Optimize your training time with these 6 essential techniques!

Lucas Kruel, #TRUSTMYCOACH Trainer

Are you looking for some effective and simple training tips to optimise your workouts, body and time?

Today I am giving you my best 6 training techniques that will elevate your workouts, maximise the value of your time and improve your performance.

Everybody can do this - I have trained a whole range of people over the years - from elite athletes to beginners who have never trained before. No matter who my client is, I teach them to incorporate these techniques into every training until it becomes automatic for them. ANYONE can do these techniques no matter your age, fitness level, goals or type of training.

Let's get started!

1. Flex your feet

I strongly promote the importance of training with no shoes and flexed feet. Flexing your feet increases the strength and ability in your feet, ankles and calf muscles to perform exercises and tasks in your daily life.

Today, shoe technology and design provide greater support that allows the muscles in our feet to relax. Also, the effects of not stretching and contracting our feet muscles regularly results in lower limb weakness and possible injury when executing sudden movements.

Adequate feet and ankle strength are especially essential for athletes who need to jump and change direction constantly. If your joints and muscles are stronger, your movements will be cleaner and your risk of injury will be lower.
Tight ankles and calf muscles can also result in back problems. So, flexing your feet enables your lower leg muscles to stretch while working out.

I cannot recommend this part of the training more… JUST DO IT!

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#33 Dynamic Frontal - For the duration of this exercise, I am always flexing my feet to give a good stretch in my calves, work my feet muscles and keep leg tension.

2. Bend your joints

It’s very important that all grounded limbs of your body are never fully extended. You must keep your joints such as your elbows and knees slightly bent to provide a better, stronger and safer foundation when holding up your body.

This is because when you fully straighten your joints, you are putting an incredible amount of stress on that point of your body and this can result in injury.

Locked joints also mean counter productivity because when they are fully extended, this restricts the movements of the exercise. Bending your joints against the resistance of your body is key to keeping you safe while working out!

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#59 Push-Up - Take a look at how I never fully extend my elbows during the push-ups.

3. Keep your body in the same line

 This is especially important when doing core strength exercises such as planks. By focusing on keeping your body in the same line, you will prevent your back from strain and avoid other muscles over-compensating to support your body.

This structure also helps with stability and balance and is key to activating your abdominal muscles! Remember that keeping your body in the same line includes your neck and head!

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#7 Two Point Classic Plank - An advanced core and ab training which focuses on keeping your body in the same line. Without engaging this tip, your body is unbalanced and incorrectly aligned.

4. Tense your glutes (your butt muscles)

You will see in my training that I try to tense my gluteas maximus as much as possible. For example, when I return to the starting position from a squat or a lunge, I clench my glutes. When I do any kind of plank, I tighten my butt muscles. During Lying Hip Raises, I focus on raising my hips as high as possible and squeezing my glutes. And there are so many more examples!

The reason why I believe this is important is because if you think about it, due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyle (office work, study, hours of watching TV), we do not work our gluteal muscles as much as we should. Strong glutes is the key to decreasing lower back pain, improving posture and reducing leg, knee and ankle injuries.

The lower half of your body will feel the benefits if you:

  • Include exercises that engage the butt muscles (such as lunges and squats)
  • Clench your glutes for increased back support and muscle tension during other exercises

It is one of the easiest movements you can incorporate into your workout routine so don’t be a lazy ass (literally haha)

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#44 Sumo Squat - When you are in your starting position, don't relax. Tighten your gluteal muscles with force!

5. Open your chest

I recommend focusing on this in both training and your daily life. When I say ‘open your chest’, you need to push your chest out in front and pull your shoulder blades back to a point that is comfortable for you.

By doing this, you maintain better posture, increase upper back strength and improve the flexibility of your chest muscles.

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#1 Superman - A great core exercise example of pulling back your shoulder blades to open your chest.

6. Use the #TRUSTMYCOACH information ressources

Last but not least, I must emphasize the importance of understanding the technique of each exercise before you begin your workout. If you can take a couple of minutes before your workout of the day to watch or read about the important techniques of each exercise, you will gain greater results and prevent possible pain or injury as you have a higher chance of correctly executing the technique. I am here to help you and to not only train you, but to give you my best advice and tips – so please, take this opportunity and learn how to get the best out of your body in the safest way!

Once you learn these exercises, it is vital that you are always performing these techniques during your training because these are the details that will make the difference in your performance and results.