This is just a quick post to give a little advice about your rest times. In the gym I see a lot of people perform their set, and then just stare blankly into the mirror. This isn’t good, as you aren’t preparing for the next set properly. Here is a list of things you should do, to enable yourself to recover a much as possible from your last set, and so have a more intense workout.
What to do:
- Breathe deeply, trying to reduce your heart rate to a minimum. You want to oxygenate your blood (and therefore muscles) as much as possible. This will help then lift the weights for the next set.
- Take the correct amount of time for your workout. If you workout says 1 minute rest, rest for 1 minute! It can be difficult to do this if you wonder around, talking to friends, going to the water fountain etc.
- Stand up. Standing up in between sets enables lots more oxygen to enter your body, as opposed to sitting down.
What not to do:
- Talk to your friends (a lot). Although this may sound a little harsh, there are reasons behind it. Firstly, you can easily loose track of time and end up having a 3 – 4 minute gap between each set. This reduces intensity of the workout, and overall breaks less muscle fibers. Also, when you’re talking your not breathing as deeply as you potentially could do, and so less oxygen is reaching your muscles.
- Drink a lot of water. When you drink water, although it’s good in moderation, it is time when you are not breathing. If you spend 30 seconds of your break drinking, you have in-taken half the oxygen you potentially could have.
There are so simple tips your should try and follow. Just remember to breathe deeply, oxygenate your muscles as much as a possible, and therefore be as prepared as possible for your next set.
