So many times I’ve seen people at the gym who insist on doing every exercise in the book for the muscle they are training. And that too in one session. While I’m also a fan of mixing up my routines, I don’t let it come between me and my productivity in the gym.
For instance, I will see people rushing through their squats so that they can quickly start on their leg presses, followed by their barbell step ups. I admire their dedication. I really do. But most of the times what they end up doing is a bunch of half completed reps, with incorrect form. Not only that, they end up working half as hard as they could have, if they would have just done 3,4 or even 5 quality sets of squats. And if these people workout during the “crowded hour” at the gym, chances are they’ll just end up wasting time waiting on a station, when they could have been pumping out quality reps on the station they were already on. This can definitely lead to having too much rest between sets, making the routine not as effective.
The point I’m trying to make here, my fellow fitness lovers, is that you can get the results you want by doing a simple workout routine. A routine that doesn’t focus on the number of exercises you shove into your workout, but stresses more on the quality of the ones you do end up doing.
So here’s what I want you to do...
- Choose one exercise for each muscle group except for your back. Choose one upper and one lower exercise for your back.
- If you’re working for strength and muscle gain then
o Do 5 sets with 8-10 reps. Your weight selection should be such that you shouldn’t be able to do more than 10 reps
o Rest 45-60 seconds between sets
o Spend about two seconds pushing the weight, hold for a second and really contract that muscle. Then come back to the starting position in about three seconds.
- If toning is your goal then
o Do 5 sets with 15-20 reps. Your weight selection should be such that you shouldn’t be able to do more than 20 reps
o Rest 15-30 seconds between sets
o Spend about a second lifting the weight, pause for a quick moment to focus on the contraction and then take a second to come back to the starting position
- With each rep, make that mind to muscle connection and keep your muscle engaged through out the full range of motion
You can choose to do this whole workout in one action packed session, or break it down into two; which is still pretty fast. And that’s the beauty of working out like this: In 2 days you can do your entire body and then choose an entirely different set of exercises for your next routine.
So go ahead give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed. Because,
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo Davinci
Stay Fit
Apollo
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