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Prime your body the right way and you could train harder, burn more calories and prevent injury.
On an exertion scale of 1 to 10, go no higher than 4.
And the greater your ROM, the more effective your exercises.
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Your muscles aren’t that smart, though.
Keep them guessing with simple switch-ups.
Swap Equipment.Do the moves you love, just change the tools.
Trade dumbbells for a cable machine or TRX.
Do ab exercises on a stability ball instead of the floor.
Change the Order.If you have a go-to strength routine, work through it backward.
Or mix up the moves entirely.
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Not seeing results?
You may not be sweating enough.
(Working out means you have to work.)
Experiment with using your body weight differently.
Small, incremental changes aren’t overwhelming, and they keep you moving forward.
Tone Up.If 5-pound weights don’t tap your strength, move to 8-pounders.
You won’t bulk up, but you will notice definition.
“You’ll fatigue more often or more intensely, which can trigger change,” Holland says.
Be Flexible.Mixing up the time of day you sweat can give you an edge, depending on your goal.
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Permission to relax.
You actually get fitter between workoutsit’s when your body repairs (aka builds) muscle.
Take a Day or Two Off.You need at least one no-exercise day each week, Holland suggests.
Plus, you won’t perform as well on days you’re going all out.
Occasionally, Take a Week Off.
It will prepare you to return to the gym refreshed and ready to kill it once again.
Styling, Lida Moore Musso.
Photo Credit: Arthur Belebeau
