Have you ever walked into the gym, ready to workout, then realized you have no clue what type of workout you want to do?
Well, that’s not uncommon. It’s happened to me and I’m sure it’s happened to many other people before too. To try to help you out, I’m going to walk you through how I decide what type of workout I want to do beforehand, so the gym doesn’t stump me!
- When I’m planning on doing a workout on my own and not attending and group exercise class, I like to be prepared so I can be as efficient as possible in the gym.
- The first thing I consider is which muscle group(s) I want to work that day. This can depend on many things, such as what muscles I recently worked, which muscles I want to focus on and what muscle groups I might be working the next day.
- Once I get my muscle group narrowed down, I list out anywhere from 3-5 exercises I can do and order them in the most effective way possible.
I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy doing circuit workouts. Now, I’m definitely not an expert with circuit training but I have learned a little bit from various group exercise classes. Circuits are a great way to keep your heart rate up when you’re working out, and they won’t completely burn out the muscles you’re working right away.
- I prefer choosing 3 different exercises and rotating them. After one rotation, I take a break, and repeat that rotation 3-4 times. This is just an example, you can do circuits however you like, but I have found this to be effective for my workouts.
- I also like to add in some cardio to my workouts, whether that’s running on the treadmill, the elliptical or the StairMaster. I tend to do a little cardio before and after to bookend my workouts. It’s a great way to get your heart pumping and blood flowing after you’ve been doing some strength training.
- I always make sure I do a warm up and a cool down after my workouts, which includes stretching too. It’s important to make sure your body is warmed up before you throw it into a workout, and you want to focus on stretching out those muscles you used after.
I think it’s wise to really only choose one or two muscle groups you want to workout, because otherwise you’re going to be in the gym for over an hour…and let’s be honest, no one has time for that! We want our workouts to be quick and efficient, and get the most bang for our buck when we’re at the gym.
So next time you’re planning to go to the gym, try taking 10-15 minutes beforehand to plan your workout. It will help you be more confident and efficient in the gym, and those are two things you won’t regret!
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