Originally posted on http://www.thundertreats.com/articles/awesomeness/things-that-absolutely-will-help-your-performance-in-the-gym.html

When you enter a gym, whether it’s for the first time or whether you’ve been doing it for years, your goal is to leave having made progress. You’ll then hope that the next time you walk in; you’ll have improved handsomely! That’s the whole point, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to get stronger, or whether you’re trying to run further, you want to do a little better than last time. There’s not really much point in getting a membership and turning up a few times a week if you’re not actually getting anywhere. There are probably a lot of productive things you could be doing elsewhere!

That said, the ominous plateau hits everyone. Everybody that has tried to improve on their fitness and athletic performance has hit a wall at some point. It’s frustrating, but it’s normal.

There are ways we can bolster our attack in terms of our overall fitness and performance, however, and some of the options are pretty straightforward! If you’re in somewhat of a funk, or you’re relatively new to this game and want to know how you can get better/great results, then have a little read of these pointers:

FOOD AND WATER!

Before you train, it’s quite right that you eat a good amount of food. You really don’t want to head into a big session with next to nothing in your belly. You need to have that energy in order to perform. Some people can train fasted, but that’s after a lot of practical experience. You’ll also need to make sure you refill your body after a workout. If you’re trying to shift a few pounds, then it can feel somewhat counter-intuitive, but neglecting food will only be detrimental to everything.

You’ll need to make sure you’re full of water, too. You should do this whether you’re an active gym-goer or not, though!

SUPPLEMENTS 

You probably know all about protein shakes and pre-workout shakes by now. They do help a lot. Your body is only as good as the cells and molecules inside it, so you’ll want to make sure that they’re firing on all cylinders. After you work out, your body needs to have a good amount of protein in order to repair the muscles and build over them. In terms of pre-workout drinks and snacks, they’ll help you to (legally) go that extra bit further!

MUSIC 

Some people dig it; some people can’t stand the idea of it. The fact remains, however, that music improves one’s performance. The science behind it can be for another time because there are lots of little details, but music boosts your attitude and your adrenaline right when you need it! If you want to lift that extra kilogram, then you might want to grab some wireless headphones and blast loud music into your eardrums.

THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT 

Obviously, if you’ve got great equipment in your gym, then you’re going to be in a better position to progress. What we’re talking about here, however, is the equipment that you bring along. In terms of lifting weights, things like belts, wrist straps, and knee wraps do a lot for you in terms of safety and your performance.