Not Seeing Results from Your Workout?

If you’re reading this, you might be feeling down about the progress you’re seeing from your current workout strategy. Exercising is a learning process. Different techniques work for different people. And sometimes things that once worked don’t seem to be giving you the same results. Our bodies are good at developing tolerances to exercises we do frequently, so changing up your routine a bit might help you to get better results. Here are a few things I changed to improve my workout.

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Time of Day

I used to work out in the evenings when my husband was home, so he could watch my daughter. It wasn’t bad, but it was definitely stalling my progress! I would constantly be skipping work outs because I would have something else to do, whether it be a meeting for our business, or a friend needed our help. It seemed something would ALWAYS come up. So I did the impossible, I started waking up at 4:30am to go to the gym at 5:00. It was SO hard at first. Keep in mind that I have a one year old, so I do not sleep through the night. But once I forced myself from my bed and to the gym, I felt amazing. Working out gave me more energy during the day, and it motivated me to eat healthier because I didn’t want to “waste” all the hard work I had done that morning. It was such a great change for me.

 Cardio

I have never been a cardio queen. I have always hated running. So naturally, I skipped out on it pretty often. But there are a few changes I’ve made to my usual cardio session that have helped me to stay more consistent. First, I don’t often use the same machine every day of the week. I’ll use the treadmill one day, stairclimber the next, and sometimes the elliptical or exercise bike. If I really can’t stand being on one of them for more than 10 minutes, instead of leaving I will switch to a different type of machine. If the only open machines are treadmills, then I get creative, I change my pace from sprinting to walking, or I walk at an incline, sometimes I’ll even throw in some lunges!

I also try to get in a cardio class a few times a week to make up for any slacking I may have done. (; I prefer U-Jam, SO fun! It’s like Zumba, but its more hip-hop and pop music–less fancy foot work, more booty shaking! Another cardio class that is awesome is HIGH fitness. This one kicks your butt, But it’s super high energy, fun music, and easy moves to follow.

**One SUPER important thing you should take into consideration when performing cardio is your heart rate. Whether you are trying to improve your cardiovascular endurance, or trying to lose fat, you have to monitor your heart rate. A lot of people I know prefer the Polar heart rate monitor, but this one, by PYLE,  is comparable to the Polar style, and it’s much more affordable.**

Pace of your Workout

This is the single most important thing I have changed. I used to get the the gym, turn on my up-beat music, and just bust through my workout. While I still listen to my awesome music, my workouts are much, much slower. I used to do 3 sets of 15 reps per machine/workout. But now, I rarely make it to 15 reps. I upped my weight so that each rep was harder. I make sure that every rep is done really slow and controlled. When I do squats, I squat as low as I can get, and when I stand up I flex hard and I hold that position for a second before I continue onto my next rep. I do this with every machine, and body weight workout. You can also use extra equipment to make your workouts harder. I like these resistance bands a lot! You can also add ankle weights to increase difficulty, and if you’re looking to keep your heart rate up while strength training, try jump roping in between sets or machines, Even though I’m not able to do near as many reps with this technique, I’m ALWAYS sore the next day (and the next day).

Products recommended in this post to help get faster results at the gym: Polar HR monitor, PYLE HR monitor, resistance bands, ankle weights, high quality jump ropes.

***If you feel like you have tried everything, and you still aren’t achieving your fitness goals as fast as you had hoped, Check this Out!***

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