When you start working out, you have a goal in mind. You don’t just turn up one day and throw a few weights around for no reason – you have a real, genuine plan. Whether you’re trying to shift a few pounds, or trying to build some strength, you have that idea going into it all.
Now, many people try, and many people fail. That’s not a problem, obviously. Failure is one of the best, if not the best way to progress. The problem is regarding why they actually struggle to reach their goals. Due to ignorance or a lack of effort in terms of educating themselves, they managed to screw up their entire plan and get absolutely nowhere with their fitness.
In order to get good results at the gym, you need to do more than show up and do what looks right. If you’re just starting out and don’t want to make any mistakes, then you need to do a little recon beforehand. If you want to maximize your results and not feel as though you’ve wasted a few weeks/months, then read on; we’ll go through a few things you need to do.
Form!
For the love of God, get the movements and the body positions right. You might want to look cool by lifting the heaviest weight, or not doing anything strange in front of your crush, but that’s not going to optimize your workout. The majority of the time, the weight doesn’t matter, and your gym-crush is too busy worrying about his or herself to be judging you. Work slowly; work properly; get the basics right.
Consistency
Going once or twice a week and then having some time off won’t cut it, unfortunately. It’s nice to be able to chill at home with a pizza, but you need to show some dedication. It doesn’t have to be a massively strict regime, but a nice little system would do you a world of good.
An Appetite!
This gets a lot of people confused. Nutrition is quite a difficult subject, so it’s understandable if you’re in the dark about a lot of things. If you want to lose weight, then, yes, you should eat a little less, but that’s it — a LITTLE less. You still need to fill your body will all of the good stuff. Likewise, if you’re trying to build muscle, keep doing what you’re doing: eat! Don’t worry too much about the ins and outs; you’ll just get a little dysmorphic and might even get a little disorderly.
Supplements
They aren’t the be-all and end-all, but they certainly help. You shouldn’t substitute them for food, as we mentioned a second ago. You should instead use them to supplement your meals. That’s why they’ve been given that name. When you look online for certain sups, you should read through each one and consider whether this is the best protein powder for your situation, or whether you need pre-workout stuff at all. They aren’t for everyone, so don’t feel pressured into getting some because you’ve seen others do it.
Rest!
You build muscle, stamina, and overall fitness when you’re resting. That’s the optimum time for your body to transform because it’s not working at anything else. Make sure you don’t pull too many all-nighters and get that beauty sleep.