This week I have started to take note of how many people are wasting time in the gym. Unless you love the gym then you want to get in and out of there as soon as possible. For many this is difficult, especially so during busy periods. I am lucky because of my work hours I can train in the gym at 5am or 6am and again at midday (I am not sure how much luck is involved in getting up 4.45am to train but still….guess you need a 24 hour gym for that). For people who have to train at peak hours the gym can be real ass. It becomes even more bothersome if you are making some of these errors –
Waiting for a specific machine/exercise – The first time wasting person I saw was partly caused because I was stealing “her” equipment. I was jumping between a couple of machines on the legs and she wanted to use one of them. While she could easily have shared time with me the reality is most people feel awkward sharing when the other person looks like they know what they are doing. She soon lost patience waiting for me to finish and then decided to go and read the instructions of the other machines near by. She read every set of instructions yet lifted nothing in 10 minutes. After I moved on she did one set of the exercise on the machine i was using and then went home.
People get caught up in machines and exercises. You are working muscles not doing exercises. Any exercise that works a specific muscle will do. If I cannot get on a leg extension (thighs) then just hold a squat with a weight in the hand (thighs) and the same objective will be achieved. There is no magic in any specific machines. The vast number of different exercises stems from body building where each different angle of the muscle fibres need to be stressed. While some exercise are slightly more beneficial than others none could be justified at the expense of waiting 10 minutes to do it.
The key is to learn an alternative for every exercise so if it is busy you just breeze on to the alternative.
What???…you barely know your current routine let alone the alternative…..exactly!!!!!!!!! Stop being lazy and go out and learn some different ones. It isn’t rocket science!
Adjusting Machines – The second time wasting woman I saw had ventured into the “guy” zone of the gym where in between blokes grunting, throwing dumb bells on the floor and staring in the mirror is a nice inclined sit ups bench. The bench sat at a 40 degree angle and the lady tried to adjust it to a higher angle. She tried three times then walked off and around the gym looking for an alternative. She then came back for one more attempt and then gave up and walked out.
Why didn’t you help her???? …I hear you say……
Well, one I had dumbbells on me and I wasn’t right next to her……but more importantly I saw a really massive guy try and do the same a week before and he couldn’t adjust it so I wasn’t going to try. She obviously doesn’t know this but the point is who cares what setting the machine is on.
A 40 degree angle is the same as a 60 degree or 20 degree if you know how to target the stomach. There is no point wasting time fiddling around with a hundred settings. The seat being one inch higher or lower than last time will not affect anything nor will it injure you. If you cant fit in the machine then do a machine free alternative, or wait until someone else has adjusted it and come back to it later. So many people lose interest in the gym because they don’t know how / can’t adjust the machines….forget about it! (within reason and grounds of safety)
Sticking To A Certain Exercise Order – The final person was a guy who was looking de-motivated and was generally being unproductive while waiting for a certain machine. The idiot blocking him was of course me…..yes…..on one of my 10 minute on one machine phase.
His workout had him doing shoulders on the lateral raise machine….this is one of the most pointless bits of equipment ever invented as any dumbbell could do the same job……I like it however, hence I was occupying it. He didn’t want to work in with me as I guess he was intimidated or feared I’d make conversation with him. After 5 or 6 minutes of him waiting I pretended I finished and went to do something else so he could use it. He then did two sets and moved onto the next exercise.
What a waste of 5 minutes waiting for a machine just to do 2 minutes of exercise then move on. It would make no difference if he did the exercise first, last or in the middle. So he has pointless added 5 minutes onto his workout. While certain exercise routines do need to be in a specific order if you are of that level you will already know about weight training and the gym. All the other “normal” exercisers it really doesn’t matter
So in summary, to cut your exercise time down in the gym –
- Know an alternative form for every exercise (especially popular machines etc)
- Don’t waste hours adjusting machines, if easy to do then adjust it, if an effort then just use it (if not dangerous) or forget about this exercise and use another one.
- Forget exercise orders, just do what is free.
I will cover more time saving tips in part 2.
Remember exercise is a skill to be developed, not a shopping list to be followed. Therefore, you have to learn how to exercise and how to do different alternatives. Learning a skill is the approach you would have used to learn to how to drive a car or to play the guitar.
September 4th – 10th (2 days measured)
I was away for the weekend in Prague and thus only been able to record 2 days worth of food. I had 3 days off training and in the other 3 days I knocked out 6 gym sessions.
Diet – Protein – 207g, Carbs – 383g, fat – 90g, calories – 3166 calories, % P: 26% C : 48% F: 26%
Exercise – Weights x 6
Weight – 71.3kg Body fat – 36.5mm* (yesterday)
Supplements – None
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*This is my own 10 point self measurement system, it does not correlate to body fat scores. At a guess 40mm – 8%, 50mm – 9.5%, 60mm – 11%, 70mm – 12.5%. I do not take it everyday if looking to gain muscle or maintain as it puts me off wanting to eat more. If on fat loss phase I take it daily. Like any body fat measurement system, as you get to low body fat levels the number become less accurate or reliable.
Kensington – For Personal Training South Kensington please contact me. I am available for sessions in homes, private gyms or parks across London. Ben Wilson – South Kensington Personal Trainer
