Maximise your time spent in the gym by having a plan for your sessions.
Having an idea of what you would like to achieve makes sessions more enjoyable as it increases motivation to help yield better results.
Here are some tips if you’re new to the gym or unsure of where to start.

1. Have a goal. Having an overall goal gives you something to work towards. It could be losing a stone, running 10k or improving part of your physique. Choose an overall goal and focus your training sessions around it. It also pays to set smaller goals which we talk about in this blog
2. Once the goal is decided, you can focus on exercises that work well for you If your goal is to run 10k, then exercise sessions based around running and injury prevention would work best. If it’s improving your physique then perhaps weight based sessions should be priority.
3. Select exercises that you enjoy doing. I’m personally not a fan of any cardio machine, I get bored. I also don’t like Single arm rows with dumbbells. I won’t do them if they’re in my programme so I have learnt to substitute these with the exercises that I do enjoy. 
4. Write down what you do. This is one of the best ways of increasing enjoyment and motivation. If you have some kind of log of your exercise, you can see your progress. The easiest application is with weight training. If you lift 8kg one week and 9kg the next you can see your progress in writing. Likewise with running or swimming, note what you do and how you feel doing it. Then compare notes the following week or session.
5. Leading on from keeping a log - Don’t set yourself unreasonable targets for your session. Jumping from 3k to 5k in one running session is probably 1 jump to much. Also, adding in an extra 4 exercises into a session or upping the intensity too quickly will make it hard to progress and potentially result in a decrease of motivation, an increase injury risk and can put pressure on yourself making the idea of the session daunting, Stick to reasonable advances.
6. Plan out your training in advance, spend a little time creating a plan for your weeks exercise, even better for a the next few weeks/months
7. Stick to similar exercises. It’s hard to measure progress if you vary the training programme too much. Jumping from machine to machine every session with no plan will not be measurable. Choose a few exercises or machines you like and stick to them for 4-6 weeks. Then change it up for another 4-6 weeks. It’s so motivating seeing your improvements.
8. Don’t link loads of different exercises in one after another, do one exercise at a time and focus on your form and technique. This will yield better results and reduce risk of injury.
9. Train in an environment you feel comfortable in. If you don’t feel comfortable or enjoy being in a gym, you’re less likely to maintain adherence.
At the same time, if you’re training at home and that doesn’t seem to be happening for many reasons, try going to a gym instead.
10. Put the training session in your diary - having a time in writing to stick to will help you prepare and get to the gym. Popping out when you’re tired or haven’t eaten yet will diminish the performance in the session. Being able to plan for the session is important.

Use some of these tips, and you will see improvement in enjoyment, motivation and results from your gym sessions.

To find out more or if you would like help with gym programming contact us to speak to a TWPT Personal Trainer.