3 idiot-proof ways to have an amazing workout every time

Getting in a good workout is all about preparation and pushing yourself. You can’t just roll into the gym and hit the weights and expect to get good results. It takes a little bit more than that.

Whether you want to build more muscle or get stronger, these 3 simple idiot-proof tips will help you have an amazing workout every time and keep you on track with your goals.

Warm Up

If you’ve been sitting around all day or have a corporate job, it is crucial that you warm-up thoroughly before you even touch a weight.

Warming up helps your muscles work better and prepares your body for training. And, if you warm-up every time you train, it can eventually improve your posture and help you dial-in your technique for big lifts like the bench press, squat, and deadlift.

Quick and Easy Upper Body Warm-up

Quick and Easy Lower Body Warm-up

Push Yourself

When you train, you have to push yourself. If an exercise calls for 8 reps, you should just be able to get 8 reps with good form, and no more. If you’re breezing into the last rep and not struggling, you’re not pushing yourself hard enough.

If you feel that you’re not getting the most out of your program, try increasing the weights you use, increasing the repetitions for each exercise, or decreasing the rest periods between sets. All of these program variables can be adjusted to make a workout easier or harder. They can also be used to track progress from workout to workout.

Have a Plan

It doesn’t matter if you clip a workout from Men’s Fitness, you have a personal trainer write your programs, or you grab something off of Facebook, you have to have a plan. ‘Winging it’ in the gym is a recipe for no gains.

You have to find a program to match your goals and to be able to systematically track your progress from workout to workout – this is called periodization. If you periodize your workouts properly, you can ensure that you will have sustainable gains and consistent progress.

Having a great workout isn’t hard, but it does require a plan and hard work. Warming up before you train, knowing what you’re going to do before you get to the gym, and pushing yourself with every repetition – will be the winning combination for making every workout amazing.

Jim Smith is a proud Dad and video game junkie. Smitty has been called “one of the most innovative coaches” in the fitness industry. If you’re serious about getting jacked, check out hisFREE Mass Report to learn the top 10 proven techniques to get muscle faster. Click here for more of Jim Smith’s fitness advice on Guyism. 

[Lifting image via ShutterStock]