3 Ways to Get More From Your Workout

If you’ve been hitting the gym or exercising regularly but aren’t seeing the progress you’d hoped for, it may be time to upgrade your workout routine. Sometimes, small changes can make a big difference in maximizing results and getting closer to your fitness goals.

Here are three proven strategies to take your workouts to the next level:

1. Be Unstable

Adding instability to your workouts activates your core and engages more muscle groups. By challenging your stabilizing muscles, you improve balance, coordination, and overall functional strength.

Here’s how to incorporate instability into your routine:

• Use an exercise ball for moves like chest presses or crunches.
• Try a balance board or balance disk for exercises like squats or planks.
• Perform movements like single-leg deadlifts or lunges while standing on one leg to force your stabilizers to engage.

These adjustments add variety and ensure your body works harder with every rep.

2. Add Resistance

Resistance is the cornerstone of an effective workout. Adding resistance challenges your muscles to grow stronger, burns more calories, and makes every movement more impactful.

Here are some ways to introduce resistance:

• Carry dumbbells while performing lunges or walking.
• Wear a weighted vest during activities like jogging, hiking, or even household chores.
• Place a weight between your feet while performing exercises like leg raises.

By increasing the intensity of your movements, you’ll push your body beyond its comfort zone and see more significant improvements in strength and endurance.

3. Use Intervals

Short on time but want maximum results? Interval training is your solution. This method alternates between bursts of high-intensity activity and periods of lower-intensity recovery. Not only does interval training make workouts more efficient, but it also boosts cardiovascular health and burns calories faster.

How to start with intervals:

• Alternate between 30 seconds of sprinting and 1 minute of walking for a cardio session.
• Combine strength and cardio by doing a circuit of 20 seconds of squats, 20 seconds of push-ups, and 20 seconds of rest.
• Perform your favorite exercises at a high intensity for 1 minute, then recover at a slower pace for 2 minutes.

With interval training, you can pack a powerful workout into just 20-30 minutes.

Putting It All Together

By incorporating instability, resistance, and interval training into your workouts, you’ll elevate your routine and achieve better results in less time. Whether you’re striving to build strength, lose fat, or enhance your overall fitness, these tips will help you get there faster and more effectively.

Ready to upgrade your fitness game? Give these strategies a try and feel the difference in your next workout!