Avoid These 5 Major Workout Time Wasters

It’s that time of the year again when the weather gets cold and gloomy. We go from being active outdoors—hiking, running, biking—to getting most of our exercise indoors at home or the gym. Now that we’re going to the gym, it’s important to make our workouts as efficient as possible. We’ve all been guilty of wasting time at the gym, turning a planned 45-minute session into a 90-minute ordeal. Here are five common things that can eat up your workout time and how to avoid them!

Bad music can totally ruin the flow of your workout and waste a lot of your time. If a terrible song comes on, you’ll likely stop to change it, which can take a few minutes each time and add up over your whole session. To avoid this, create a playlist of your favorite motivating songs before you head to the gym. That way, you won’t have to stop and switch tracks.

Texting is another big time-waster at the gym. It’s tough to ignore a text, especially if you’re using your smartphone for music. However, texting kills productivity. Try switching your music to an iPod or another device and leave your phone in your gym bag. Alternatively, you can set your phone to airplane mode.

Resting too much between sets can make your workout less efficient. Supersetting exercises—doing a set and then immediately doing a set for an opposing muscle group without resting—can boost workout productivity, increase muscle growth, and give you some cardio benefits. This is because your heart rate stays up throughout the workout.

Steady-state cardio exercises have their benefits but can be boring and time-consuming. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great alternative. HIIT involves short bursts of high-intensity cardio followed by brief rest periods, which can significantly improve your cardio fitness and save you time. Instead of 45 minutes on a treadmill, try a 15-20 minute HIIT session.

Talking to friends between sets can also eat up a lot of time. It’s easy to chat for five minutes during a break, but if this happens throughout your workout, you’ll be there longer and less productive. Socializing is fine, but try to limit it to before or after your workout. Alternatively, consider hiring a personal trainer to keep you focused and on schedule.

By making the most out of your gym time, you’ll have more effective workouts and more free time to enjoy with family and friends. Remember to use your gym time wisely to see the best results and avoid these time-wasters. Time is valuable—don’t let it slip away with these common gym pitfalls!