Tips to improve your workout efficiency

Your workout doesn’t start when you arrive at the gym. It begins when you wake up in the morning and continues throughout the day and even night. Proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep are just as important as choosing the right exercises and following the advice of an experienced trainer.

1. Eat Properly Before and After Workouts

Researchers from Loughborough University (UK) found that when athletes ate slow-digesting carbohydrates (such as whole grains) for breakfast and lunch, they had lower insulin levels and burned more fat throughout the day.

The athletes also had greater endurance and burned more fat during workouts compared to those who ate fast-digesting carbohydrates like white bread or regular sugary snacks.

A few examples of healthy foods:

• Buckwheat and other grains, as well as oatmeal.
• Bread and pasta made from whole grain flour.
• Tomatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes.

2. Avoid High-Fat Foods Four Hours Before a Workout

High-fat foods dull the ability of nitric oxide (NO) to dilate blood vessels for up to four hours. This means less blood flow to the muscles, making them less enduring since they don’t get enough «fuel» for heavy work.

The same researchers from the University of Maryland also found that a serving of green salad helps boost blood flow to the muscles. So if you decide to eat a piece of fatty meat, at least pair it with a portion of salad. Better yet, skip the fat and enjoy the salad (dressed with vegetable oil, natural yogurt, or sour cream).

However, don’t cut cholesterol levels in your diet too drastically. Scientists from Kent State University (Ohio) reported that older people who followed a high-cholesterol diet and trained with weights for 12 weeks gained 55% more strength and had more than five times greater muscle growth than those on a low-cholesterol diet.

Keep some cholesterol in your diet by eating at least 1-2 egg yolks with egg whites for breakfast and lean red meat at least once a day. Liver, shellfish, and duck are other good sources of healthy cholesterol.

3. Take Caffeine Before Your Workout

Take 200–400 mg of caffeine 1–2 hours before your workout. A study conducted at the University of Nebraska shows that subjects who took a caffeine supplement before their workout immediately increased their one-rep max in the bench press by about 5 pounds (2.26 kg). Caffeine supplements work better than caffeine from coffee.

4. Take Whey Protein, Arginine, Creatine, Fast-Digesting Carbohydrates, and Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Researchers from Victoria University (Australia) reported that subjects who took creatine supplements immediately before and after workouts during a 10-week period increased their muscle mass by 87%; bench press strength by 36%; squat strength by 27%; and deadlift strength by 25%.

The results were compared to a control group that took the supplements before breakfast and before bed. A study published in the journal Nutrition reported that taking 3–5 grams of arginine 30–45 minutes before a workout for eight weeks increased the one-rep max in the bench press by nearly 20 pounds (9 kg).

Research from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) showed that subjects who took ALA, creatine, and sucrose immediately after their workout gained muscle mass faster compared to those who took creatine and sucrose or creatine alone. Take 3–5 grams of creatine, 50–100 grams of fast-digesting carbohydrates, and 300–500 mg of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) immediately after your workout.

5. Vary the Type and Speed of Your Exercises

In 2015, an experiment conducted at East Tennessee State University (USA) demonstrated the effectiveness of alternating different types of exercises for the same muscle groups. Athletes performing deep and full squats achieved greater progress compared to a control group that only performed deep squats.

The same rule applies to any exercise variation. Performing multiple variations of an exercise changes the muscles involved and the weights you can lift. This leads to better results than performing the same movement month after month.

Researchers from Miguel Hernández University (Elche, Spain) found that performing fast repetitions (one second each for the positive and negative phases) results in more strength than slow repetitions (three seconds each for the positive and negative phases).

However, participants who did slow repetitions gained more muscle mass, likely due to muscle tension and increased microtrauma. Combining slow and fast repetitions is the best way to maximize strength and accelerate muscle growth. Try alternating these two types of repetitions every 2-3 weeks.

6. Don’t Train Too Heavy and Too Long

Training with heavy weights that don’t allow you to complete more than 4-5 repetitions is great for strength and overall mass if done in conjunction with lighter workouts that allow for 8-12 repetitions. But training too heavily and for too long can work against muscle growth.

Scientists at Baylor University (Waco, Texas) found that when athletes trained with 6 repetitions per set, they had higher levels of active myostatin (a protein that limits muscle growth) than when they performed the same workout with 18 repetitions. Stick to heavy loads for no more than 6–8 weeks, then switch to lighter weights to keep myostatin levels under control.

7. Get Proper and Healthy Sleep

Good, restorative sleep allows you to get the most benefit from your gym workouts. According to a 2015 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, poor sleep not only hinders your physical performance (and the number of calories burned) but also your body’s ability to recover.

Sleep triggers hormonal shifts necessary for recovery processes. Without adequate nighttime rest, overtraining can accumulate. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night, throughout the week.