‘I’ve only got half an hour, so I’m going to do few quick sets of bench and biceps.’

‘If I cut down my warm up and rests, then I’ll be able to get my workout in in forty minutes.’

‘I’m just going to squeeze in my twenty minute HIIT routine.’

Working in a gym you hear these on an almost daily basis. The prioritising decision of what to work on and what to skip when you are limited on time.  It can be hard to find the time to get the workout in you want, so quite often you have to compromise. There are instances where any of the above statements is valid, but it is exception, not the norm. You should prioritise technique and good movement over anything else.

It’s far better to spend your limited time doing a full warm up and then focusing on the range of motion and form of the exercise you wanted to work on. In the long term it will reap greater dividends than a hasty bench press session or trying to cut down on your rests.

The reason for this should be fairly clear.  Racing to get everything in will increase the chances of your being injured, whilst skipping out on working on good movement will only take you so far if it doesn’t get you injured.

Not only will it stop you getting injured but working on your form gives you the chance of an ego-free workout which will actually improve your form and help you move better. That’s far more useful in the long term than a rushed workout you try to cram in.

What you won’t see on social media and will rarely hear discussed are the hours spent working on movement and form in exercises.  It isn’t mentioned because it never makes the Instagram highlights reel or the time spent simply moving the bar, but you can bet it’s the most fundamental part.  Watch someone who does an exercise well.  Look how identical their movement is every time, how long they spend on their set up and how focused they are in their warm up. And ask yourself this; are you doing that?  It’s the part they never skip, but it’s the bit everyone else does. 

Not sure how you can get a good workout into a limited schedule? Then email enquiries@rkfitness.co.uk to discuss the best way forward for you in your workouts!