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If you're embarking on a new fitness journey or looking to improve on an existing exercise routine, you should look for more ways to make your workouts faster and more efficient. That's because you can achieve a strong, muscular and well-conditioned physique by putting in less than 30-45 minutes a day.
It all comes down to a few key variables we will discuss below. Making the right adjustments to your exercise routine can help you make better gains in a short period.
Best Ways for Efficient Exercise Routine
Here's a look at five best ways to do so:
1) Devote more time to compound exercises
While assistance exercises like curls and extensions can help you add definition and bring about aesthetic improvements to your physique, nothing adds quality lean mass to your physique like compound or full body movements. Exercises that work more muscle groups together should be given more priority than those that entail isolation movements.
For example, say you want to hit back and biceps on a particular day. Instead of performing a row movement and an additional bicep exercise, perform weighted chin-ups to get the best bang for your buck.
The following movements should form the backbone of your exercise routine while creating a personalized plan:
Chest - Barbell Bench Press, Incline Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Incline Dumbbell Bench Press, Push-ups
Back - Deadlift, Rows, Shrugs, Face Pulls, Pull-ups, Chin-ups
Legs - Barbell Squat, Goblet Squat, Lunges, Romanian Deadlift
Shoulders - Overhead Press, Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Lateral Raises, Reverse Flies
2) Work antagonistic muscle groups in supersets
There is strong research showing that working antagonistic muscle groups back-to-back can help in better muscle activation and strength output.
Not only can that make your exercise routine more efficient, it can also help in building cardiovascular endurance, stimulating intramuscular metabolic stress, and burning more calories.
The following muscle groups should be paired together:
- Quads and hamstrings
- Chest and back
- Biceps and Triceps
- Glutes and Hip Flexors
- Abductor and adductors in the thigh
3) Switch to full body workouts
If you look at training regimens in the pre-steroid era, they were largely focused around full body workouts done two to three times a week.
However, the influx of steroids and unrealistic body expectations fueled the rise of sub-optimal split training, where body parts are trained only once a week. According to latest research, working each muscle group two to three times a week is optimal for natural, drug-free trainees.
Not only can full body workouts help make your exercise routine more efficient, but they also have the following benefits:
- Burn more calories in lesser time
- Helps make the best of your muscle protein synthesis (which occurs every 48-72 hours)
- Ensures better muscle recovery and decreased CNS fatigue
- Boosts testosterone
- Ideal for home-based workouts with limited equipment
4) Replace cardio with HIIT routines
While regular cardio is excellent for improving mood and stamina, it also takes up a lot of time and can often hinder muscle growth when overdone.
A better option for your exercise routine can be high intensity interval training. HIIT is time-saving, burns significantly more calories, boosts metabolism, and also helps in muscle building.
5) Ditch static stretching for dynamic warm-ups
Static stretching has been shown to affect power output and exercise performance when done immediately before a workout. Instead, add dynamic warm-ups to yur exercise routine.
Dynamic warm-ups help:
- Increase blood flow to muscles, reducing chances of injury
- Increase body temperature, heart rate, and oxygen level
- Maximize flexibility
- Stimulates nervous systems and prepares it for activity
- Prepares body for athletic, explosive movements
Takeaway
Follow the aforementioned tips to make your exercise routine more effective, functional, and fast-paced. Keep in mind that a protein-rich diet with adequate sleep and an effective mobility routine are essential for the success of any workout plan, no matter how well-structured it is.
