Guess who’s late? Me!
This post is dedicated to the ones who are thinking about going to the gym, are annoyed with the gym, or just want to see what I have to say about the gym. Welcome, all! Last night, I shared on Periscope ways to make the gym suck less because let me tell you, the gym suck sometimes. Being the solution-oriented person I am, this post gave me a chance to vent and create solutions all at once. Look at me multi-tasking. (wink)
1. Know Your Gym
To conquer the gym, you must know the gym completely. Know the holiday hours, so it doesn’t mess up with your workout plan. Know the clientele so you can decide what hours are appropriate for you. Know the personality of that gym because every gym ain’t for everybody. Believe me. Out of all the locations in my surrounding area, I know the personality for each and choose to visit (or not visit) based on that alone.
2. Avoid Busy Times
If you follow me on Periscope (@skinnygotcurves), you hear me mention how I am an introvert. With that being said, I can really do without the serious crowds at the gym. For some people, crowded gyms are not a bad thing. For me, crowded gyms are distracting and annoying. With that being said, I TRY to avoid peak times if I can help it.
Peak Times: 6:30am – 9:30am, 5:00pm – 8:30pm
3. Headphones preferably Wireless
One day I left my headphones at home, and it was the worst workout I can remember. I almost just canceled my workout altogether. Ugh, if it’s not the gym playing their worst workout playlist then it’s the smaller gyms playing… silence. I need to be able to tune out the moans, grunts, conversations, of people around me. More importantly, a great pair of headphones and the bomb workout playlist are necessities for a HARDWORKING workout day. I always have backup headphones which are my earpieces to talk on the phone. However, for the past year, I have been in LOVE with my wireless headphones by Philips. No this isn’t sponsored. It’s $49.99 and works just as well as the pricey Beats by Dre headset. You’ll thank me later. They always do. (wink wink)
4. Have the Bomb Workout Playlist
As I mentioned before, the playlist is NECESSARY. I encourage everyone to tap into the inner ratchet side and include the best twerking songs to your iTunes playlist, Spotify playlist, or any other place you save or stream music. TRUST ME, the music makes a difference to your grind in the gym. I usually start my playlist walking into the gym so that I stay focused and in the groove. I’ll share with you my playlist in the future.
5. Have a Workout Plan in ADVANCE!!
Know what your plan is BEFORE you get to the gym. I have developed a rotation and usually jot down notes to remind me where I am with sets, reps, and so on. If it’s leg day, I usually decide BEFORE gym time if my focus will be on lower legs, glutes, or hamstrings. Does that make sense? Depending on my focus I will have in mind what equipment I will use along with the sets and rep amount. Knowing what you’re going to do beforehand keeps you focused and cuts down gym time trying to figure out what to do next. Time is money, people!
6. Bring your own Water and Water Bottle
I’m sorry ( not sorry), the water fountain is not my favorite thing in the world at the gym. In some gyms, the location of the water fountain always makes my stomach turn even when I am thirsty. Plus I’m just picky overall, bring your own water bottle. If I forget mine, I stop by the nearest corner store to pick up a bottle of water. I like my water to taste nice and crisp. If the water at the gym provides water with an aftertaste, it just kills my vibe. Please don’t kill my vibe. (shoutout to Kendrick Lamarr)
7. Eat before you get to the gym
You need the energy to fuel your body through a workout. Food is necessary. It doesn’t have to be heavy, maybe a banana or something light. Just please don’t work out on an empty stomach. If you’ve been doing it for years, great, but for the rest of us, it’s not smart. You’ll end up nauseous or light-headed and it’s not cool. An hour before your workout, you should have eaten something to really get through an intense workout. I’ve made this mistake before more than once, and I usually have to cut my workouts short because of it. PLUS, you’re not as strong either.
8. Wipe Down your Machine
I made it a rule of thumb to bring Wet Ones or something similar in my gym bag in case there are no wipes to use. I’m not really trying to share sweat with someone else I don’t even know. It’s kinda gross. Depending on the gym, I’ll wipe the machines down before and after I use it. It sucks having to wait for the solution to dry to use the machine, but it beats having leftover sweat from an inconsiderate person on your skin. Ewwwww! If it’s a smaller gym, I just wipe down afterward. For those of you that go hard on cardio machines, wipe those down too. Thank me later, especially during Flu season.
9. Please don’t “Hold” Machines for SuperSets
Linda, Listen! I’m the Queen of doing some supersets on that a$$. Well, maybe not the queen, but I practice this often. However, there’s a time and place for everything. If you see people are trying to use the same circuit of equipment then you may want to bypass doing supersets for that workout. We all got things to do! People are trying to get through their workout just like you, friend. Don’t hold machines when you’re not using it because you need it for a superset. STOP IT! This is not YOUR gym! We have to share. Do your supersets another day. Refer back to #2, if you don’t want to share! Thanks, Mgmt.
10. Take a friend
Last but not least, take a friend to the gym with you. This a great way to doing something good for the body and mind. While getting your cardio or weight lifting on, you can share a “Ki Ki” with your bestie. Meanwhile, both of you are working on building a better body and lifestyle. Don’t look this one over, this could be a great motivation to making gym visits a habit.
That’s all friends. Sorry for the late post. And sorry for all the other posts that will be published late. A lot of things from July and August got pushed. No worries, you’ll enjoy them all. Appreciate the support.
ALSO if you missed the broadcast, catch the replay here.
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