Get More Bang For Your Fitness Buck With These Fundamentals

When it comes to exercise excuses, the ‘I don’t have time’ mentality has to be the worst of them all. We get it; you’re busy, but there’s ALWAYS time to work out if you turn your mind to it. As they say, you make time for the things you care about. And, that’s especially the case if you make the utmost of the time that you do spend on this pursuit. 

After all, even the most avid of fitness fanatics work with the same 24-hour period that you do. So, what separates their capabilities from yours? Most often, they’ll be adept at getting more bang for their fitness buck. Whether you’re struggling for time or simply want to get it over with as much as possible, maximizing fitness efforts in the same way could be key. But, how exactly can you unlock that door? 

Always opt for full-body workouts

Many of us make the mistake of focusing on one specific workout style, be that weight lifting, cardio fitness, or whatever else. The trouble is that, to get full-body benefits, we often have to embark on these efforts alongside something else, automatically doubling (or at least increasing) the time we take here. 

By comparison, opting for one set workout option that covers all bases can be a far preferable option. This way, every second of your workout is put to the best possible use, reducing the need for more than one pursuit, and drastically cutting the time you have to spend. 

Luckily, there are loads of full-body options, including bike riding, swimming, yoga, and a whole lot besides. Each of these focuses incorporates a whole load of different fitness benefits, including –

• Strength-building
• Cardio fitness
• Stamina
• Etc.

Even better, you’ll never need to move onto the ‘next’ thing, guaranteeing that you can give his one pursuit your all, and still enjoying ample benefits from doing so. 

Optimize with multi-use equipment

Multi-use equipment is also a huge help in this respect. After all, getting new equipment set up or even just moving onto the next thing can take time, especially now we’re all working out from home. This can lead to reluctance to get stuck in or can waste a significant chunk of the time that you’ve set aside for this pursuit. 

Negate this issue by investing in multi-use equipment that provides you with the most inclusive workouts you could hope for, all from one handy piece of kit. Options like a cross trainer, a decent set of dumbells or an adjustable workout bench can all bring this benefit by opening the floor for various workout options in one easy-to-handle package. Research, especially, could see you creating the ultimate home gym experience every single time, even if you only have a few key pieces, or a short amount of time, to play with. 

Measure volume and intensity

According to Shape magazine, getting the most bang for your workout buck also relates to how you measure each exercise focus. Specifically, Shape recommends measuring both volume and intensity, in place of a typically more volume-centric approach. 

After all, there’s really no reason that you need to spend hours on fitness, or even an hour, if you increase your intensity to ensure the same benefits for less. Obviously, this should be done with a sensible approach, but there’s definite logic to this thought pattern. 

After all, a longer workout that’s easier to do most definitely isn’t the right way to go about fitness for many. By comparison, shorter workouts that push you until you feel you’re at your limit can prove more attainable. To do this safely, individuals should focus on both mechanical fatigue and metabolic fatigue, working out their own fitness ceilings, and determining how far, and thus how fast, they can feel real fitness benefits. 

Always give yourself rest days

Though it may seem unlikely that rest days could contribute to this more for less focus, they very much do. That’s because, far from pushing yourself into exercise every single day without recovery, taking some well-deserved breaks between workouts can actually enhance the exercise you do get stuck into. 

This is especially the case with the increased intensity that we spoke about above, with these small pockets of powerful exercise taking their toll on muscles and joints. By operating on a one day on, one day off mentality, individuals can ease those aching muscles, thus ensuring that, when they get back to it, they’re as ready as ever to push for those fast-action benefits.