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Being efficient in the gym and in life is what I”ll cover in this post because I feel we have so many more advantages at being efficient that wasting time and wondering where it all went.  In todays show/post, I’m going to cover batching and what that is, the 80/20 rule, how to workout in the most efficient time possible along with a few other things so let’s get into it.

We’re long past the days where you need to sit in the gym for an hour and half to get the results you’re after.  Even cardio for long periods of time is overrated unless of course you enjoy it.  It you’re doing cardio for an extended period of time because you’re looking for results, I have some suggestions to help you be more efficient and get more out of your workout in a short amount of time which is all based around being efficient in the gym.

More times than not I workout within 20 minutes, that’s including a warm up, I’m quite certain people look at me leaving in a short amount of time wondering why I’m leaving so soon.  Being efficient is what I stand by in the gym and in life for that matter.  The only reason you’d work out in a gym for an hour or more is because you have certain goals like bodybuilding for example or because you’re there for the social aspect, which there’s nothing wrong with.  Other than that you can get a whole lot more out of your workout in a shorter amount of time.

Let’s take a full body circuit for example, let’s say you mix in a cardio exercise like skipping rope, then you add a squat press because it’s a fantastic whole body exercise and finally how about we throw in an a pull up exercise because it’s challenging and works a wide array of muscles.  What we’re going to do is go from one exercise to the next without stopping, we can continue this for a set number of sets or a time frame, to make that clear; you can say you’re going to do 3-5 sets or you’ll do this circuit for 15 mins.  And that goes for reps as well, you can either set a time for about 30 seconds or you can do 10-15 reps of each exercise.

The great part about a routine like this is, you decide how hard you work, you decide how much effort you put in, what goals you set, how much you get out if it and finally how exhausted you’ll be when this workout is done.

If you want to get a great workout in, in 10-15 mins you’ll go full tilt the whole time, if you’re happy with just getting through the workout then go at whatever pace you feel fit.  There’s all kinds of short intense workouts that can be done, you don’t need to be a trainer or any kind of specialist to make up your own routine.  Find a cardio exercise then a couple full body exercises and you’re set.  We all know it takes time to drive to the gym, often we have to get changed, talk to a few people and by the time we’re done it could take up to an hour and a half to get out of there.  By staying efficient with your exercises you widen your scope of success to stay consistent with your workouts and get the most out of them each time you go.

It doesn’t matter what people think, I’m quite certain a lot of people don’t think I work out at all especially the ones that only see me coming and leaving.  But if you paid attention you’d notice I workout till exhaustion with each set, each rep until I’m gasping for air for most of the workout.  You know what I love of workouts like these is, if you push yourself hard enough at the beginning you think about quitting half way through, it doesn’t sound inspiring when I put it that way; I’m trying to relay to get the most out of your workout, to see results in a short amount of time you’ll have to push yourself to the max, especially when you think you can go any further.

I can’t put into words the powerful feeling you obtain by getting through workouts like this; the feeling that over takes you when you know you made it through another difficult workout where you thought you might not finish.  It’s a different feeling pushing your entire body to the max instead of working out individual muscles at a time.

You have those people that still go to the gym and hit the cardio machine for 45 mins and then do a resistance training workout for 45 mins, this is far too much time; why not combine the two and be efficient?   Many times I see people only on the cardio equipment and not mixing in resistance training at all.  This is a mistake if you ask me; if you want to tone, sculpt and burn body fat you need some sort of resistant training in your workout regimen.

I understand this is a mind set barrier.  If someone is used to working out for an hour, maybe even doing cardio for 45 mins on days you’re not lifting weights, it’s hard to believe a 20 min or less workout will give you the same results.  I have to say, the old way of lifting, is exactly that, it’s played out.  When lifting weights began working out soon became the bodybuilding era where Arnold and lou firgino and countless others I can’t exactly name roamed the gyms and set routines that we still use today.  That’s hard to me to believe.  Do we really think after so many years that’s not a better way to workout, there’s not a more efficient way to get the results you’re after?

Sure if you’re bodybuilding you may need to sit in the gym for hours in a single session, which personally I still think is extreme but if you’re not a bodybuilder which more of us aren’t then what are we doing?  We’re performing the same type of exercise, sets and workouts as a bodybuilder knowing full well that’s not what we’re after.

Next time you’re at the gym try something new, try something different, look to efficiency and I don’t mean lazy, don’t show up do a few reps, leave and say I said that workout is more efficient.  I’m talking about full out, full body exercise for a short amount of time.   Stretching your lung capacity, muscles and mind, because I guarantee you if you push yourself hard enough doubt will wander in your mind, failure even that you may not finish this workout, and when you get through it, you’ll realize that power of achievement I was talking about earlier.  You just might, never go back to the old way of workout again.

Summary

Above is the first segment of the show, I’ve also included:

• ‘batching‘ and the importance of doing more of the same activity or ‘like’ activities at once, which of course will save you time
• the 80/20 rule and how to be more efficient in other areas of your life
• How to save time with food prep
• top 4 ways to save time in your everyday life and be efficient

Thanks so much for tuning in and having a listen or read.  I hope these tips help you learn to be more efficient in the gym and in every day life.  If you have any questions please ask below and if you get a chance to rate this show in itunes I’d more than appreciate it.  Thanks again, I always appreciate you time.