Is your workout the odd man out when you plan your day because there just isn’t time? Have your clothes gotten a little tighter as a result?

Great bodies don’t need hours of gym time. In fact, a focused full body workout can be completed in just 30 minutes.

If you want to start making your health a priority, it’s essential that you know the most effective gym workout tips. It can also help if you’re aware of the most common things that can eat away your time in the gym.

Here are some of them:

Social Media

Social media is great for selfies and finding out what people you barely know are up to. However, it’s not good for an effective workout.

Stay off social media while you are in the gym to avoid getting lost in a news feed purgatory. Ten minutes can pass quickly while scrolling Facebook so save the updates for after your workout is done.

Talking

Some people use the gym like a water cooler. Next thing you know, 20 minutes have gone by and you have to rush home to make dinner.

Stay cordial, but save the conversations until you are done. If the person still wants to talk, just be honest with him. Tell him that have to get your workout done and you don’t have a lot of time.

Not Having A Plan

As Alan Lakein said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Before stepping on the gym floor, you should know what exercises you’ll be doing, in what order and what weight you’ll be using. Doing a short pre-planning can save you a lot of time and a bad workout.

Too Many Warmup Sets

Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.

Warming up is a good thing and should be done before you hit the weights. However, a warmup that lasts more than 2-3 sets is just taking time and strength away from your workout.

Get the muscles warm and get right into the workout. This will help you lift heavier weights and increase muscle endurance.

Using The Wrong Weight

Gaining muscle can only happen if you overload them. If you aim for 3 sets of 10 with a certain weight and can perform all 30 reps without breaking a sweat, you used the wrong weight.

Pick a weight where you struggle on the last few reps of the last set. That is the right weight. Using the wrong weight is a waste of time and won’t give you the results you are after.

See Also: 5 Ways To Use The Mind Muscle Connection For Better Workouts

Using Bad Form

Having a bad form will not only put you at risk of injuries, but it can also lighten the impact of the exercise to your target muscle. You should feel the target muscle working and not feel it in your joints or other non-targeted muscles.

The Broken Record Workout

The human body is very adaptive. Doing the same workout month in and month out will lessen the effectiveness of it.

Switch up your workout every 4-6 weeks to avoid this. Simple changes, like going from a barbell to dumbbells, might be all the change you need.

Watching TV

There is no debate that TV is addicting. A quick glance during a rest period can make 5-10 minutes fly by. Resist the temptation and focus on the reason you are at the gym.

Changing At The Gym

The gym locker room is like a black hole. What seems like five minutes in the locker room is actually 20 minutes everywhere else.

If possible, wear your gym clothes to the gym or change at work. The time lost in the locker room could be better spent working out.

Reading

Splitting your attention between using an elliptical and the latest issue of Cosmo is a surefire way to waste time.

The natural tendency is to slow down while reading so you aren’t going to be able to maximize your cardio. Keep your mind on the task at hand and the fat will melt off.

Using Machines

Machines are essential in a workout routine, but avoid using them for the entire session.

Machines allow you to isolate a muscle group. However, they won’t give you the most bang for your buck. Free weights should make up the bulk of your workout. Leave the machines for the end.

See Also: Get To The Grind: Hop on, Hop off Treadmill Sprinting

Endless Cardio

If your goal is to become a hamster, then run your little heart out on the treadmill. If you are planning to lose fat or chow down on that cookie later, opt for a full body workout.

Lifting weights is superior to cardio when it comes to weight loss since it can boost your metabolism for hours after. Channeling your inner hamster does not.

Conclusion

If you can make more hours in the day, then totally ignore these tips. If you are stuck in the same 24 hours we all have, then try applying these to your workouts. You’ll suddenly find that time is no longer an excuse to skip the gym.

The post 12 Ways To Effectively Waste Time At The Gym appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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How much do you know about the quality of the sofa you invested your money in? Did you get what you paid for?

Let’s face it.

There are tons of things you need to consider when you’re buying a piece of furniture. With so many considerations, it’s easy to feel confused, intimidated and frustrated. In the end, we just stick to things that make sense.

Unfortunately, a lot of manufacturers and retailers aren’t really honest about their products. There are things that they choose not to tell their customers. As a result, buyers often pay more than the quality they get.

To steer clear of overpaying for furniture, you need to have the right knowledge and ask the right questions.

Aesthetics aside, the first thing that consumers should consider is comfort.

In general, there are four principal components that can contribute to comfort: frame, spring system, cushion, and tailoring. If all these four passed the standard of quality, comfort would follow.

Here are the things to look for:

Framing and Cushioning

Let’s start with the framing.

If the frame is hardwood, ask if it has undergone kiln-drying. It’s the process of removing the moisture content of timber by using heat and airflow in a controlled environment. Kiln-dried wood lasts longer despite changes in humidity. It keeps wood from buckling, cracking or weakening.

To check the quality of the frame, feel the thickness of the board on the side of the sofa at the bottom. The standard width should be 1 and ¼ inches. Thinner boards will squeak if people move around it.

When it comes to cushioning, the heavier, the better. This is regarding the relationship between weight and quality.

For the spring system, sinuous wires or S-type springs are the standard and should run from front to back. You should be able to feel the spring when you push down on the sofa.

The Tailoring

Checking on how well the fabric of the sofa is tailored is equally important. Check if the seams are even and the piping ( tube-shaped edging ) lines up.

For printed sofas, the patterns should match both on the sides and front. For high-end pieces, the fabric should wrap the entire piece, including the back skirt. Patterns should start from one segment and continue to the next. There should be a seam in the center of the sofa’s back.

Quality of Leather

It is important for the buyer to listen to the salesperson when buying leather pieces. If he says that it’s a leather-match or leather-like, it’s not leather at all. The way to tell the difference is to look at the base of the sofa and see if it is dyed all the way through.

Next, ask if the leather is top grain. Top grain is the highest quality of leather, and furniture pieces made from this material are really expensive.

Non-top grain leather pieces could be split and they don’t wear much. They need to be moisturized and be kept away from the sun.

Drawers and Veneering

Dining sets, bedroom sets, tables, and lounges should be proportional to each other.

For pieces with drawers, check how they are hung. If drawers are tilted, the buyer will have an idea right away about the quality.

To check, take out the top drawer and check if its interior feels rough. Rough drawer interior means low-quality. Furniture pieces with excellent craftsmanship usually have dust panels that stop you from looking onto one drawer from another.

Check also the corner of the drawer and see how the veneers match. Veneer is a decorative covering of fine wood applied on top of a solid material, like plywood.

Good quality drawers are made with binders while cheaper ones are made with rollers. Checking the drawer on the upper left-hand part, where the manufacturer’s name is stamped, can give you a feel of the furniture quality.

Manufacturer’s Warranty

The warranties on wood furniture typically cover cracking and splitting for one year. As for upholstered furniture, warranties generally include the frames. High-end types of furniture, meanwhile, should have five-year warranties on spring systems and cushions.

Consumers should check if they have a manufacturer’s warranty or retailer’s warranty. If it only shows the original address in tiny print at the bottom of the contract, the warranty will be void if they will move.

Takeaway

Consumers should be prudent when it comes to furniture shopping. The bits of advice above will help in finding the best furniture at the best price. So, go out and look for good furniture that you and your family will enjoy for many years to come.

See Also: Top 10 Tips for Buying Stylish Furniture on a Budget

The post 5 Important Things to Check Before Buying Furniture appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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