BOOST YOUR INTENSITY

5 WAYS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TIME IN THE GYM

Genetics get a lot of credit for being the be-all-end-all of bodybuilding potential. Maybe too much. While it’s true that genetics plays a huge part in your physique’s potential, without drive and commitment, you will never be able to raise your body to an elite level. When you step into the gym and struggle under the weights to build your physical masterpiece, there’s no doubt that intensity is king. Without intensity in the gym, you’re just going through the motions. Let MUSCLE INSIDER show you how to unleash your inner beast.

1. THE EYE OF THE TIGER

This is where you get your Rocky on. Remember in Rocky III when Stallone is staring into the mirror, trying to get the eye of the tiger back after his crushing defeat by Clubber Lang? The best way to do this is visualization, positive reinforcement, and imagery to psyche yourself up.

It may sound odd, but talk to yourself. Look in the mirror and tell yourself, “I am powerful. I am strong. I am gonna train like an animal in the gym today. I am gonna have my best day ever in the gym today. I am gonna set a personal best lift today. My body is going to become perfect. I am a training machine. Never give up. Never surrender. I will push myself harder today than I ever have before. I will have the greatest physique ever.” Say these kind of things aloud to yourself, like a mantra. You need to ingrain this kind of positive outlook into your psyche and soul until it is a part of you. If you say something enough times, you will believe it.

Another great tactic to get psyched up to train and boost your intensity is visualization. This is accomplished a few ways. First, tape up pics of your favourite bodybuilder physiques on your bathroom mirror—all your heroes. Look at them every day and picture yourself attaining that physique. And on the way to the gym, picture in your mind’s eye having the perfect workout. Envision your lifts with perfect form and execution like you’re watching a movie in slow motion. Visualize your physique jacked and pumped. See yourself doing everything perfectly in your routine and getting the results you want even before you touch your first weight.

2. TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Spending two hours in the gym training isn’t effective if you want to keep your adrenaline pumping and your intensity raging. Taking too much time in the gym ultimately causes that ferociousness to wane. You start taking longer between sets, and pretty soon you’ve gone from a runaway locomotive of power to a puttering golf cart of laziness. Limiting the time you spend in the gym to 30 to 40 minutes max forces you to train at a quicker pace, rest and socialize less, and keep your energy levels high.

You also may want to consider moving your training to first thing in the morning or lunchtime. This has two benefits. First, it will force you to train faster because of the limited amount of time. Second, after a long day of work, you may just be out of gas by the time you hit the gym. Get in a fight with your boss? That can have you dejected and not feeling like the beast you want to when training in the gym. Train early and train quickly.

3. USE A PRE-WORKOUT SUPPLEMENT

It would be foolish not to take advantage of the benefits of a supplement designed specifically to get you revved up for your workout. Pre-workouts can jolt energy levels, stimulate focus, increase power and strength, improve hydration, and give you skin-splitting muscle pumps! A good pre-workout will deliver nutrients that can help preserve muscle tissue and switch your body to utilize more fat for fuel. What’s not to like?

4. BRING THE NOISE!

The iPod may have been the greatest invention ever for the muscle enthusiast. There’s nothing better than being your own DJ and making your own playlists to get you energized in the gym. Not only do your tunes help get you into the zone, but they also help you ignore distractions—like putting on audio blinders. While Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” may be a song your parents love, it really doesn’t cut the mustard for your hardcore training playlist. Music you prepare has to be something that really fires you up. That can be heavy metal, hardcore alternative, rap … whatever floats your boat. If you’re a dance music fan, likely you won’t need your iPod, as most mainstream gyms pump that stuff in ad nauseam. But why let the girl at the gym’s front desk dictate what you listen to? Sure, top 40 may work for the soccer moms on the treadmill, but that will likely do little to ramp you up while you’re trying to push through that fourth set.

5. TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE

Training with a partner is one of the best things you can do in regards to maximizing your results in the gym. Buddying up in the gym could be the number one way to keep the intensity high while working out. Having someone there to push you and yell at you could be just what you need to kick your training into high gear. Feeding off your partner’s intensity of emotions is addictive and he in turn will be pushed to his limits and beyond by you. And then there is the bonus of structured rest time. The only break you get is as long as it takes for your partner to complete his set.