Yes I know it seems that every other week I am writing about
how to improve your workout and what not. If it’s true then I give no apologies
because workout intensity can NEVER be over emphasized. If exercise/working out
is the life’s blood of good health and fitness, then intensity is its soul! (Honestly,
I am not being dramatic).
We need to work out in order to get the best out of our
bodies and be at optimum health and fitness, but in order for the workout to
achieve this we must work at maximum intensity. Now what is this intensity I am
carping on about today? It really quite simple intensity is a mix of quality,
speed, energy, effort and concentration you put into your exercises and you
must maintain intensity with each rep, set, exercise and full work out to get
the best results. Let me illustrate, there are two guys in the gym let’s call
them Peter and Paul. Both are doing the same exercise leg squats with a barbell
weighing 50kg, peter completes a set of 12 repetitions in 60 seconds drops the
weight strolls around and the gym talking with friends for about 5 minutes. He
comes back and repeats the same for another 2 sets and completes his exercise
in 13 minutes. Paul on the other hand completes his set in 30 seconds rests for
about 1 minute and goes straight to his other sets and completes the workout in
5 minutes. Who do you think exercised with the greater intensity and will get
better results? I will give you a hint it isn’t peter!
Intensity is of great importance to your fitness goals
whatever it may be i.e. burning fat, building muscle or being in better
physical condition. It requires that you put in your best effort and apply
proper technique in an efficient and time conscious manner. Today I am going to
give you some of the best tips for maintaining intensity while you exercise,
some you know or have heard of and some may seem weird but believe me I have
tried them all and they work. Adopt them and I promise you a better workout and
a better you.
Do have a wonderful day.
1.
FAST
MUSIC:
Research has shown that fast tempo music
has the ability to boost your mood and workout intensity. How? When you play
fast beats that you love your body releases the feel good hormone endorphins
which kill pain, raise your heart rate and make you feel great. You can channel
that good feeling into an even greater work out. Always have you headphones,
phones I pod etc with you. Me I play the sound track from rocky! Honestly, it never fails.
2.
VISUALIZE:
Before you even leave the house or start
you exercise, first visualize all you want to do and how you are going to
accomplish it. Imagine yourself completing that run in record time or lifting
that heavy weight. This sets your mind in the right frame for the task ahead
and is a favourite tool in the mental preparation of successful professional
athletes.
3.
ALWAYS
WARM UP:
If only someone had given me that advice
some years ago I would have saved myself a lot of pain and injured shoulders!
Do not neglect to warm up properly before any form of exercise. It serves to
send blood to your muscles and prepare them for the task at hand. A warm up is
also a great way to get mentally prepared; an extra 5 to 10 minutes warming up
on the treadmill or with light weights will give greater intensity and focus to
your workout.
4.
TAKE A
PRE WORKOUT SUPPLEMENT:
Need that extra burst of energy? Then I
suggest you take a pre workout supplement, they help to get you feeling pumped
up and ready to move mountains. Pre workouts are extremely popular and for a
good reason; they work. There are many brands out there like “ASSAULT” which
gives a tremendous energy boost. I highly recommend it.
5.
TAKE
AMINO ACIDS:
Its one thing to get an energy boost to
work out, but you need to be able to train with intensity from the beginning to
the end of your work out session. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s) are
essential proteins that keep your muscles fuelled during workout and help them
recover faster after. They are readily available at high end pharmacies.
6.
AVOID EXERCISE
MACHINES:
To get the best results and workout
intensity, stay away from exercise machines as much as possible, they don’t
help you achieve the best results because they make your workout easier and
less stressful, just what your body needs to grow! Another reason to avoid them
is that some are potential dangerous, they put unnatural strain on your joints
and muscles and this has lead to numerous injuries and your truly was a regular
victim till I wised up.
7.
VARY YOUR
WORKOUTS:
Doing the same routine day in day out is
boring and unproductive, you should change your exercises every few weeks whether
you are lifting weights or cardio it doesn’t matter. If you run 4 km 4 times a
week for months on end your body gets used to it and burns less and less fat.
Substitute your running for skipping or aerobics to get a more intense workout
and burn more calories. The same goes for weight training.
8.
TIME YOUR
WORKOUT:
Again whether its weight training, cardio
or aerobics timing your workout is
essential to maintaining intensity and workout quality. After warming up, determine what you want to
achieve in your workout and set a challenging time within which to complete it.
Set a stopwatch and go all out, the added pressure of time constraint will
ensure that you don’t slack off during the exercise. Don’t cheat, once the
alarm goes off then you are finished. You can then review your effort and try
to improve on it.
9.
REST LESS:
This relates to the last tip, to maximize
your exercise time always keep an eye on the clock. Sometimes we get caught up
with talking with friends in the gym, listing to too much music or talking on
the phone between sets. This is dangerous because before you know it, you have
wasted 10 to 15 minutes, your body cools down, fatigue sets in and you become
lazy and rush the rest of your workout or abandon it altogether. Try to keep
your rest limited to 90 seconds maximum and keep your body and muscles warm.
10.
TALK
POSITIVELY:
On your way to the gym and also during the
exercise talk positively about it to yourself. Tell yourself how tough, strong
and powerful you are. Sure you will look crazy but who cares? We are after
results. Positive thinking and talking has been scientifically proven to help
psyche you up for the task at hand. Do this and you will have the intensity of
a bull!!
P.S: FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR ENQUIRIES ABOUT
WORKOUT SUPPLEMENTS ETC. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT; NADO7K@YAHOO.COM OR CALL ME: 08027363060.
YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @NADO7K.
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