‘ENGAGE’ to Get More Out of Your Workouts

What’s the one thing you can do to get a better workout? More squats? Pushups? The thigh innie-outie machine? It’s hard to give people absolute answers to questions like this, but there is one thing everyone can do, no matter what, to get more out of their workouts: ENGAGE! 

So many people just go through the motions. A workout isn’t a race to see who can get done the fastest! It’s supposed to be when you get better - when you improve your movement, conditioning, and strength. The old saying is “practice makes perfect,” but what if you’re practicing it wrong? 

Here are 3 ways you can engage to get more out of your workouts.

1. Shoulder position. By far, the winner of the “Most Used Cue at My Gym” award is “Relax Your Shoulders”. Doesn’t that feel better? Don’t you feel stressed and annoyed when your shoulders are up by your ears? Engage! Take your time - feel each rep and ensure things are where they should be. And more importantly, take this outside the gym! What did you really accomplish if you get it right for your three sets of 10 in the gym but get it wrong for your 1 million sets of 1 million outside the gym? 

2. Stand tall. This goes along with number 1, but so many people just don’t stand up! That hunched position finds its way into everything we do, and it’s not good! 

3. Hip movement. Stand with your back against a wall. Take a step forward. Now push your butt back to the wall. Did you fall back into the wall? Are your knees bent more than a few degrees? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you need to work on your hip hinge to protect your back and knees. 

When you have a good hip hinge, you move your hips smoothly and keep your back and core stable and engaged. These are good things, especially if you have back pain. 

It’s not uncommon for people to be able to move only 2-3 inches or even less at first, but with practice, they can usually get a pretty good range of motion within a few weeks. I find that when clients get this along with their shoulder position, so many good things happen.

Overall, engaging in what you’re doing may not be easy, but it’s worth it, and it’ll get easier as you go.