Tempting as it might be to check Instagram after an interval set, use time effectively, stay focused and your workout will prosper
WORDS: Ollie McCarthy
When working with clients, one of the biggest barriers to exercise I come across is time. While for some people with extremely busy lives, not having enough time may be valid, for the most part, it’s that people don’t use time effectively – rather than don’t have enough of it.
All you need to do is look round the gym and you will see one thing distracting the majority of people – their phone. Rows of people glued to their screens while sitting on machines: 30 seconds of hard work followed by 10 minutes of scrolling.
Now, I’m a firm believer you can get a lot done in a very short space of time (15-20 minutes is all you need.) But if you are getting distracted by various apps on your phone after every set then a short workout can very quickly drag out into hours.
So how do we combat this?
1 Leave the phone in your bag
Unless there is a specific reason you need your phone with you, leave it in the changing room. This way you have no distractions while you are working out.
2 Use time effectively – go into the gym with a plan
Have a plan laid out of what you are doing in the gym before you go in. If needed get a notebook and write down the exercises you are going to do beforehand. This means you won’t get into the gym and spend the first 10 minutes working out what you want to do.
3 Train with intensity
Make sure you are pushing yourself in each set. This is where keeping a log of what you did the week before will help you. Trying to just get one rep more or lift a little more weight may seem insignificant at the time, but over weeks and months it adds up.
4 Time your rest
Everyone thinks they are resting a minute between sets. But the reality is most people rest between two to five minutes unintentionally. Put a timer on and be strict with yourself. It’s amazing how much of a difference this will make.
5 Circuit train for time
If you really are short on time then you can put a timer on, pick a few exercises and rep range and see how many times you can complete the circuit.
For example, the other day I only had 20 minutes to train, so I went to my shed and did the following workout.
Kettlebell swing x 5
Kettlebell squat x 5
Dip (can be press up) x 5
Kettlebell row x 5
Each time you complete a round increase the reps by 5. Do as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes.
