Rethinking the Gym

Today I thought I would share some thoughts on gym workouts. I’ve been going to the gym on and off for several years. I’ve been trying to pin point why I can’t keep going regularly and came up with the following excuses:

1. Not wanting to do cardio at the gym
2. Bored with the routine
3. Overcrowded gym

This year I’m finally overcoming the above excuses.

I find that doing cardio at the gym means I am mentally thinking about how long I’ve gotta be in the gym for before heading home. I think it was putting me off as I would think “If I got to the gym I won’t get home till late”. I was getting in the habit of skipping on it too often. I decided to stop doing cardio indoors. It’s extremely boring and no amount of music or book reading on the cardio machine will change that for me. If I must do cardio indoors then I make myself do intervals.

I now do all of my cardio work outdoors. I get out on my bike at least three times a week and go running twice a week.

Secondly I started researching more routines online. I’ve never been a fan of personal trainers. I don’t see much point in having someone right by me while I am working out.
I used to go to an excellent gym in the UK that assigned you a trainer as part of your membership. When you joined they met with you, set you up a routine and then you would track it on your own for six to eight weeks. You then met with your trainer who would then review what you’ve done and your results. They would then create a newly modified routine. Of course they had more traditional trainers if you needed it. I recalled how much I enjoyed that method and decided I could re-create it myself.

I started reading through the two men’s health sites that I like Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness. Both of these sites have a wealth of information in their archives. I eventually settled on the Men’s Fitness’ 30 Minute Chest workout. I liked this one as it focused on the upper body which for me has always been weak. I complimented it by adding some squats and lunges for my legs and following it up with a core routine.

To prevent boredom settling in I am keeping a track of my workouts. This way I can make sure I am progressing the weight up as needed. I am also sticking to one workout for eight weeks and then I will switch to a new one.

Dailyburn Home Screen

I track all my gym workouts with www.dailyburn.com and its companion iPhone app ‘Dailyburn’. You can create your routines online then access and record them via the app. They have an android app in the works but it’s only available to “Pro” account holders as of this writing.

Dailyburn Workout Tracking Page

Thirdly, I needed to think of some way to tackle the overcrowding that can happen at the gym, particularly on Mondays when all the people flock in feeling guilty after a weekend of over indulging! It’s really frustrating when you have a plan and can’t get to a bench, dumbbell or machine because they are all being used.

My tip for getting things done in an overcrowded gym:

Alternatives – For every exercise in your routine learn an alternative.

1. If a bench is taken, look up the free form version
2. If a barbell is taken, do the dumbbell version
3. If a machine is taken, do the free weight version

Knowing the alternative has really helped me get my workouts done with 100% completion at the gym. I don’t waste anytime waiting or thinking “It’s busy in there today, I’m gonna skip it”.

Hopefully you find some of this useful. Feel free to share your own tips and advice in the comments section. I’d love to hear some other points of view.