Exercising your body is important to your overall health. Remaining active not only keeps you in shape, but helps reduce the risk of serious illness later in life. Whether you workout at home with your own equipment or go to a gym, there are some things you should keep in mind and plan out prior to your workout session. Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of your routine.
This may be the most important aspect of the workout, both before and after. Stretching helps ensure that your muscles stay flexible, healthy, and strong. Skipping out on stretching will make your muscles short and tight – thus causing injury in the long term.
What you wear during a workout will affect your performance. Wearing a shirt with proper moisture management, such as DryWear premium athletic apparel, will ensure that sweat leaves the body and keeps you dry and cool. Regular shirts trap sweat – keeping your body hot and affecting performance. Proper shoes are also important to prevent foot and ankle injuries. Finally, pants or shorts are up to you, but make sure they will keep you cool.
We’ve all heard it before – but make sure you mix up your workout routine to work your entire body. You shouldn’t focus only on arms, legs, core, etc. A good balance of working each area will ensure you’re working your body proportionately. Try a variation of legs, cardio, and strength training one day a week and core twice a week. Building your core is important, as it contributes to every workout you perform.
The amount of reps and sets you complete isn’t important – properly performing the exercise is. If you aren’t performing the exercise correctly, you aren’t working the muscle correctly, which defeats the purpose of the workout. Incorrect reps can also contribute to injury, ranging from minor to major. As you build certain exercises into your routine, the number of reps will naturally increase, but take it slow at first to make sure you’re executing them correctly.
Fueling your body after a workout may be the most critical aspect of building muscle, as muscle grows after you workout. Taking in the right vitamins, proteins, and food is key to obtaining the results you’re working toward. For more on post workout nutrition, visit our blog post on the topic here.
