So many people spend hours in the gym under the illusion that the more time they spend on the treadmill, the better they’re doing, when in fact, a well-planned brief visit can be a whole lot more beneficial.

Reduce your warm-up time
The new school of thought in the fitness world is that you no longer need to pre-stretch before you get into your main workout. The reason behind this is that even after five to ten minutes of a warm-up, your muscles are still not warm enough to get the full benefit of a stretch. Gradually increase the pace of your cardio and you’ll be set to go!

Weights? Yes please!
So many women fear the sight of weights under the impression that they will make them really muscular. On the contrary, they can help a lot with your weight management and give you an attractive feminine shape and tone. Doing a simple weights routine can help you increase your muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, so it makes perfect sense. Watch your body tone up when you combine a weights routine with your cardio workout (and good eating of course).

Set a workout goal
As well as having an overall exercise goal, before you hit the gym ask yourself what do you want to get out of your workout today to achieve this goal? You may feel like a good sweat up and need to burn off the Christmas excesses, so lots of cardio would be ideal. If you have been doing lots of cardio and would like to strengthen and tone up, then weights should be your focus.

What first – weights or cardio?
This all depends on your workout goal. You are the freshest at the beginning of your workout, so do what you want to focus on first while you have the most energy. For example, if you have been doing lots of cardio and would like to do more toning, do your weights first after your warm-up and then do your cardio at the end with whatever energy you have left.

How many times a week should I be training?
This all depends on what your goals are and how much time you have to give to your exercise. If you have a big goal e.g. losing three stone in weight, it would be ideal to work out five times a week for at least 30 minutes each time, allowing two rest days to recover. If it is a fitness goal, do at least three days a week, again allowing one to two rest days if your workouts are high intensity. However, if you have heavy time demands between work and home, do the most you can and adjust your expectations of how long it will take you to achieve your goal. Your exercise should be taking away your stress, not adding to it.

What time of the day is best to exercise?
Whatever works for you and your commitments and whatever time you prefer. Don’t worry about detail, be active and enjoy!

Limit your rest periods
A lot of time is wasted in the gym resting in between sets. Yes, the muscle that you are working out needs to rest before hitting it again, but why stand still?  Do another exercise that works a different muscle group in between and watch yourself get fitter… faster!

Interval training Vs Continuous training
Continuous training is working at the same pace for a set period of time or distance. Interval training is working at short, high intensity bouts followed by lower intensity rest periods. If you want to be more time-efficient and get fitter quicker, interval training is the way to go. It also burns more calories as it requires more of an effort so it can help with your weight management too. It’s tough, but it’s worth it!

Change your programme regularly
You may hear this time and time again but it’s so important to change your type of exercise regularly. Doing the same thing every time you go to the gym will lead to diminishing returns as your body will be no longer challenged. It will also be very boring for you! On a micro level, do a different exercise every time you go to the gym. On a macro level, change your programme structure e.g. type of cardio, weights reps and sets, every four to six weeks and enjoy the benefits.

If you don’t know, talk to a pro
Gym instructors, class instructors, personal trainers…they all have the knowledge to help you get the most from your workouts. Go and have a chat with them; there’s only so much you can know yourself and you may catch some of their infectious energy!

Work your major muscle groups
In fitness terms, your body has four major muscle groups – chest, back, shoulders and legs. To get the most out of your workout, make sure you are challenging each of these areas at least twice a week for a full-body routine and for a more balanced, stronger and shapely figure.

If there is no gas in the tank, the engine won’t work
Don’t go to the gym hungry; make sure you have had a small snack at least an hour before going e.g. piece of fruit, oatcakes with humus, healthy fruit and nut bar. You will get a lot more out of your workouts if your body is properly fuelled up for it. If you’re working out first thing in the morning, have a piece of fruit or a small glass of fresh juice. Don’t forget to drink water before, during and after your workouts.

How do I know if I’m working out hard enough?
RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion – this is your own rating of how hard you think you are exercising. On a scale of one to ten, with one being easy and ten being really tough, if you’re a regular exerciser your workout should be between six and nine (ten if you really like to go for it!). If you’re new to exercise, you should be rating yourself between five and seven. If you’re not getting out of breath, feeling hot and sweaty, you need to work a little bit harder to make a difference!