It’s no secret that there are things you can do (on purpose) to make your workouts more optimal.

Even when you do all of these things though, you’re never guaranteed to have a good workout.

These few things will just put you in the most optimal position to potentially have a good workout.

There will still be days when you have a bad workout, but that is just part of life.

It’s still a win that you decided to show up and put in some work either way.

Pre workout nutrition/hydration

This is one of the things you can do that will leave you the most prepared.

Our bodies directly use fuel from food to power our workouts so the more optimal foods you are eating, the better off you will be during your workout.

The majority of nutrients in your pre workout meal or snack should come form carbohydrates. This is simply because carbs convert directly to energy in the body. More energy = more output power & endurance = better workout.

You should still have both protein and fats but they should not consume your meal due to the slow digestion process for each.

Depending on what kind of carbs you are eating, here are the breakdowns of how long you should wait to eat:

Complex carbs: 2-4 hours before your workout

Simple carbs: 30 minutes-1 hour before your workout

The difference in complex and simple carbs is simple. Complex takes longer to digest.

Complex carbs are things like rice, pasta, old fashioned oatmeal, high fiber vegetables, etc.

Simple carbs are things like quick packet oatmeal, breakfast bars, small granola bars, candy, fruit, etc.

Simple carbs tend to be things on the “not as healthy” side BUT one good source is fruit.

Something like a banana is great 30 minutes before a workout.

In terms of hydration, it definitely depends on what time of the day you’re going to the gym but at the very minimum I would drink a bottle of water. (16 oz) an hour or more before.

If you’re going to the gym at night, you should already have most of your water goal hit anyways so this should not be of concern.

During your workouts, make sure to stay hydrated as well. Yes, there is such as over hydration as well and it can quite literally make you nauseous especially on a leg day.

An average recommendation is 7-10 oz per every 20 minutes of exercise. So for an hour workout, you’re looking at 21-30oz or about 1.5-2 bottles of water. I would argue this is for more intense exercise, so for something like an upper body day, a bottle will probably suffice.

Music selection

Music is one of those things that can boost your mood no matter what you’re doing –

Cooking in the kitchen, driving to work, cleaning the house, etc.

So it should not be surprising at all that having a good playlist can help motivate and push you during your gym session.

I get asked A LOT what my playlist is and for recommendations but the truth is, it really is individual.

My playlist is all over the place. Sometimes I just shuffle my entire Apple Music library and it moves from honky tonk country to Adele to Meg the Stallion..

I enjoy doing that or sticking to a certain genre for my workouts, it just depends on my mood for the day.

What is most important though is that you have good vibes. I know a lot of people listen to hard core music which I never related to/understood but as I said, whatever floats your boat.

Good music = an increase in serotonin and endorphins (happy chemicals) = better mood = better workout.

Listening to music also has a variety of benefits including helping blood flow more easily, reducing your heart rate, relieving stress, enhancing mental alertness/focus and lowering blood pressure.

So even if you’re not working out… I definitely would recommend listening to music on a daily basis just to receive some of these benefits!

Sleep

This is something I personally relate to lately ever since getting my pup (pic if you didn’t already know from creepin’ on my Instagram).

Having a newborn puppy is essential a newborn child. Yes, we dog moms consider our doggos children.

They need to be tended to regularly and let out for potty breaks every 2 hours (pushing it).

This means getting up in the middle of the night to let your pup potty at least 2 times a night, which means disturbed sleep.

I am someone who needs my 7-8 hours of sleep a night and this has been rough on me.

I am probably only getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night and waking up regularly every hour or two from stress (making sure the puppy didn’t jump off my bed, pee, etc.). Sometimes the puppy wakes me up from clawing me in the face as well, so that’s always good.

This option was far better than listening to the dog wail in the crate all night though.

This phase should last about 2 months.

2. More. Months. Of. Bad. Sleep.

Although it’s only been a few days of this routine, I immediately noticed a decline in my gym performance. Less strength and energy overall.

I’m not pushing past my limits as my body is already under enough stress so it’s important that when you’re in situations where you’re unable to sleep well that you listen to your body.

When possible though, try to get yourself into a good night time routine. Limit technology late at night (no blue light) and limit food/drinks at least a few hours before bed time so that those factors don’t keep you up/wake you up in the middle of the night. Keep your room dark, quiet and cool!

Sleep is your biggest form of recovery where most of your gains happen as they come during rest periods and not during actual workout/active times so this is super key to seeing great progress in the gym.

Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that increases activity in both your nervous system and brain. It also increases your heart rate, which in turn, will help you burn more calories (even at rest) but definitely whilst you’re working out.

Most people will use preworkout before their workouts as it is used as an energy booster since it has a good deal of caffeine in it.

I would be careful with what preworkout you use as some contain 300mg of caffeine or even more per serving. On average 150mg-200mg is a good amount. As a reference, the highest “safest” daily amount of caffeine is 400mg/day for adults (18+). This is really individual though as 400mg is probably way too much for the average person.

A lot of preworkout’s have suspicious ingredients in them which is why I would opt for a brand with all natural ingredients. I personally use Legion for all of my supplements for this reason. Check out their preworkout. Code ERFIT for 20% off.

I would also be careful of what time you’re taking preworkout. If you have a late night workout, you don’t want to be taking 200mg of caffeine. You will be up at 3 am, I promise you.

As I said before, caffeine stimulates the brain so even if your body is dead exhausted, your mind will be running 100mph thinking the most random thoughts.

I try not to have caffeine after 2pm but if I do, I will keep it to a minimum (under 100mg). Even this little can keep you up at night though.

You also do not NEED to use preworkout. I personally do not as it makes me feel super nauseous but I do still have a good dose of caffeine 1-2 hours before the gym.

I will have either a few expresso shots in my latte or an energy drink as my caffeine substitute.

I wait a few hours to go to the gym as I don’t like feeling jittery or light headed during my workouts and I make sure to drink enough water to offset some of the jitters.

Keep your routine fresh

While it is important to keep a gym routine for 4-8 weeks at a time for consistency sake and incorporating progressive overload to see the best results possible, you may want to consider changing up your workouts regularly after this period.

Keeping your workouts fresh monthly will help keep you motivated and excited to get into the gym and progress in new exercises.

You don’t want to bore yourself by doing the same routine month after month after month. This is a great way to lose all your excitement for the gym.

You may also want to consider bouncing around to a few different gyms (or locations of the same gym) to keep your gym schedule fresh. This is something I like to do as training at the same gym every single day and seeing the same exact people gets very boring to me.

I also enjoy using a variety of equipment at different gyms.

If you don’t want to switch up your exercises at all, at the very minimum I would recommend changing up your workout split so that you’re doing the exercises on different days/with different muscle groups to keep things fresh.

The smallest of changes can make a huge difference when it comes to keeping your gym routine fresh and exciting!

Conclusion

Optimizing your workout performance is actually quite simple when it comes down to the nitty gritty.

If you’re still feeling unsure of how to do it for yourself or just WANT support through the process, let me help you!

I have 3 spots currently open in my 1:1 online coaching program and I would love to work with you.

You can apply here.

I am also running 50% off my Freshman Fitness app subscriptions now through Dec 1st as a Black Friday deal. Use code “BLACKFRIDAY50” at checkout.

Until next time,

Coach Emily