Training Efficiently
Being self-employed has afforded me lots of time and flexibility to workout whenever I want for as long as I want. My training sessions have typically been 90 minutes to 2 hours in duration. With a newborn in the mix now, I’ve had to quickly learn how to make my training sessions more efficient.
I thought I would share some of the things I’ve put into practice to get my training sessions down to 60 minutes or less, without feeling like I’m sacrificing the quality of my training or making progress towards my strength goals.
Here are my three major takeaways from the past two weeks:
Build a home gym
Use timers
Prepare & put your phone away
Build a home gym
Of course I’m biased - I always intended to have a gym at home, regardless of whether or not I was going to run a personal training business. Having a selection of equipment that you like to use and serves your training needs without having to leave your house is invaluable. Furthermore, you don’t have to deal with all the nonsense that comes with training at conventional gyms like waiting for a squat rack to open up, unsolicited lifting advice from high school gym bros, and the long list of other distractions present in modern day gym culture.
You don’t need a tonne of equipment to get a great workout, but I will say that having lots of options in your home gym keeps your training interesting and progressive. I’m recommending that you build a nice home gym, too. I don’t need to have paint on the walls or fancy flags and gym banners, but I like the way the space feels, and that goes a long way when motivation is low. If you have some dumbbells in a poorly lit, unfinished basement room, it’s time to upgrade!
If you’re wondering where to start or what to consider when it comes to building a home gym, I wrote this article back in 2020 to help. I get no kickback or monetary benefit from any of my recommendations - they are honest recommendations based on equipment and products I’ve either used in the past or currently have in my home gym. If you’re looking for in-depth product reviews online, I recommend checking out Basement Brandon and Garage Gym Reviews.
Use timers
The first thing I do when I get in my gym is start a stopwatch timer on the main gym clock. I may or may not refer to that timer during my training session, but it’s always running to remind me how long I’ve been “working out” for. Gone are the days of wasting 10-minutes scrolling Instagram before a warm up (procrastinating). Having those LED digits constantly ticking reminds me that I’m there for a reason and it’s time to get to work.
When it comes to completing the sets and reps, I use a countdown timer on my Apple Watch to track my rest between sets. You can often see it in my video clips on Instagram; as soon as I finish a set, I loosen my belt and tap the timer on my watch. I have several preset timers ranging from 1-minute to 3-minutes that are accessible from the home screen on my watch. I recommend this option over a timer that counts up because it’s easy to lose track of time or forget how long you’ve been resting between sets. When my watch jingles and vibrates, I know it’s time to do the next set.
If you’re someone who likes using your smartwatch to track your workouts, I recommend getting one of these magnetic kitchen timers and sticking it to the squat rack instead. Having a countdown timer is a game changer when it comes to efficiently completing strength training in the gym.
Prepare & put your phone away
This one is tricky for me since I write and deliver training programs to all of my clients using an app called TrueCoach. The app allows me to give clients detailed instructions, movement demo videos, and collaborative performance tracking all in one place. It’s only downside is that it’s an app on a smartphone! But here’s how I suggest you manage that…
Prepare ahead of time. If you’re getting workouts from an app or social media on your phone, I think that’s great. Review the workout before you get into the gym, and write it down somewhere (ie. a whiteboard, sheet of paper, or a notebook). Of course you can refer to your app if you need to see specific notes or take another look at the demo video on how to do an exercise, but constantly working in the app can be a major distraction during your workout. All it takes is an email or text message to steal time from your already limited training window!
I use an app to organize the macro cycle of my training (the 12 week plan that dictates sets and reps each week). But on a day-to-day basis, I write the workouts from the app in a physical notebook, and I bring that into the gym with me. In my notebook, I can look at the weights I used last week or the week before, and any other notes I made about the training during my last session. This helps me keep track of my progress week over week without getting sucked into a text thread or Instagram doom-scroll. Plus I usually leave my phone on a tripod so that I can record videos of my sets!
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Please don’t mistake these tips as just another way to rush through something else in your life. I love to train and work towards a goal, that’s why it needs to remain a priority to me as a new dad. I don’t want to rush through training sessions and the things I enjoy, but I realize that I need to be efficient with my time so that I can fulfill the other responsibilities in my life. These tips are meant to help you maximize your time in the gym (or doing whatever it is that feels important to you!) so that you don’t have to rush. With a home gym, using timers, and preparing for my workouts, I can be present and focused on my goals without having to skip sets or water down my training plan.
We get 1440 minutes every single day. Plan. Prioritize. Execute.