If you’re spending 2 or 3 hours at the gym, you’re doing something wrong.
A gym session should really only take about 45 minutes to an hour, even if you’re doing full body or a mix of strength and cardio.
Today’s post will give you some tactical advice on how to keep your gym sessions short, focused, and effective.
Let’s get right to it. 🔥
1️⃣ Plan your session in advance
Before you go to the gym, take a few minutes to write down your plan for your session.
Consider it your plan of attack. Put it in the order you’d like to do it so you can literally just make your way down the list.
You can put as much granular detail in your plan as you’d like to. Maybe you want to write down the weight you plan to lift, the number of sets you’ll do, and how many reps you plan to do.
Having a written plan takes the guesswork out of your workout—you’re not leaving anything to chance, which means you won’t need to sit around wondering what to do.
2️⃣ Keep rests between sets to a minimum
If you’re resting more than 2 minutes between sets, you’re wasting time.
To be clear, there is no one-size-fits all answer to the amount of rest you need between sets.
If you’re doing a compound movement (like a squat), that’ll require a bit more rest than if you’re doing an isolation exercise (like a bicep curl).
But the reality is, if you’re resting for more than 2 minutes, that’s unnecessary. A minute or two is plenty of rest… you don’t need to “take 5” after every set.
Most of the time, when people are taking huge rests in between sets, they either think they need more rest than they actually do, they’re socializing, or they’re burning time on their phone.
Which leads me to my next point…
3️⃣ Turn on your playlist and then don’t look at your phone
I think we’re all guilty of checking our email, social media, or the news in between sets.
It’s easy for a 90-second rest to turn into a 4-minute rest, all because we picked up our phone.
Have the discipline to keep your phone tucked away. Maybe you put it underneath your water bottle so if you reach for it, you’re reminded that it should be kept away.
Scrolling drags on too many exercise sessions.
And for your music, set up a playlist ahead of time.
Get your favorite songs all queued up so you don’t need to worry about switching songs in between sets.
Because we all know when you grab your phone to do one specific thing, you end up in your inbox or scrolling through Instagram.
Don’t let your phone stop you from succeeding at a short, focused workout.
4️⃣ Have a backup plan (in case of squatters)
I’m not talking about the people who are standing at a squat rack…
No, I’m talking about those people who sit on piece of equipment for 25 minutes, taking their time between sets, not being mindful of others who might want to use it.
Other times, there might be a piece of equipment that’s in high demand and every time you circle back to see if it’s open, someone else is on it.
The gym is a public place (unless you’re fortunate enough to have a fully-stocked home gym), and you never know what equipment availability might be like.
Most exercises have alternates, so be ready to pivot quickly in case you can’t do your main choice.
Pro tip: When you’re planning out your workouts, list out alternates.
5️⃣ Go when it’s not busy
Find out when peak times are at your gym and plan to go in when it’s less busy.
There are fewer people to talk to, more equipment will be available, and you can go through your workout without wondering whether all the benches will be taken.
If you go during peak times, it’s probably going to take longer to get that gym session done.
When you need a longer session…
For competitive athletes who are training for a specific program, it might be necessary to train longer.
But for the vast majority of us who are looking to live a happy, healthy life, 45 minutes a few times a week is more than enough to build and maintain muscle.
We’re not out here training for a powerlifting or bodybuilding competition—but if you are, make sure you plan appropriately with your trainer to ensure you get enough rest!
To wrap things up…
Your gym sessions are not meant to be long, drawn-out 2-hour sessions that take up the bulk of your afternoon and tire you out so bad that all you can do is chill all day.
I mean, chillin’ all day sounds nice, but a gym session that takes 45 minutes is more than enough.
Do that 3-4 times a week—making sure you make the most of your time—and you’ll be in good shape.