Training Economy How To Maximize Your Time In The Gym

Like many things in life there is a high and low road toward attaining a goal, especially in the gym. Perhaps the top reason people don't exercise consistently, is they complain they don't have enough time to do it. Usually, the first thought that comes to mind is Bullshit! I don't say that to them, instead I ask what their workout consist of and usually its a long drawn out story of one hour of cardio and another hour of strength training. OK, I may be I'm exaggerating by thirty minutes, but the strength part usually consist of a lot isolation exercises like leg curls, lat pull down, crunches, etc. Believe it or not, there are people who think if a workout doesn't last at least a hour and a half its not worth doing. No wander many struggle to workout, if a workout takes that long the intensity is either too low, too many rest periods are being taken or just poor exercise programming.

A year ago, I learned a term called Training Economy from Joe Defranco of Defranco Training Systems. Training economy means choosing exercises and training methods that give you the quickest results in the shortest time possible. Its important to know that ALL EXERCISES WERE NOT CREATED EQUAL. For example, the deadlift is a "economical" exercise because it works a TON of muscle groups at once. Deadlifting works the low back, glutes, hamstrings, quads, forearms, upper back and traps. This one exercise can literally take the place of a dozen less productive exercises.

Hopefully, this example helps you to realize that making the proper exercise selection can drastically cut down on the time you spend in the gym. Don't be like the gym members I see wasting valuable time in the gym doing concentration curls, leg extensions, tricep kick back wonder why they see little if any change in their fitness or physique.

W.O.D (Workout Of The Day)

3 Rounds for Time:
400 meter run (is .25 distance on treadmill if used)
Kettlebell swing x 21 reps: men 52lbs; women 36lbs
Pull-ups x 12

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