This answer is going to be a little different. I am going to make this super simple; here is a list of 50 ways to be more successful at the gym.
- Start Today
- Work out at home if you have to
- Drink a lot of water - at least 8 glasses a day. The more the better.
- Compound lifts are very useful (especially if you’re a beginner)
- For arm workouts, isolate biceps and triceps (don’t rely too much on compound lifts for arms)
- Perform squats and deadlifts at least once per week
- Don’t skip leg day
- Include at least one rest day per week
- Consider supplements (whey protein and pre-workouts are good)
- Make sure your diet is in order to be more motivated and healthy
- Include low-fat proteins (chicken, steak, etc.)
- Always have a healthy breakfast
- Spend the 1st hour of the day wisely
- Remember basic dietary advice (i.e. eat fruits and vegetables)
- Avoid smoking and alcohol at all costs
- Before you go to the gym, have a shower and ensure you feel ready to take on the day
- Remember, gyms are open late; don’t use the ‘I get back from work late, I can’t go’ excuse
- If you don’t like supplements, eat fruits before the gym (bananas are the best)
- If you have a high fat level that you want to reduce, use HIIT
- It’s always useful to know workouts before you go to the gym
- If you don’t know any workouts, search YouTube for them
- Use pairs of muscle groups during workouts (for example, back and biceps, or shoulders and tricep)
- Listen to music or an audiobook in the gym to stay focused
- Always learn new ways to improve
- Free-weights are better than machines
- Machines do give good guidance on how the movement should be carried out which you can then use for free weights
- Consider using cables for different exercises
- Try to change-up your exercises/ workouts to avoid getting bored
- If you do get bored of the gym, try going at a different time than usual (for example if you go before work, go after work instead)
- Having good form is more important than weight
- Once you have the perfect form, you can increase the weight
- If the weight is too high to perform the rep effectively, reduce the weight
- Using a low weight isn't embarrassing; experienced gym-goers will find it cringy if you are using a high weight, but performing the rep terribly
- To perform a good rep, squeeze the muscle at the top and stretch it at the bottom
- For the best outcome, start your workout with high weight and low rep, then for the second half use less weight and more reps (this is best for hypertrophy)
- Know your exact goal and don’t change it until you achieve it. (i.e. if your goal is to be more shredded for summer, don’t then start eating loads and say ‘I can’t be bothered, I just won’t be shredded’)
- Whatever your goal is (i.e. to get stronger), learn the best way to do it
- Follow some fitness accounts on Instagram so you can learn more whilst you’re aimlessly scrolling
- Follow a website/ blog that teaches you about high protein meals to cook; there are loads for free online!
- Fall in love with the process instead of the outcome
- Be as consistent as possible
- Small changes lead to a big change
- Never make poor excuses
- Plan your week/ month
- Keep a gym diary to keep a track of your exercise plan
- If you want, take it into the gym to remember all the workouts and read any important notes (i.e. “keep back straight when performing deadlift”)
- Keep a track of your weight so you can see the results
- Take a picture at the start of your gym life to see what has changed after a while
- Take exercises to failure, or one rep off failure
- If you need any supplements or home-gym equipment, Click Here for a ready-made list from Amazon, containing the best products available.
Thank you for reading, I hope this helps. If you would like to contribute, feel free to comment any further points :)