You want results from your workout.

You don’t have a lot of time to exercise.

So when you exercise, you want to get the most out of the time you spend.

We don’t see the results of our workouts immediately,

so it’s important to know if the time and energy you’re investing in your workout is going to pay off.

I often get questions like:

• Can I do a few squats and tone my thighs while I put the laundry in the dryer?
• How much weight can I lose by doing ballet exercises at the bar?
• Do I get all the exercise I need from yoga?

My answers are surprising to some.

Read on or watch the video for more…

There are three big factors to consider if you want your workout to give you the results you’re looking for:

1. Make sure you’re burning the most calories possible.

If you want to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight as you go through life, you need to consider this important factor. And there are two things you need to know:

Bigger muscles burn more calories. So, for example, an exercise that uses your quads, hamstrings, and glutes will burn more calories than one that uses only your shoulders.

Larger movements burn more calories. So squatting, lunging, walking, and running is going to burn more calories than heel lifts, or inner and outer thigh exercises.

I’m not saying that smaller exercises and smaller muscle groups don’t count, because they do. But, to burn the most calories, make sure bigger muscle groups and bigger movements dominate your workout.

2. Exercise for specific results.

The body responds specifically to the work you give it. For example, what’s your goal?

•   If you want to be stronger and have muscle tone, you need to do resistance exercise.
•   If you want healthier heart, lungs, and blood vessels, you need to do cardio.
•   If you want more flexibility and not tighten up after sitting too long at the desk, flexibility needs to be part of your exercise equation. And so on…

You can’t get all of these benefits from one movement or one type of exercise. In fact, if one exercise attacks more than one of these aspects at a time, you’ll get less of the benefits from each. If you want to look great, and/or keep your body in the best shape possible for as long as possible, you need to zero in on all three angles regularly.

3. Be challenged.

I always say, no challenge—no change”. You don’t need to do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) each time you exercise. In fact, it’s not even recommended that you do. But, you do need to be able to honestly say that you challenged yourself by the time your workout is finished. Then your body will adapt to the challenge, and you’ll see physical results.

That challenge will be different on different days. Some days, it’ll be challenging enough just to get to the gym and finish your workout plan. Other days, you’ll feel like you can push yourself harder and that’s when you should!

In short:

To see real results from your workouts, burn the most calories possible by dominating with large muscles and large movements, use exercises that are specific to your goals most likely involving some cardio, some strength, and some flexibility-focused movement, and challenge yourself in some way each time you exercise.

Is your workout working for you?

Does your workout have the three elements I mentioned? Let me know in the comments.

And share this post if it helped you or if you think it might help your friends!