4 Tips to Get the Most out of Your Workout by Zac Howe

4 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Workout
by Zac Howe

Catch yourself doing more diddly squats than actual squats at the gym? Before you know it, your time is up and you don't have anything to show for it. Good workouts depend on purpose and intensity, not time. Create a plan utilizing the tips below, and get the most bang for your metabolic buck.

1. Use Food as Fuel - If you’re going to get the most out of your workout, it is important that you are fueling your body with high quality foods. It is a generally a good idea to have an easily digestible pre-workout meal. Ideally, you will consume your meals from whole foods, but if this doesn't work well for you then substitute a homemade protein shake. This will help provide the energy levels you need to keep yourself moving.

1. Lift Something Heavy - People tend to think that heavy weights are only for people who want to bulk up. Face palm! Stop the madness! The fact is that if you lift heavy you will gain muscular density, get toned, and burn fat. What you consume determines the rest. Added bonus, lifting heavy weights has been proven to strengthen connective tissue, increase bone density, and optimizing the health of your cartilage. For beginner lifters, it is important to focus on perfecting the form of your lifts. This will decrease your likelihood of injury, and increase the effectiveness of the exercise. Once you have perfected your form, then it’s time to start adding some weight!

1. Utilize Tempos - Fitness aficionados perform hundreds to thousands of reps each week, but most never incorporate tempo training into their workouts. Tempos are simply the time spent in each phase of a chosen lift. Biomechaniclly speaking, there are three distinct phases of a lift:

Eccentric phase - the lowering of the weight

Isometric or transition phase - the dead stop period, or mid-point

Concentric phase - the lifting of the weight

An example of 3:1:2 tempo squat rep would be a three second eccentric, a one second pause at the bottom, and a two second concentric. If you have any doubts about the intensity of tempo training, try doing a two minute push-up!

1. Recharge the Battery -The simple fact is that if your body isn't in a state of training, then it’s in a state of recovery. Don't complicate your post-workout nutrition. Eat within a couple of hours, and keep it clean. Add a little bit more to your plate on training days, or take in an extra protein shake. As for sleep, you should be fighting for your sleep like a mother bear fighting for her cub. Develop rituals to help set the stage for your sleep. Put your phone away and avoid blue light after dark. Keep the temperature cool in your room, and as dark as possible. In the winter months you shouldn't be settling for less than eight to nine hours of shut eye per night!

Zac Howe, a holistic strength coach based out of Oklahoma City, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Connect with him at or visit zachowe.com.