Tips for better workout results

Most of the time, we put so much work into our workouts, and it seems like we're barely making any progress. And while it takes a lot of hard work and weight to build muscle, proper technique is the most important factor of all.

We may not be performing the exercises sloppily, but there are some tips and tricks we haven't used to our advantage yet. So here are 11 tips to help you make your workouts more effective.

1. Use the full range of motion.

Since muscle growth is stimulated by training and fatigue of as many muscle fibers as possible, you can use many more available muscle fibers by using the full range of motion.

2. When doing curls, keep your elbows tucked in at your sides.

For example, to engage more muscles during barbell curls or dumbbell curls, make sure you tuck your elbows to your sides and lift the bar or dumbbells using only your biceps. This will ensure greater isolation of a muscle group and avoid placing additional strain on joints.

3. Rotate your hand during dumbbell curls.

When you raise your hand during dumbbell curls, rotate it by lowering your thumbs and raising your little finger to achieve a stronger bicep contraction.

4. Contract your muscles at the peak of a movement.

To add more contraction to an exercise, tense your muscles for a moment as you reach the peak of a movement, such as dumbbell flys or leg curls, and then slowly lower the weight.

5. Make full use of negative contractions.

When you lower the weight after reaching the peak of the movement, don't just let it drop. Instead, focus on resisting the weight all the way down to achieve a stronger contraction in your muscles.

6. Avoid swinging your upper body.

When performing barbell curls or dumbbell curls, swing your body as little as possible, unless you're intentionally doing cheat exercises. This way, you'll actively engage only one muscle group, making the exercise even more effective.

7. Try different angles.

To engage as many muscle fibers as possible during your exercises, try working from different angles. This can help you make exercises that cause more pain than muscle stimulation more effective and prevent injury.

8. For more isolated training, use either dumbbells or machines.

When you train with dumbbells or machines instead of a barbell, you can isolate your arms more effectively, as each arm has to handle the weight individually. This also avoids using other muscles and muscle groups, allowing you to focus entirely on one area.

9. Stay within the area.

When doing curls or extensions, don't fully extend your arms or legs. Instead, stay within the range of motion so the working muscles remain engaged throughout the exercise.

To make an exercise as effective as possible, train with different styles. For example, alternate reps, with some of your reps reaching the peak of the movement while you do partial reps in between.

10. Minimize the time between your sets.

For a stronger contraction, give your muscles a rest of 45 seconds to a maximum of one minute. This depends on the weight you're using. If you're training with heavier weight and doing fewer reps—i.e., powerlifting—give yourself longer rest periods between sets, and vice versa.

11. Tense your muscles during the breaks between sets.

After completing a set, rest for about 45 seconds to a minute and tense your muscles to keep them engaged. This will help you achieve better definition and more striation.

These are some techniques and tips you can use to increase the effectiveness of your workouts to build more and visible muscle.

However, make sure that you always use weights that you can handle and try one or two techniques to start with and then expand as needed.