Most people have a fitness routine that they repeat every day. However, they never feel they make any progress, no matter how hard they are working. This can get pretty discouraging, especially if you’re just starting to workout. But, there are ways to tweak your routine the right way that will push you toward your goals.
If you are looking for a way to stay on top of your fitness regime, but your intense workouts have left you feeling sluggish and stiff, then we’ve got the perfect solution – these movements will soon have you feeling motivated and energized again.
1. Dynamic workout
One great choice is a dynamic workout – these combine strength moves with cardio exercises to provide an intense training that doesn’t leave you completely exhausted. Another idea is to mix up those long-distance running sessions with some running intervals or sprints, as this will give your muscles more extended periods of recovery time between sessions.
You could also try combining bodyweight exercises with your workouts – this provides some significant variation that will help you stay motivated.
If you are looking for how to get rid of broad shoulders, you must know that people with broad shoulders tend to have a medium to low body fat percentage. This is because people with broad shoulders have larger muscle mass when compared to people with an average shoulder size. Losing weight will not necessarily make your shoulders narrower. A more permanent way to slim your shoulders is to lose weight and tone your body using a fitness routine.
You can also try “burns sweats” which utilize slow, controlled movements to target muscles.
2. Synchronized breathing
Breathing at the right time is one of the most critical factors in any workout, and synchronizing your breathing during demanding exercises will help you push through and get the most out of your exercise session. Of course, when it comes to exercises that require a lot of ventilation, such as burpees or mountain climbers, making sure to keep your chest up by tensing your abs will also ensure that you get enough air in.
3. High intensity interval training
HIIT could be a great way to mix things up for those who enjoy sprinting. As well as giving you a killer cardio workout, it helps build speed and strength. HIIT is also an excellent workout for anyone who has to climb up and down stairs frequently, and it strengthens leg muscles and improves the speed of your stride.
4. Add yoga in your workout regime
Yoga could be an excellent addition to your workouts, providing you with many benefits for both your body and mind. You can either choose a straightforward yoga move, such as a downward dog or warrior pose, to provide your core with a good workout, or try incorporating more challenging moves such as mountain climbers or backbends. Yoga also helps build flexibility, which can be useful if you have any injuries that restrict movement in certain areas of your body.
5. Focus on your glutes
That’s right. If you’re feeling stiff and stuffy after your workouts, it might be because you’ve been neglecting your glutes! While working, the lower body is great for building endurance and stamina. If you don’t manage to get those glutes open during your sessions, then don’t expect to feel completely released afterward. So focus on your glutes, and they’ll be ready to help you out in no time at all.
6. Get creative with strength training
Need some more variety in your workouts? Try doing a split squat, lunge, or even a bodyweight squat! These moves can be made as challenging as you like, so start focusing on which muscles in your legs and abdomen feel the tightest and work on contracting them to get them feeling toned up. This will also help build strength in those areas, allowing you to confidently tackle tougher exercises.
7. The fat burning zone
Studies have proved that people who spend a lot of time in the fat-burning zone during exercise can burn more fat during their workout than those who work out in their aerobic zone. Studies have also shown that increasing your aerobic capacity can benefit athletes, so why not use it to your advantage?
8. Tummy crunches
Upper body workouts are great for toning up your arms and shoulders, so it’s important to keep your abs in shape too! Crunches help strengthen your abdominal muscles and work the obliques, which are needed for posture and overall body movement. And if you’re doing a lot of crunches and find that you feel tired after your workout, and then maybe you should tone it down to start with – but still do them. Just make sure that the rest of your workout creates more benefits for you, not taking them away.
9. Stretch it out
After a workout, it’s vital to make sure you’re stretching the major muscle groups you worked on during those sessions after a workout. This will help increase circulation and make your muscles feel less stiff for the next day of exercise. If you have time, you can even opt to do some static stretches after your session if you want to go the extra mile and loosen things up.
10. Flexibility is key!
Limbering up before working out is a great way to warm up and help prevent injury. Try doing light stretching moves before your workouts, or get moving with a jog around the block to get that blood pumping through your body. This will get your muscles ready for more intense training and give you that extra energy boost you need to finish your session.
11. Lunging into it
Lunges are a great move to do when you’re looking to build up endurance in your legs and improve flexibility in your hips. Making lunges on an incline allows you to target those legs properly, so start with a slightly stronger incline and then move on to doing them flat on the floor. Try going higher with each session to work harder (and burn more calories!) each time.
12. Look after those elbows
You will find many exercises about the arms, but what about those elbows? It might seem like a simple move, but elbow movements can help strengthen your entire body and improve blood circulation. Try doing light punching drills where you hold the punches in your elbows and then quickly flick outwards. If you find that this exercise is getting a bit too intense for you, then try working with just your fists first before adding extra elbow movement in.
13. A walk in the park
A short walk could be an excellent addition to your workout routine, providing you with a good cardio session and giving you some time to focus on other exercises. The key is to always work at a comfortable but challenging pace – so try and aim for a brisk pace (around 3 mph) and be aware that the less you weigh, the faster you should walk if you want to maintain your pace.
Conclusion:
You must focus on your full-body workouts and give yourself the chance to experience all of the great benefits that they can provide. So if you feel like you’re missing a certain muscle during your workout, then try one of these 13 tips to get it feeling as toned up as it could be.
