Work Smarter, Not Harder!
No doubt you’ve heard this phrase before because it’s relevant and powerful in every area of life: “Work smarter not harder.” You wouldn’t work more hours for the same amount of money, so why would you workout longer in a way that produces a lesser result? As a fitness professional for the past 6 years, I’ve seen it over and over again in a gym: the cardio machine people head to their machine of choice for 45 minutes to an hour. The upper body people (usually guys) do their same curls and bench press routine. Yogis go to yoga. All of this is fine. There’s no judgement here. But if the goal is a combination of health, a lean body, confidence, stamina, strength, and flexibility, there’s a better and more efficient way. Traditional workouts tend to take 60-90 minutes to get through all parts of a circuit including cardio or something like a yoga class. I believe ALL forms of fitness, like yoga, are totally viable and should certainly be incorporated. However, if the goal is what’s listed above (to lose body fat, get lean, feel strong and flexible), you should try a combination of HIIT workouts (High Intensity Interval Training) and weight lifting – you’ll burn crazy amounts of fat in a fraction of the time, get stronger, reduce the chance of overuse injuries, and achieve all of those potential goals listed above. In addition to switching up the type of exercise you perform for best results, here are a few other fitness pointers:
Change it up! Doing the same routine over and over again is going to hinder progress and visible results.
Make it a habit – you’re far better off exercising 3-4 days per week consistently than going 7 days in a row one week and taking the next two weeks off.
Fuel your performance – I’m not going to give you a nutrition lecture here, but be sure to get the right food or supplements into your body before and after your workouts.
Focus on your form ALWAYS for best results and to prevent injury!
Make sure there is a strength component to your workout, as it provides the greatest overall benefits for the short and long term!
Here at Empowered Fitness, we practice a combination of traditional weight training and rest-based metabolic conditioning to get you the best results. We also recommend you to tons of leisure walking and incorporate yoga for stress reduction and mobility. I’m curious…what’s your FAVOURITE way to workout? Let us know! Email info@efitbristol.co.uk.
