Image from LJMoo

Have you ever had to fight a crowd just to get through your gym’s doors?  Once you got in, the situation couldn’t have been any better.  There was probably a line at every machine and bench in there.  Going to the gym during peak time can really mess up your routine.  You have to wait for other people to finish, work in other machines, and generally adjust your workout for others.

This leads me to gym tip number 10: go to the gym during off-peak hours.

If you go to the gym early in the morning, in the afternoon before the close of business, or late at night, you’ll be able to take full advantage of an empty (or nearly empty) gym.  You’ll be able to use all of the machines as you need, without having to wait for others.  This will shorten your workout and let you get back to recovery much quicker.

This is especially beneficial for those of you that do circuit training or supersetting.  With these forms of training, you need to get from one machine or set of weights to the next as quickly as possible, and if you have to wait for someone else, that’s not going to happen.

The best way to go to the gym during off hours is to go in the morning, right after breakfast and before you go to work.  This is one of the least busy times at the gym, but it’s still during a part of the day where you’re alert enough to get a good workout in.  If you can’t go during the morning, try to go during your lunch break.  You’ll make the most of your workout and you won’t have to wait for a huge crowd to do it.