At this time of year gyms can explode in terms of how busy they are. If you train in a public or commercial gym, an influx of members signing up means queuing time for equipment can be a big problem. Today though, I’ve got some tips to help you…
To get around the busy gym problem you can switch up your training time, maybe hitting the gym when it’s less busy. That’s not always possible though.
Instead, the way I prefer to approach the issue is by switching up my exercise selection.
Your immediate reaction might be one of dismay…
NO! I’VE GOT A TRAINING PROGRAMME AND I’M GOING TO STICK TO IT! EVEN IF A WORKOUT TAKES ME TWO HOURS, I’M NOT CHANGING ANYTHING ON IT!
If that’s you, let me explain my thinking. It might even teach you a thing or two about training in general…
How a personal trainer looks at training
One of the differences between how a professional trainer and a general gym goer looks at workout design is how they view exercise selection.
A general gym goer will think ‘I’m going to do barbell bench press for my chest’, whereas a professional trainer will think ‘I need to include an upper body horizontal push’.
Why’s that different?
It’s different because the personal trainer is looking at movements, not exercises. That means they’re married to the effect, not the vehicle. It means that you can be flexible and dynamic with your approach. If you think there’s a better way of achieving the result you can follow it - you’re not tied to the exercise.
But what does this have to do with a busy gym?
Movements not exercises - benefits in a busy gym
If you are focussed on the movement itself rather than exercise, you can be flexible in your training. If you normally do you bench press with a barbell, but they’re all being used you can grab dumbbells, or do weighted push ups.
If your go-to leg exercise is a barbell squat, try a Bulgarian split squat. You’ll possibly even find it’s a more challenging upgrade on the barbell squats you’ve been doing!
If you deadlift with a standard barbell and they’re all being used, why not experiment with the trap bar? It’s a new way to challenge your vertical pull, can be adjusted to switch up muscle recruitment and is more likely to be free for quick use.
By viewing a workout from a movement, not exercise perspective you can by-pass the equipment that is being used and think on the fly. You’ll still get a great workout in, you’ll give your body a new challenge and you won’t get caught up in the traffic of the gym.
Equipment choices in a busy gym…
If you know your way around a gym, you can pick out the items of kit that are less likely to be used. Here’s a list of the more common bits of equipment you’re less likely to have to wait for…
#1 Dumbbells
As a general rule, people will tend to bias barbells over dumbbells, despite the fact that for many exercises, dumbbells are better. There’s also a unique versatility with dumbbells that lend themselves well to plenty of exercises.
You’ll usually be able to get your hands on the dumbbells, so you can use these for almost any exercise… presses, rows, squats, lunges, curls, deadlifts etc.
#2 Kettlebells
I’m a massive kettlebell fan - because of both their versatility and their uniqueness. They don’t have have to be swung, cleaned or pressed either. You can use them in replace of dumbbells or barbells as well.
When you start to look outside of the box with kettlebells, you open up a huge range of training options.
#3 Suspension trainers
The suspension trainers in a gym are often left alone because many people either don’t know how to use them, or they don’t think they’re a very good exercise option. To those of us in the know, a suspension trainer is an outstanding item of kit.
You can put together a full body workout on a suspension trainer, so you won’t need to use anything else in order to get a session in. Great for a busy gym workout!
#4 Pull up and dip bars
Great for the old school body weight work. Simple but very effective, pull ups, dips, chin ups and push ups are all a great upper body combo.
For a fantastic upper body pull and push workout, all you need are pull up bars and dip bars. These are often found in the same place, so you can perform multiple sets of upper body pushes and pulls. This was one of my lockdown go-to works, and the results were excellent.
Busy Gym Workout Ideas
The thought of training in January may fill you with dread, but by making clever equipment selections, you can avoid most of the problems of queues.
Alternatively, you could join the AdMac Fitness client list and make queuing for equipment a thing of the past!
For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our locations are…
AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA
AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.