Here’s my response for my post “How To Waste Your Time At The Gym”.

In this post I’m going to share with you a few strategies on how to make use of your gym membership and become a “Super-Efficient Worker Outer”.

Lets get right into it, shall we?

Strategy 1:  Acquire The Zone Effect.

To acquire the “Zone Effect” all you have to do is focus (I know…easier said than done).   When you’re at the gym your main goal should be to have a better workout than the last.  With all the distractions of other people, lifestyle stresses, blackberries, and cell phones this task seems almost impossible.  What I’ve found is that if you get your ipod, crank up some motivating tunes, and focus on your exercises you’ll automatically be in the zone without thinking about it.  The funny part is that when people see you so focused and into your workout they don’t even bother coming up and talking to you.  They know you mean business.  When you’re in the zone, you’ll have a feeling of being so focused and on top of your game, you’ll be able to crank out those last push up reps with super-natural power!

Strategy 2:  Exercise Linking

Think of exercise linking like an industrial chain.  Adding a link to the chain makes it a bit longer and stronger.  When you do an exercise see how you can add another exercise to the one you’re currently doing.  This will help increase your muscle efficiency and help your coordination.  For example lets say you started with a bicep curl.  One exercise that you could immediately follow up with would be the shoulder press.  How’s that for a time saver?

Strategy 3:  Active Recovery

Instead of stopping and taking breaks in between your exercises, find a low impact activity to do in order to catch your breath.  Static exercises work well for this since you won’t be doing too much moving around.  Things like wall sit, plank and holding up push up position are great ways to work your muscles and bring down your heart rate, without wasting time looking at the clock tick away.

Strategy 4:  Body Weight Bonanza

Here’s a simple way to kick that “There’s no equipment left” excuse right out the door.  Use yourself!   Honestly, you can do like a gazillion exercises just with your body weight.  While you wait for a machine start doing something, like jumping jacks, skipping, push ups, squats, plank….should I go on?  You don’t need any equipment at all, and minimal space is required.

Strategy 5: Documentalization

If you really want to see some dramatic changes in the way you look, then what you should do is document what you do at the gym.  All you have to do is write down the exercises you plan on doing before hand, set a goal for the number of reps or time you want to do the exercise for, and then as you do the exercises write down what the results were.  Over a period of time you’ll be able to look back and see your progress.  It’s a great motivator and  one of the best ways to increase your results, and all you really need is a pen and a piece of paper.  If you really want to get fancy I’m sure if you head over to your local book store you can find a daily exercise planner.