To reap the rewards from a good work out session you’ll want to plan ahead. You may even have a routine that you stick to but most people wont consider one thing stress! If like others, your work out is designed to help you de-stress from a busy day at work you may not actually notice that external influences may be adding to this stress you were supposed to be leaving behind! So what can be done to avoid any unnecessary stresses when training?

Avoid peak times

Yes, you’ve got it! One of the biggest thing’s that contributes to rising stress levels in the gym is not being able to use the equipment you need to complete your routine, or people just getting in the way in general. By avoiding 2 peak times you can limit this hindrance. We actually he 2 things to consider, the time of day during the week and the month of the year, you ar probably well aware of the new year, new me gang that come out of the wood work every January and pack the gym out for 2 weeks before realising its not for them and never coming back! Then we have the more frequent occurrence of on peak and off peak times. For regular gym goers you will notice a trend, some people are only available to train at peak times during the day so if you are a little more flexible when it comes to your schedule try and do your training session during off peak hours (you may even get a discount) this means you can turn up and train totally stress free!

Pre-plan

Have a think about what machines you want to use, which equipment you’ll need and plan ahead. This way you can focus on reps and form, remember to include your warm up, stretches and warm down. Once you have figured out which equipment you will need to use you can start to visualise in your head the nest order to do your work out in. This will benefit because it will save time, avoid distractions and mean you can get on with the task at hand. It may seem counter intuitive to do all this work before you’ve even got to the gym but believe us, it will mean your training session passes by glitch free and stress free.

Supplements

There is another type of stress, this is the pressure you are putting your body under. To make sure you are getting the most out of your work out you will need to fuel your body accordingly. Diet plays a huge role in you meeting your fitness targets, now this can mean anything from looking at the amount of calories you eat a day to taking a pre work out mix or a protein shake to help you recover after training. This can ensure your workout is pain free and you are not putting your body under any additional stress.

Safety first

Stay safe. Make sure you have full inductions on all the machinery you plan to use and only ever use the machines as directed. Give yourself time off to recover in between sets and training sessions and never train on an injury. You can end up doing more bad than good and setting your progress back months. Always ask a member of staff if you are unsure there will tend to be a personal trainer and trained member on staff on hand at all times, you aren’t putting them out so don’t worry or feel embarrassed, its their job to ensure you can train safely and stress free!