11 Exercise Tips To Help You Get The Most From Your Workouts

I am no expert when it comes to fitness or exercising, but I would like to share a few things I’ve learned from different trainers and some from FITNESS magazine since working out:

1. Only take short rests in between and get off the machine between sets to give your muscles a chance to re-energize.

2. When doing curls, standing is more effective than sitting because it also helps tone your core. To help keep from rocking, use a lighter weight or try standing with your back against a wall while curling the weight.

3. Never lock your knees; keep them slightly bent when doing leg presses, squats, dead lifts, etc.

4. Make sure to work all body parts: legs, arms, glutes, shoulders, back, chest, and core but not the same part two days in a row.  Rest between workouts is important to give your muscles time to recover.

5. My weakness is neglecting the cardio—you should include that too!  Warm up your muscles for 5-10 minutes with cardio and either do more a separate day or after the strength training.



6. When walking up stairs, take two at a time two work the larger muscles.

7. Crunches and sit-ups are more effective if done on a stability ball than a flat surface because you use more muscles to stabilize the body.

8. Work with a personal trainer to learn how to use all the machines properly and to be sure you are using proper form to avoid injury.  As Kathy mentions in the comments, doing reps slowly is more helpful.  Proper form is important for safety and most benefit!  If you can't keep going with proper form, it's time to quit on that set or change to a lower weight.

9. Eat a light snack about an hour before working out such as a fiber bar, granola bar, yogurt, or peanut butter.

10.  Stretch afterward to help reduce soreness the next day.

11. Finally, be sure to replace your weights when done. This is my pet peeve about the gym. Strong men put on lots of weight but are too lazy to take them off when done. I do not wish to lift the 45 pound weights and should not have to. Sometimes, I will skip a machine I had planned to use because I do not wish to remove the heavy weights first.


I recently discovered a great fitness blog: Fitness Prospector. For more exercise tips, information and specific workouts, stop by and check it out.  I also recommend FITNESS magazine and Strength Training For Seniors which I am currently reading.  A review is up at Grab A Book From Our Stack.

Today I look forward to working my core.  Hope you will give strength training a try.  Just be patient and start with light weights and work up gradually.  When you can easily do 15 reps for 3 sets for three days, then you can increase the weight and do 8-12 reps and work up to 15 reps at that weight. 

It's actually fun once you get into it and start seeing results!

I feel this is my best post of the week so linked it up to Saturday Samplings.  Head over there to find more!