5 Surprising Ways to Boost Performance – Before You Step in the Gym

When it comes to training, what you do outside of the gym matters just as much as what you do inside the gym. Sure, maybe you’ve heard people talk about the importance of recovery after your workout, and it’s true that focusing on your recovery is important if you want to make improvements in the gym. But, what’s often overlooked are the lifestyle changes and habits you can do before your workout. These are the things that can improve your strength, endurance, energy, and long-term results far better than any supplements will. #1 - Improve Your Sleep The first thing you want to address is your sleep. So many of us are sleep deprived, and while it may seem cool to brag about being able to function on only 6 hours of sleep, the truth is sleep deprivation is not something to play with. Getting poor sleep will decrease energy, decrease mental focus, increase hunger and cravings, and absolutely decrease your ability to perform well in the gym. If you want to feel energized, recovery well, and have better workouts, making quality sleep a priority is going to be one of the most important habits to build.#2 - Proper NutritionThe foods you eat play a huge role in your training and recovery. The right foods consumed at the right will give you energy, ensure you’re recovering to the best of your ability, and keep you from crashing and hitting a wall halfway through a workout. Food does take time to digest, so simply eating a banana on the drive to the gym isn’t going to cut it. Ideally, your best bet will be to consume a meal containing protein, carbohydrates, and some fats about 2-3 hours or so before training, depending on your schedule and preference.Greek yogurt with berries, toast with egg whites, chicken and rice, these are all great options to get some protein and carbs digesting and into your bloodstream before a workout. #3 - Improve Your MobilityThis is something you can do before your workout at the gym, but it’s also something that can and should be worked on at home. Proper mobility, which is the ability to properly move and control your joints through a wide range of motion, is very important to make sure you train with optimal form, and minimize the risk of injury.As an example, people who work at a desk all day often have tight hips, shoulders that round forward - these are very common. Now if those people start lifting, they may not get hurt right away, but without proper joint mobility it’s going to be very tough to do things like bench press, overhead press, squat, and many more with proper form. Training with poor mobility and improper technique is a recipe for injury, so proper mobility not only helps you perform movements correctly, it will increase your longevity and minimize the risk of hurting yourself. #4 - Stay HydratedThis is an easy one, yet one a lot of people will struggle with. Staying on top of your hydration is very important for your health both in and out of the gym, as dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, hunger, and keeps your body from operating optimally. When you workout, odds are you’re going to sweat a lot, and lose some fluids. Most people bring something to the gym to drink, or hit the water fountain during the workouts, but even better is staying hydrated all day, and getting in lots of liquids before you even get to the gym. A common goal is to shoot for half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day, but you can also use the urine test. If you pee and it’s clear, you’re good to go! If it’s dark, you’re probably dehydrated and should be drinking more. Monitoringhydration during the day is important when working out, especially during the warm summer months.#5 - Have a PlanAre you the person who goes into the gym and does whatever workout sounds fun, or do you know well ahead of time exactly what you’re going to be doing? How about progress tracking, do you know exactly how much weight you lifted 5 weeks ago?Training without a proper plan is a fool’s errand. Sure, you can get a good workout, sweat, feel good, and you may even see some good results. But if you want to continue seeing results, you’ll want to make sure you have a good plan in place, and track your progress along the way to see if you’re improving. Without a plan you’re just guessing, and if optimal performance is your goal, you’ll want to do better than crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.Are you struggling to stay on track and develop an exercise routine? You feel like all your progress that you started at the beginning of the year has come to a halt? Work with us and let us help you develop a daily exercise routine that you can do at home or to your local gym, provide you with a nutrition strategy that fits your lifestyle and be able to sustain this for long term results! If this sounds like you than click here!