The Most Underrated Factor for Gym Success!

This post is all about EFFICIENCY.

This is what life and balance is all about! Prioritization and time management for the tasks that have to get done. And we’ve all procrastinated at one point or another instead of focusing on even that one small thing that could be done. “Ehhh I can just do that tomorrow….”

LIFE happens and we make excuses, right?

We’re all human. But remember, we are always in control of our choices and priorities so we can maximize efficiency to absolutely crush it!

And you’re reading this right now because you are on your journey to absolutely CRUSH IT!!   

Now let’s consider strength sports both recreational or competitive. You need to factor into your day the time to train, eat, sleep, and de-stress appropriately to put yourself in the best position so that you can progress smoothly over time.

And that’s only one aspect of your life, you may have kids, dogs, a 60 hour/week job, or maybe you work nights….

Basically you can’t live an ideal life of training 3 hours a day and focusing on stress-free recovery. That is why it becomes so important to maximize how efficient your training, diet, and stress-free recharge time are. You have to be a SUPER EFFICIENT ATHLETE.

So do you want to know a secret??

Well what if I told you even training 1-2x/week was good enough? Seriously, compare not training every week to training 1-7x/week:

0x/week = 0x/year

1x/week = 52x/year

2x/week = 104x/year

3x/week = 156x/year

4x/week = 208x/year

5x/week = 260x/year

6x/week = 312x/year

7x/week = 365x/year

You can see 1-2x/week makes a significant difference compared to not training. For health and performance!

Now the question is how do you make your training sessions as efficient as possible??

Answer: Prioritize time (Rest intervals, Work intervals)

Rest intervals: To make these more efficient, decrease the rest to a point where you can sufficiently recover to perform the next set.

****Pro-tip: minimize talking between sets. I am incredibly guilty of this in the past. I could spend 2-3 hours in the gym and half that time was spent connecting or chatting with others instead of working out. I have recently learned how to say “no” and decrease my workouts to 1.5 hours at max. It’s amazing and then I talk after... maximizing both the workout and the socializing.

Work intervals: To maximize efficiency here, choose exercises and sets-reps that will give you the biggest return for your goals and the amount of time you have.

****Pro-tip: if you’re crunched for time, utilize big muscle movements (squat, hinge aka deadlift, push, pull) and work around those.

...Taking it One Step Further...

A BONUS secret to enhance work interval efficiency is EQUIPMENT. At Element 26 we design our equipment to make your working sets as efficient as possible. For example take the self-locking weight belt. Below I have included the 4 keys factors that make the belt super effective so that whether you work out 1x/week or 5x/week, the focus is only on training. That’s it.

4 KEY FACTORS OF EFFICIENCY (ELEMENT 26 SELF-LOCKING WEIGHT LIFTING BELT)

Comfortability: Because it is made out of nylon, you won’t have to deal with the distractions of rib bruises and pain during your sets. You have no idea how many times I was uncomfortable during my powerlifting days wearing a leather belt that would rub my ribs excessively. I would spend more time recovering between sets because of the rib pain and not the actual training fatigue.

Self-locking buckle: The belt will absolutely not pop open on you. Velcro-only belts may pop open and distract you from your lift and mentally throw off your session, thus decreasing efficiency.

Easy-on, Easy-off: This belt allows you to quickly put it on and remove it. This allows you to efficiently move your workout along and focus on the next set.

4-Inch Uniform Profile: Allows efficient pressure generation in the abdomen for back-support and allows you to easily move the buckle aside for any movements such as olympic lifting where you may be concerned about the bar path. Those belts with a thickened section on the back just get in the way of performance.

Training should be all about efficiency.

If not, you will be sacrificing your most valuable asset, TIME.

Too much time spent being distracted by talking or adjusting equipment is time lost during other important moments of your life like spending time cleaning your car,  studying for the MCATS, meal prepping or being present for your kids.

Our Mission at Element 26 is to inspire athletes through physical training by producing functional products for functional athletes.

We hope to influence your journey as much as you have influenced ours!!

Dr. Phil

Co-Founder

Element 26

www.element26.co