Workout

Fitness is something that is incredibly important, and it has been recently glamorized in the media. Being physically fit has many benefits whether it be having a positive body image, or allowing for your mental stress to be relieved by the gym. There are many different benefits of going to the gym and working out, and these are things that you can do to fully maximize a workout.

Put A Workout Playlist Together

Listening to something while you are working out is a great way to block out all the other noise/distractions around you and focus on your workout. Depending on what type of workout it is you may want to adjust the music accordingly. If you are lifting heavy weights, then you might want heavy metal. If you are running, you may want more upbeat music.

Regardless of what you listen to, you should put a playlist together that you enjoy listening to while you are working out.

Stretch Prior to Starting Your Workout

Making sure that your muscles are loose and warmed up is key prior to working out. The main focus behind being physically fit is that you work out in some capacity every day, and if your muscles are pulled/strained it makes it incredibly hard to do that.

It does not have to be a crazy intense stretching routine, but stretch until you feel you are loose and then continue to warm up before getting into your actual workout.

Consume Caffeine Prior to Working Out

In the fitness industry, pre-workout is a common term that is thrown around. It is basically a caffeine supplement that individuals will take to give them energy for their workout. Even though it is used to energize a workout there are some other benefits to taking caffeine before a workout as well.

These other benefits include increasing fat-burning capabilities, increase your endurance, and lessens muscle pain.

Control the Weight On the Eccentric

The eccentric part of a lift is the movement that is lowering the weight. So for example, the eccentric part of a squat would be squatting rather than attempting to stand back up. Controlling this part of the exercise is good for two main reasons. The first reason is that it will help prevent injuries while working out that may have occurred by fast explosive movements. The second benefit is that it will help increase your strength. This is because your muscles are working longer because you are using them to control the weight rather than let it fly down on the eccentric.

Do Not Train to Failure On Every Set

Training to failure on every set can be a negative thing because it can lessen the rest of your workout. Training to failure can be good on occasion because of the stimulus it presents to your muscles. However, if you do it on every set it can cause your muscles to tire out very quickly, and the rest of your workout will suffer because of it.

Used Forced Reps to Finish Sets

As previously mentioned, training to failure can be good in certain occasions. Those occasions should be the last set of a specific exercise. You want your muscles to struggle through the tough spots of a lift so they can build upon it. Using forced reps is a great way to do that. Forced reps are reps where you may fail the lift, but your spotter gives you just enough assistance to get the weight up. This will help you build endurance with a specific weight, and help you get through plateaus.

Consume Protein After Your Workout

Protein after a workout helps rebuild muscles after you have put a lot of stress on them. You can do this by eating food, which is the best way, or you can do it by drinking a protein shake. Either way works as long as you are getting enough protein.

There are other supplements that you can take to help your recovery, including a supplement called Grind. How Grind works is that after, or before your workout, you take it and it will help with mental clarity, physical strength, and endurance, enhance your mood, and many other things.

Conclusion

It is important to note that none of these are required to have a good workout. These things just supplement a workout to make it better. By doing some of these things you may feel better in the gym, and feel that you get more out of the gym. Getting something out of the gym is the most important part because if you are putting in the hard work, then you should want to get something out of it.