Sunny days are just around the corner – that means better vibes, happier days and the perfect time to focus on you. Whether you’re starting afresh (we’ve all been there) or getting back into your routine, there’s no better time to build your fitness habits so that you begin next term feeling prepared. Dive into our quick summer guide to get started!
Set strength goals
Strength goals are fitness-related targets you establish which aim, for example, to improve how much weight you can lift, how powerfully your body moves or the length of time it takes to hold a position. They assist your workout by providing them with focus, ensuring you can properly track your progress.
Examples include progressive overload which involves gradually increasing the weight you lift by a small amount and mastering a move which entails accomplishing a difficult exercise such as a pistol squat.
Unsure how to set strength goals?
Simply ensure your goals meet the SMART goals criteria:
- Specific: Understand exactly what you want to achieve.
- Measurable: Track your strength gains, sets or weight lifted.
- Achievable: Be realistic with your aims
- Relevant: Align your goals with what you want to do.
- Timebound: Establish a deadline for the targets you aim to accomplish
Perform mobility exercises
Planning to go on a hike this summer?
Whether you’re hitting the trails, planning volleyball or enjoying a game of tennis, make sure you stay protected from injury and enhance your athletic abilities, ready for next semester, by doing mobility exercises.
Mobility exercises aim to enhance how successfully your joints move through their full range of motion. They assist with movement, ease stiffness and decrease the risk of injury by building strength and flexibility.
Common mobility exercises include:
- Cat-cow stretch: Get on all fours. Whilst inhaling, arch your back. As you exhale, drop your belly and tuck in your chin.
- Walking lunges: Step forward into a lunge, slowly pushing your hips down.
- 90/90 Hip rotation: Bend your knees at 90 degrees on the floor with one leg to the side and the other in front. Rotate your hips and torso to the opposite side, flipping your knees over.
Build consistency
Building consistency is a fundamental life skill, and nowhere is it more important than in fitness. It’s easy to show up for a few days but real progress lies in showing up repeatedly, even when motivation fades.
If you want to meet or exceed your fitness targets, consistency is your best friend. Small, frequent actions lead to significant results which will provide you with the push you need to move forward.
Maximum effort at the very start, whilst impressive, can cause real damage to your body which may hurt your ability to train again in the coming days. In addition to this, it’s also important to treat fitness as a permanent lifestyle as opposed to an activity you enjoy every now and then, if you want to achieve strong results. Otherwise, you may start to view it as a chore which could lead to mental burnout.
To get started, start small with short, easy workouts and if you haven’t got it already, create a strict schedule using the SMART process above!
See you in the next semester
With these three easy steps, you should be off to an amazing start in September. We can’t wait to welcome you back to The Edge!
