40 Best Fitness Training Workout Hacks

Start the Morning Right

Here's a simple tip to get you up and at 'em first thing in the morning: Kickstart Your Morning

1. Take a Swing at It

One of the best ways to accelerate your exercise goals by adding some boxing to your fitness training workout. It's one of the best ways to boost fitness.

There's a reason boxers are so fit.

Add boxing to any of your strength and fitness training workouts and suddenly you have to go from lifting weights to performing quick and fast moves.

It's a great way to switch it up.

2. Train Early

Japanese studies have found that you'll burn fat for 24 hours if you work out before breakfast.

But not before lunch or dinner.

A fitness training workout while fasted has major weight loss benefits.

3. Don't Ditch the Yolk

Eating a whole egg is better for muscle building and repair than consuming the same amount of protein in egg whites alone, according to a US study.

4. Follow Your Strength Workout with a Snack

Eating protein after a strength workout is essential for muscle repair and growth. According to the Physiological Report Journal, you should consume 20gm to 40gm of protein after your strength workout. A 200gm of Greek yogurt or half a cup of canned tuna contains around 20gm of protein.

5. Try Silent Running

An Australian study found that landing your feet quietly while running is easier on the body and cuts injury risk.

One of the best ways to achieve this is to run on a sandy beach in your bare feet.

6. Simulate Dawn

Struggling to get up for your morning run? For around $80, the Lumie Bodyclock Starter Alarm emits a light-mimicking sunrise to boost alertness and performance.

As well as a simulated sunset to help you fall asleep at night.

7. Soften Your Jaw During Yoga

This will allow your neck to relax and you'll breathe more deeply.

Both of these will help you to greater stability as you practice your Yoga.

8. Add Weight to Your Backpack

Wearing a weighted backpack as you walk increases the amount of oxygen you consume.

This will burn extra calories and accelerate weight loss, as well as increasing back and leg strength.

9. Embrace Push-ups

Push-ups are among the best exercises for upper-body strength and can be done almost anywhere.

If you're not already in the habit of doing them, start off with one, standing in front of the kitchen bench.

Once you're comfortable with doing a few in that position, graduate to doing them on the floor, with your legs bent at the knees.

And eventually with your legs straight.

You can pick up my pushup challenge at Free Stuff.

10. Pump up Your Planks

Planks are great for strengthening your core and developing 6-pack abs.

You can do regular planks with your elbows directly under your shoulders and then swap to the more difficult extended plank with your elbows under your ears.

Go from your elbows to your hands, back and forth, or touch your knee to your elbow for an extra upper body and core challenge.

And don't forget to add side planks to your core workout.

11. Learn the Tabata Equation

Tabata was one of the first styles of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) to gain prominence.

20 seconds of intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, multiplied by 8 rounds, which gives you four minutes of intense exercise.

It's still a great way to boost fitness and metabolize fat, burning around 63kJ per minute.

You can spend a four minute session on just one type of exercise, such as sprinting, windmills, star jumps or burpees or you can mix it up. As long as you follow the 20 second intense, 10 second rest protocol.

Start with one session, then slowly add more.

12. Have a Coffee Before Training

A Brazilian study of cyclists who exercised with or without a caffeine hit indicated that having a coffee before training will make you go faster. 

13. Use a Skipping Rope

The most effective piece of equipment is also one of the simplest.

A skipping rope adds a cardio boost to any workout, burning more than 48kJ an hour for a 90kg person.

You can only match that by running for an hour at 12km per hour!

A skipping rope takes up virtually no space in your gym bag and is a great piece of kit to take on holidays.

14. Eat Some Blueberries

Blueberries have a high antioxidant level, which helps your muscles recover more quickly after a workout.

They are truly one of the super foods.

15. Use the 40% Rule

Think you've done as many pushups as you can or run as far as your legs will take you?

Remember the Navy Seals' mantra that you're probably at around 40% of your capacity.

So dig deep and push on!

16. Know Your Quota

The American College of Sports Medicine advises that for vigorous exercise such as running or skipping, you should do 20 minutes three times a week.

For moderate exercise, such as a brisk walk, do 30 minutes five times a week.

Throw in 3 strength training exercises, such as lifting weights, three times spread over the week.

17. Walk or Jog Backwards up a Hill

Do a set walking forwards to work your glutes and hamstrings, and then a set going backwards to use your quads and abs.

There's a reason football referees are so fit and it's partly from running backwards.

18. Schedule Exercise Like a Meeting

Put your scheduled workouts in your diary, just like you would a business meeting.

This gives them a priority.

You'll be more likely to exercise consistently and reach your fitness goals.

19. Soak It Up

Skip the ice bath and instead head straight for a warm soak to achieve better athletic performance.

This was the advice given from a study in the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.

Definitely more pleasant too.

20. Snack on Dark Chocolate

Cyclists who ate 40gm of dark chocolate daily for two weeks cycled further and used less oxygen than those who ate white chocolate, according to a study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.

The scientists say this is because dark chocolate increases nitric oxide to boost energy and aid recovery.

21. Mix It Up With a Swim

Swimming requires different breathing patterns, making it great for increasing lung capacity.

You need to breathe in quickly and out slowly, building more respiratory strength according to Indiana University.

As a non weight bearing exercise, swimming is excellent for those with joint issues.

22. Smile While You Run

This might sound silly, but researchers in Northern Ireland discovered that oxygen consumption is lower when runners smile, rather than frown.

Makes you feel good too!

23. Rest for One Day a Week

Overtraining might seem like a quick way to get results but it's going to drive your body into the ground. Muscles need rest to recover. Always allow one or two days between weight training sessions and take one day a week off completely.

24. Get Intense

A Canadian study showed that three intense 20-second bursts of cycling are as good for your fitness as 45 minutes of low intensity. Be sure to warm up and cool down before and after respectively.

25. Look at Your Nose During a Tree Pose

This technique, known as the "drishti gaze" is the secret to better balance and works for all standing yoga postures. Simply keep your gaze steady on a spot off the tip of your nose to feel more stable.

26. Pick up the Pace

A 3km per hour stroll burns 600kJ but a brisk 5.6km per hour walk uses 1140kJ.

27. Think Time, Not Distance

When you start running, measure it in minutes, not miles or kilometers. The idea is to start moving and to not worry about the distance until you're training for a race. In addition, you'll gradually increase your distance covered in the fixed time, thereby getting more and more benefit.

28. Lift Weights for Metabolic Burn

The heavier the weights you lift and the larger the muscle groups you target, the longer your metabolic rate will increase post-workout. This is why bench presses and squats are so effective.

29. Keep on Moving in Your Warm-up

Doing dynamic movements (stretching with movement) is best for warming up ahead of your workout. Try walking lunges, high kicks, knees to the chest, burpees and windmills. Save the static stretches for afterwards.

30. Power up With Good Protein

Whole foods are the best way to get your daily protein, but protein powders offer a quick and convenient source too. But which kind is best? Choose products with as few ingredients as possible. All you really want to see in the mix is plain protein, plus maybe a few natural ingredients to help create flavor, such as vanilla, dried coconut or cacao.

31. Take an Insta-Break

Interestingly, images on an Instagram account have been shown to provide little or no inspiration to exercise among viewers, but exposure to a functional fitness campaign does.

32. Upgrade Squats with a Wall Ball

This is a difficult move but a fantastic one to add to your routine for overall strength.

Stand facing a wall. Squat holding the ball to your chest then rise out of the squat and push the ball so it bounces off the wall before catching it.

A soccer or basketball is probably best for this move.

33. Keep Your Torso Still During Spin

Your legs will still be working but you'll conserve energy if you engage your core and keep your upper body stable as you cycle.

34. Make a DIY Energy Drink

You can boost hydration with a drink made by dissolving a dash of Himalayan salt and 1 tsp of maple syrup to a glass of warm water.

35. Knuckle up During Downward Dog Pose

Press into your knuckles when bearing weight on your hands in order to protect the fine bones in your wrists. Keep your hands flat and focus on the base of each finger.

36. Make Time for Sexercise

Clearly, it's one of the most enjoyable exercises, but it's also a full-body workout, using all 657 muscles in your body!

37. Don't Forget to Exercise Your Face

A 20-week daily facial exercise routine makes both women and men appear up to three years younger.

Start with the cheek lifter. Open your mouth to form an "O" shape and position your upper lip over your teeth. Smile to elevate your cheek muscles, then lightly place your fingers on the top section of your cheeks. Repeatedly lower and lift your cheeks for 30 seconds.

38. Own at Least Three Gym Outfits

That way, you'll always have something to wear to exercise, and one less excuse not to.

39. Drink up to Prevent a Stitch

Drinking lots of water in the 12 hours before you exercise can help reduce your chances of getting a run-halting stitch. But in the one or two hours just before your activity, take in only small amounts of water. Also avoid eating large amounts of food before exercise and skip the sugary drinks, especially if you're prone to any sort of pain during exercise.

40. Be a Weekend Warrior

A statistical study at Loughborough University in the UK, people who engage in 150 minutes of moderate exercise over the weekend are less likely to die from any cause, compared to those who do nothing at all.