As you all know, we’re big advocates of working out outside of class. And, I’m always asked for ideas on how to workout more efficiently outside of class. So, here are 15 tips to help you workout in the New Year.
- Set goals.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is to not set goals with their workouts. Be specific and write down your goals. What are you trying to get out of your workouts? - Schedule your workouts.
I don’t recommend just winging it. Schedule your workouts. If you don’t, you will likely postpone it. This is one sure way to make sure you find the time outside of class. If your cell phone has a calendar, be sure to add a reoccurring entry with alerts to remind you and keep you on task. - Start slow.
This not applies to the pace of your workout but also the number of items you practice. Don’t do everything at once. Pick a couple stretches, basics, techniques, sets, drills or forms. Remember: slow to learn, slow to forget. Just keep things simple; especially in the beginning. - Be specific.
Know what you’re going to practice before you practice. Go through your quick reference journals and divide things up so you can make sure you’re working all of your material you have up to that point. Write a list of what you’re going to work on. Be sure what you work on matches your goals for working out mentioned in idea #1. - Don’t be specific.
Sometimes it’s just good to freestyle your workout. However, I only recommend this once you have been doing your own home workouts for a while. - Gradually increase intensity.
Once you get into the swing of things, start stepping up the intensity of your workouts. Start doing your forms for cardio. Get a heavy bag and work on combinations in 2 minute spurts. These kinds of exercise will definitely help with muscle toning and conditioning and help you shed any unwanted weight. - Track your workouts.
Keep a journal of what you covered so you can make your future workouts more productive. Keep rotating through your manuals and make sure to mark off what you have down well and what you have yet to learn. Be sure to communicate with your instructors what you have yet to learn. Then, once you have learned that material, integrate that into your workouts. - Get workout clothes.
You don’t need to wear your gi to workout at home. You can buy some dry fit shirts, workout shorts, and some good cross trainer shoes. Having workout clothes at home is little easier to throw into the was than your gi and makes things a little less formal. - Wear whatever you have on.
It’s a good idea to be comfortable in your street clothes as that is what you will likely be wearing if ever confronted. - Change up your workout routine.
Once you get into the habit of workout, change things up. Mix up the order of your workouts. Focus on one thing instead of five. - Work out before you go to work.
Finding time to workout is usually the biggest barrier for most. Get up a half hour earlier and try working out before you go to work. With a busy work day, this might be the best time to get some extra practice in. Plus it will get your blood flowing and will help you to be more alert throughout the day. - Work out during lunch.
Can’t get up early? Squeeze in workouts during your lunch hour. Find an empty room or close your office door. I work on patterns and forms in my office several times a week. It’s amazing how quickly this can help solidify the sequencing. - Workout after work.
First thing after work, head to your workout room at home, garage, basement, or where ever you can consistently practice without distraction. Some people prefer this while others feel too tired. Workout before dinner to make sure you don’t let that get in the way of your training. - Add 5 minutes per week to your workout.
Each week, add 5 more minutes to your workout. I recommend getting your workouts to about 30-45 minutes at least twice a week outside of the two hours of class each week. - Listen to music.
I personally create a mix of slow and fast songs to change up the tempo of my workouts. Put together your own compilation of music that lasts at least an hour. Then set it to random and enjoy your workout!
What workout tips would you add? Leave you ideas in the form of a comment below!
About Ryan
Thanks for another great article. There are a ton of things in there I need to work on. Here’s one thing that helps me, especially on those busy days:
16. Feel free to snack between meals. Each workout doesn’t have to be a full fledged, change of clothes, 30 minutes workout. When you have 1-2 minutes to yourself, review what you learned in the previous class, or practice something you are struggling with. You can go through a full technique a couple of times. You can even just drop back into a neutral and check your stance. Practice exploding through a push drag and landing in a good neutral ready to go again. Each of those can take just a few seconds, but repeated throughout the day can really add up. Just make sure the snacks are supplementing the real workout, not replacing them.
If you can’t fit in a full 30 minutes try splitting it up inot ten minute intervals thorughout the day. Maybe on break you can do forms, on lunch you can do yellow and orange techniques and on your second break you can do sets and advanced techniques or freestyle. Its a good way to get in your full workout without taking a chunk out of your schedule.
These are great ideas! Another that I really try to utilize is working out during commercials. Most of us have a favorite show or shows, use the commercials to get off the couch and get the blood flowing. Blast through a form or a couple techniques during every commercial and you will have spent about 15 min practicing during your hour long show.
Sometimes if I’m resisting or am too tired to do a physical workout, I do a mental one. I’ll read my journals and write notes in the margins, or I’ll flip through my flashcards, or read the blog for ideas. This is an especially great activity at times when I don’t have a large block of time or when I’m getting interrupted a lot (got kids?).
And if I’m feeling unmotivated to start my workout, this activity often gets me started moving. As my brain is working to grasp the concepts, my body starts to want to play too, so I soon find myself up on my feet in a full-blown workout, and I don’t want to stop.
Great ideas everyone! Anyone else have any other ideas? Also, be sure to read another related post I did a long time ago called “Are You Practicing Kenpo in Different Training Environments?“
I tend to workout in small amounts throughout the day, setting a few minutes aside to run through something whenever I have a “break”. It sounds odd, but sometimes just walking around at work, I’ll run through at least the hand portion of a technique, visualizing the strikes and how it would affect my opponent’s position.
At home, it’s the same thing….while waiting for water to boil or dinner to cook, I’ll run through techniques or a form; during commercials, if I’m watching TV, or even when I’ve let our dogs out — I’ll be on the back porch running through a technique or two.
My wife and I are usually pretty busy, so it’s a matter of stealing time where I can….and treating it like that was an actual encounter. Given where I am (room, hall, etc.) and the clothes I’m in…could I pull off that technique quickly?
Lots of fun.