5 Simple Things that Boost Workout Effectiveness

How do you maximize a workout?  Well, first you need energy to lift more, run faster, punch with more power – you need the ability to show up with intensity. Intensity is what accelerates results. So here are a few simple things you can do to help boost those energy levels in the gym!

1.    Sleep. I'm not even gonna go on and on here. Get 7 to 8 hours a night. It matters. Big time. It not only gives you the energy I’m talking about, but it also helps with all those fat burning, anti gaining, muscle maintaining hormones. So, shut off the electronics, wind it down and get your shut eye!

2.    Hydrate. Yup. Another that you’ve heard a million times and for good reason. Drink until your pee looks like lemonade. Proper hydration not only helps to curb hunger but it greatly boosts our energy levels over the course of our day.

3.    Caffeinate. If you aren’t abstaining from caffeine it is a powerful performance enhancer I utilize to power up my workouts. I do 100mg (organic shot of espresso) to 200mg (which is a strong cup of organic coffee) ingested 45 minutes before I train. It literally allows you to lift a bit more for a bit longer.

4.    Warm Up. Seriously, don’t skip it. A proper warm up helps your body literally prep for training – physically and mentally. Combine some dynamic stretches (hip circles / arm circles / cat cow stretches etc) with 5 to 10 minutes of cardio. You will find after a proper warm up you are not only better injury proofed, but physically ready to kill it. 

5.    Recover. Don’t overdo it. One of the most common ways to compromise your results is under-recovery. Make sure not to overtrain. I like to recommend a minimum of one day off / two days is also great. Don’t train more than 6 hours a week unless it’s light low intensity cardio like long easy hikes or bike rides. Try not to train a muscle group intensely more than twice a week and seek to get two days of recovery in between training days. So consider muscle splits as follows: Push Muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps, quads) on Monday / Thursday. Pull muscles (back, biceps, hamstrings) on Tuesday / Friday.