What Factors Should be Considered While Working on Exercise Machines?

Starting any exercise routine is a necessary decision. When you decide to work on an exercise machine, you should be careful about many things as you don’t want to do wrong to your body because fitness is not about being smart but working smart. So, what factors should be considered when working on exercise machines? Here is your guide to it.

Factors to be considered while working on an exercise machine

When you decide to set a foot on an exercise machine, there are a few factors that you should consider and a few things you need to keep in mind.

1- Set goals/objectives

Before you set your workout routine and start exercising on the machines, it is necessary to set a target or goal you want to achieve. This will help you throughout every session while you are on your exercise machine.

2- Stay hydrated

When you are working on an exercise machine, it is important to get yourself hydrated before and during the workout session. Drink water while you are exercising. You can drink 3-8 ounces of water after every 15 minutes.

3- Keep a track of heart rate

There are machines that monitor your heart rate while you are working out. This is important to keep track so that you do not overdo your exercise.

4- Keep a check on the Calories

Modern exercise equipment has some major features like a calorie tracker, letting us in on all the information about calories burned. You can either use that or can simply take note of the number of calories consumed vs burned in a day to keep an eye on your weight.

5- Have some rest in between the training steps

It is suggested to have some rest in between the weight training steps. It is recommended to follow these guidelines from American College for Sports Medicine (ACSM) that are:

• Rest for 1-2 minutes between the sets with lighter weights (5 lbs or less.)
• Rest for 2-3 minutes for moderate weight (between 6-10 lbs.)
• Rest of greater than 3 minutes for heavy weights (more than 10 lbs.)

6- Add variety to the workout

When you are working on a machine, you can adjust everything from speed to performance depending on your requirement. The speed or difficulty level can also be adjusted for the machine as per choice.

7- Maintain good form on a cardio machine

Whenever you step on any exercise machine, especially when it’s cardio, it is really important to maintain your form throughout time. For instance, if you are working on a treadmill, it means that you need to be standing upright and straight with abdominal muscles contracted. You should focus on that shoulder, remain in a neutral position, and your heels should not flop forward. So, this is all about maintaining a good steady form on a machine.

8- Maintain a time limit

Maintaining a time limit while you are on a machine, especially a cardio machine is very important. The time limit safe for doing cardio varies for everyone depending on their physical fitness level.

9- Switch machines

When you are exercising, it is good to switch machines every 3 to 4 minutes. This is important because when you use one machine every time, the same muscles will be used becoming overused, ultimately causing a muscular imbalance. Also, when you follow the same workout routine, after some time, the body starts burning fewer calories and learns to work in that way.

10- Decide on a safer workout

When you exercise on a machine, you should keep in consideration what is your overall endurance, how flexible you are, what is your resistance, and your general health condition. Considering these factors, you should select a safe workout plan.

So, these are some factors that need to be kept in mind and considered whenever you start to exercise on a machine and set your workout routine.

Conclusion

Whenever you decide to work on an exercise machine, you need to focus on certain factors that are essential for good results. Just keep in mind to set your goals before you start, keep a track of your heart and calorie rate, don’t be spontaneous, focus on intensity, maintain a time limit, and good form. Also, add variety and decide on a safer workout regime as per your fitness and health. Practicing these factors help you with exercise machines.