Slayer's Den

[01dragonslayer]

Alex Roberts

Don't Crash: Crush Your Workout Every Time​

You throw on your stringer, lace up your kicks, grab your keys and get in the car. it's the most exciting part of the day: time to make your way into the gym and crush some weights.

You?re fired up and can't wait to grip that rough iron in your hand. You crush your first set and you?re feeling fantastic. You finish up your first exercise and move onto the next.

Again, another couple sets crushed and you can feel your muscles getting pumped and tightening up throughout your body. Nothing can stop you now. But, by set 3 of your next exercise a feeling of fatigue starts to overtake your body. You?re feeling tired and not sure if you are going to make it through the rest of your workout.

This crash or shutdown midway through an intense training session has happened to the best of us. Some of us quit and go home, while some of us push through that last exercise with every last inch of mental capacity we have.

In order to avoid experiencing a crash like this there are several things you can do to prepare yourself for getting through an intense work out at a high, consistent energy level. With these 6 tips you can better prepare yourself for your next workout and make sure you hit that last rep with the same intensity, energy, and focus as you did your first rep.

How to Gain Muscle Fast by Crushing Workout​

Tip #1 - Supplement Correctly​

If you?re feeling tired after your first set or your muscles are feeling fatigued shortly into your workout then you may need to add a pre-workout formula and BCAAs to your supplement stack.

Pre-workout formulas are designed to get your mind and body prepared for your workout. Most pre-workout formulas will be comprised of variety of ingredients that assist with providing energy, avoiding muscle fatigue, and more efficient blood circulation throughout your body.

Branch Chained Amino Acids (BCAA) will assist you in pushing through those last one or two exercises of your workout and will help your muscles recover faster. Most BCAA supplements including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, with leucine being one of the more important one?s of the three.

When you work out and fatigue your muscles the muscle starts to breakdown and lose this essential amino acid. By in taking BCAA during your workout you are providing your muscles with more fuel to help maintain your training intensity.

Tip #2 - Sleep and the Right Time to Train​

I know you've heard it time and time again, but it's because it will forever be a relevant subject when it comes to training and recovery. Getting enough sleep to allow you to get through your workout is important. Remember when you were a kid and you would wake up somedays a full inch or two taller than the night before?

it's because your body recovers and grows as you sleep. If you have not fully recovered from the day before then you are putting your body in a position to fail and fatigued faster than normal. So, to make your body grow and make it through your workout you need to make your body sleep.
Going along with getting enough sleep for recovery, picking the best time to train for you and your schedule is going to allow you to get through your gym session at an optimal level. If you work a hard, manual job all day and go to train immediately after an 8 hour day on your feet, you?re going to get fatigued fast.

Try going to bed an hour earlier and waking up an hour earlier to train in the morning when your body is fully rested and ready for the weight room. Whether it's in the morning, during your lunch hour, or later in the day, choosing an optimal time for when your energy levels are at their highest will allow you to have a better, more productive work out.

#3 - Stay Hydrated​

One of the simplest things to do, yet one of the hardest for some of us to stay consistent with is getting enough water. If you are feeling fatigued midway through your workout reflect on the amount of water you've had for the day and how much you've had since you've been working out.

Keeping your body hydrated and water intake at a high level is going to help you train at a high level. If you find yourself not wanting to walk to the water fountain after each set then bring a water bottle. Having your water close by and easy to access is going to help you keep your body hydrated and your energy levels up.

#4 - Eat Before the Gym​

Some of you may train fasted, love it, and your body has adapted well to it. For others, like myself, I find my strength levels suffer from training on an empty stomach and can get light headed at times halfway through my workout. Getting a decent amount of carbohydrates and moderate amount of protein in your system 45-60 minutes before your training session will get your body energized and keep your strength levels optimal throughout your workout.

If you?re training is suffering because you?re training on an empty stomach then time your meals differently or adjust your macros so you can have a piece of bread with peanut butter or a protein bar before you start your workout. Carbohydrates provide energy to your body, so if you?re getting fatigued in your workouts a pre-workout carbohydrate intake can go a long way.

#5 - Sugar Intake​

What? Sugar! That evil white substance that was only put on this earth to tempt us with its delicious flavor, but makes us fat?

Yes, I'm talking about sugar.

While sugar is normally ?bad? for you and your diet, timing your sugar intake can actually help you push through your workout and avoid fatigue. If you?re feeling drowsy or fatigue during your training session keep a small bag of gummy bears, Sour Patch Kids, or other fat-free candy in your gym bag you can grab quickly and have a couple pieces.

A little sugar can go a long way so don't eat a whole package, but enough to give you a quick spike in energy. Also, these candies will act as high-glycemic carbs, helping to replenish glycogen in your body, spurring more recovery, repair, and growth of your muscles.

Go Crush It​

With these tips in hand you can figure out what works best for you to keep your energy levels up and crush your workout every time you step foot in the gym. Two of the simplest ones you can do is focus on getting at least 6-7 hours of sleep each night and staying hydrated throughout your workout and go from there.