5 Tips to make your workout more effective

Get the most out of your training sessions with a few genius tweaks that will supercharge your progress and maximise your gains.

1

Focus on form

 “Poor form” is when the incorrect technique or posture is used and can increase the risk of injury and reduce the efficacy of the exercise. For example, a common mistake people make when performing push-ups is to allow their elbows to point outward, or to lift only their upper body while their hips sag downwards. Keeping elbows close to the chest and your body straight is the correct form and will improve how effective the exercise is. Research the correct form for all the exercises in your workout.  

To get you started, here are a few mistakes to avoid that can be applied to most exercises: 

• Using momentum: Swinging the body to lift weights instead of using controlled, deliberate movements. 
• Lack of range of motion: Not fully extending or contracting the muscles during an exercise, which reduces its effectiveness. 
• Poor joint alignment: Allowing knees, hips, shoulders, or other joints to collapse inward or outward during movements, placing unnecessary stress on ligaments and tendons. 

2

Breathe!

When focused on a particular exercise, especially an intense one, it’s easy to inadvertently take shallow breaths, hold your breath, or forget to breathe entirely. But our muscles need plenty of oxygen when we exercise, so remember to breathe evenly and deeply. Many exercises have a ‘right’ way of breathing associated with them, and finding the correct rhythm will help you get the most out of your workout. 

3

Don’t ignore pain

Pain is your body’s warning signal that you are about to injure or have already injured yourself. You may be experiencing pain caused by an underlying condition, a naturally weak spot in your body, or because the exercise you are doing is not being performed correctly. Stop before you do any further damage and consider consulting a fitness professional or physiotherapist if the pain persists. 

4

Press play

If there were a natural, harmless performance-enhancing drug that would boost your energy and improve your workouts, would you take it? Well, you can, because it’s (more or less) free: music. 

Research suggests that music has been shown to potently reduce the perception of fatigue and exertion and improve exercise performance. 

Not just any music, though: fast songs with strong beats are most likely to have an impact. It makes sense, right? So, make a playlist of songs and music that you can’t sit still to, and turn your workout into a party. (Just be sure to keep the volume at a sensible level – don’t damage your hearing!) 

5

Get some rest

Recovery time – when your muscles repair themselves and grow stronger – is as important as exercise. But how much rest is enough? That depends on several factors, such as your age, genetics, fitness levels and the intensity of your workouts. A good rule of thumb if you are exercising for general wellbeing, is to have two to three ‘rest days’ (when you do not engage in any high-intensity exercise) per week. If you still want to incorporate some form of movement on these days, light walking and stretching are good options.