1. Plan It out before You Get to the Gym

There’s nothing worse than going to the gym without a plan. A few minutes before your workout (or even the night before), write down the exercises you want to perform. Are you going to focus on weight training or cardio? Are you going to focus on specific muscle groups? Having a plan before you hit the gym is a perfect way to ensure your workout is efficient and successful.

2. Complete Exercises in Circuits

To save time and get the biggest calorie-burning bang for your buck, try completing exercises in circuits. By completing one exercise immediately after another, you’ll actually burn more fat while putting on muscle at the same time. A simple circuit could be as easy as a set of pushups, a set of squats, a set of shoulder presses, and a set of crunches. Perform the circuits 2-3 times and rest in between circuits for approximately 30-60 seconds.

3. Add Cardio Bursts in between Sets

Why stand around until your next set? Try adding a cardio burst while you’re resting between sets of an exercise. A spring on the treadmill, a set of jumping lunges, and burpees are all great choices.

4. Try Exercises That Work Upper and Lower Body at the Same Time

Instead of performing just a single upper body or lower body exercise at a time, try combining your exercises to maximize caloric burn. This could be as simple as combining lunges with a bicep curl or squats with a shoulder raise. Work out this way and you’ll get twice as much done in half the time.

5. Time Your Rest Periods

It’s important to make sure you’re getting adequate rest between sets to encourage muscle recovery. However, it’s super easy to get carried away and rest a lot longer than you had planned. Try timing your rest periods for no more than 60 seconds. This is plenty of time to give your muscles adequate recovery, but not so much that you won’t be able to finish the set.

6. Limit Small Talk with Other Gym Members

It’s always nice to make exercise a social event! By no means am I telling you not to enjoy time with your friends at the gym. Just remember it’s really easy to get carried away with small talk and gossip. Having friendly conversations is great and can be motivating. Just be sure to keep the small talk in check and get back to your workout.

7. Leave Your Phone in Your Locker

Unless you’re using your phone to play music, do yourself a favor and leave it in your locker. Text messages and social media notifications only distract you from your real goals, which are to work hard and get a good workout!

Working out can definitely be a fun and enjoyable experience. Following these tips can really help you maximize your efforts in almost half the time. What are some of your favorite tips for getting the most out of your workout?