Is Your Workout Missing These 8 Important Things?

Failure

Failure in the context of a workout is not defined as trying an exercise and immediately failing; it is the practice of doing an exercise untilfailure. The body does not want to gain muscle naturally; therefore, working to failure is a good way to grow muscle mass and develop both mental and physical strength. Working out a muscle until failure is a sure way to know how much and for how long someone can lift a certain weight properly. This can translate into the formation of goals for an individual within a workout. When lifting weights until failure, it is better to use a lighter weight at higher reps with correct form rather than to use weights so heavy that only a few reps can be completed correctly. As Bram Stoker once said, "we learn from failure, not from success."

Cardio

Cardio has been stereotyped as either running on a treadmill for hours or using an elliptical machine. This is simply not the case as cardio can be found in many forms. Try skipping, jumping jacks, or even body weight squats as a way of warming up, increasing the heart rate, and improving the flow of blood within the body. Increasing the heart rate before lifting weights has been shown to produce more positive results than lifting weights without a cardio warm-up. Cardio also helps to burn excess fat within the body, showing off muscle tone that may have been hidden previously. Try integrating cardio into workout routines regularly. Many gym goers use cardio as a warm-up and as a cool-down activity.