In this fast paced and tech world, the number 1 excuse for people not going to the gym is TIME. That’s why any workout program out there will use “Get Fit in Less Time” as selling point. Heck, I could’ve even themed this entire blog around the concept and called it “Bigger Muscles in Less Time” and had people flocking to it.
It’s because today, we want the quick-fix, and the microwave approach. That’s why most beginners think the secret is in some pill, powder, or potion and are quick to run the GMC to buy the latest Muscle & Fitness recommended supplement.
Well I’m here to give you the hard truth and the facts that may turn some of you away because you’re not ready to face them. But if your excuse is or was “I don’t have time” the truth is, you DIDN’T really want to go in the first place. There was some other obstacle holding you back and you used Time as a cover up. Trust me, there’ve been “slack off” periods when I used lack of time as a excuse. When managed to get back in the gym, it was with the same amount of things I had before, only I was able to “find” time for the gym.
In my fraternity, we say that “Excuses are tools of incompetence that build monuments of nothingness and those who specialize in them, seldom do well at anything else.” A very true statement that I live by.
Now for those of you that have actually shed the Time excuse and decided to go to the gym, I have some tips that’ll help save you time and not keep you in there for 1.5 hrs 5 days a week.
First up, get serious about your fitness goals and pick a time in your schedule to go. I’m not a morning person or a late night person, so I like to go after work. I find that doing successive “must-do” activities run really well with each other and it helps me get into a routine. Getting a routine is crucial if you want to meet your goals in the time frame you’ve set for yourself. Make sure you don’t schedule anything else in this time block you’ve set aside. This has to be a hard and steady part of your day, not an “if-I-get-to-it” activity. Place a mental priority on it similar to going to your job or school. The trick to doing this is finding the REAL reason you are going to the gym. It has to be an emotional reason, not a logical reason. More on that in another blog.
Once you’re in there, you have to stay focused. It’s been said that by being focused, a standard 40 hr work week can be condensed to 25 hrs or less. One thing that helps me stay focused is a stop watch that makes me stay consistent and honest about the rest I’m taking between exercises. Refer to my blog on workout reps and rest to determine how long your rest should be.
Another in-the-gym technique that’s popular is music or headphones. Many people use this to get them pumped and keep their heads in the game. Distractions lead to detours, which lead you away from your goals.
Super-sets are a great way to get more sets done in less time. They can be another way to step up the intensity of your workout also. A super set as I do them is doing opposite muscles back to back. For instance, I would do a dumbbell bicep curl immediately followed by an overhead tricep extension. Rest, and then do them again. Or another variation would be to do the same muscle, just with 2 or 3 consecutive exercises back to back. For instance, a dumbbell bicep curl immediately followed by barbell curl, then by hammer curls. Rest, and then do them again. I would advise to shy away from the second variation as a beginner because this can be very intense and you need to work up to it. Either super set will save you massive amounts of time. Especially if you keep a stop watch with you.
If you’re brand new to the gym and have never really lifted. I suggest going once or twice a week to start. I know I advocated 3 times a week, but that’s a bench mark to work up to. For the fresh starter, going once or twice a week will benefit you massively and not overload you. You have to work your mind and your body up to going several times a week. There are neural and muscular adjustments that have to be made, not to mention you’ll probably be sore as heck and going back to the gym sore isn’t a smart idea. Do whole body routines focusing on combination exercises like squats and bench presses (more for a later blog) and keep it to one set per exercise for a few weeks.
The trick is to take baby steps to get started and work your way up. No Olympic athelete started running that fast their first day of training. Nor can you jump in the gym 4 or 5 times a week and lift massive weights your first day or week. Check your ego at the door.
After the gym, you could schedule appointments or meetings that you have to be at at a certain time. Block out an hour to workout and shower and place the appointment or meeting right after. This would entail that you stay focused in the gym so you can hit all the required muscles and get out. This would also entail that you shower at the gym (or later depending on the type of meeting) and that you carry some type of shake or meal replacement bar (if your following meeting isn’t a dinner) so you can get the right nutrition in at the right time…because we know that if you don’t do this, you’ve just wasted your time in the gym!
The final trick I’ll leave you with is a little next level but it’s what I believe in and has worked everytime for me. You have to BELIEVE you have the time or more time. If you constantly tell yourself “I don’t have time” or “There’s not enough time in the day”, what you speak and what you believe will manifest themselves. Using this ancient principle, start to say that “I have time” or “There’s plenty of time in the day” and your mind will open up to possibilities and opportunities you never saw before. Try it for a week with the FAITH that it’ll work, and see things begin to change. There’s an Abundance of time, just like anything else, if you manage it right.
If you haven’t by now, be sure to check out my Free Resources page for great free downloadable ebooks that’ll take you to the next level. Until next time, Happy Lifting!
Mitchell
Filed under Body Building Tips by on Feb 17th, 2009. 2 Comments. 
