Published on: 18 February 2016
Last Updated on: 29 May 2021
Sleep is one of the most precious activities and also the most awaited part of the day, especially if your life moves like the hands of the clock. Yoga lovers will often find themselves practicing a few poses by just moving their legs while they are reading a book before switching off the bed side lamp. The ingrained mindset that yoga relaxes the body is so filled in us, that our body automatically starts working to overcome blockages in the body. Bedtime yoga can make life simpler and leave you fresh and more charged up for the next day.
When you combine two relaxing activities together, yoga and sleeping, the results are only going to be a relaxed mood and an effortlessly smooth day. Bid farewell to backache, sleeplessness and negative thoughts with these poses:
Bend Knee Spinal Twists
A great way to ease out any discomfort in the spine, legs and back, this stretching exercise, where you hug and bend your right knee to the left side and vice-a-versa, is a great way to kick start your bedtime yoga routine. All you have to do is stay on each side for 5 to 7 breaths and repeat 2-3 times depending on what your body is telling you and feel the benefit enfold soon enough.
Happy baby pose
A hip opener, the pose creates space for back and works on the sacroiliac joints as well, a common cause of discomfort in most of the people in sedentary jobs. Bend both your knees and flex the foot to face the ceiling. Bring it closer to the chest and hold each big toe with the relative hand and stay in the pose for 5 to 7 breaths.
Child’s pose
A semi inverted pose, it relieves the practitioner of any form of back pain apart from bringing blood flow to the face and removing stress and anxiety. The pose works invariably in any routine, at any time to remove unwanted stress.
Knee Hugs
An extremely relaxing pose, it is also known as wind releasing pose as it removes any extra gas in the body, which might become a hindrance in a good night’s sleep. Also, it presses the entire back making it easier for the practitioner to remove any form of discomfort from the back region.
Hamstring stretch
A simple pose, it works on the entire lower body and also removes tension and fatigue from the back. Simply extend one leg to the ceiling and bring it closer to the chest. Grab the back leg with both hands or if advanced practitioner, you can hold the big toe with relative hand, keep the other legs straight or bend as your body allows. Stay here for a few breaths and change to another side.
Corpse pose
This pose can be practiced at the end of the routine when the practitioner is deciding to call it a day. A relaxing pose, you can even meditate during this pose and gently dose of to sleeping. It is a great way to recharge your body and make it a routine to practice Savasana before sleeping, great benefits enfold when you practice this pose.
The practice of these poses leads to long-term respite from many issues faced by the modern man.
Manmohan is a yoga enthusiast, free spirit, traveler and freelance writer from Rishikesh. He run yoga teacher training school in India, Nepal, Thailand and various other countries, where yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, and spirituality is taught under the expert guidance of traditional and authentic yoga instructors.
Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.
It is important to exercise and stay in shape if you are on a fitness journey. However, if you are on a busy schedule, you might think about how many exercises per workout you must do to be efficient. This is a question that is important to both an amateur and an advanced individual who is looking for a good workout schedule.
In this article, you will learn about how to make a workout schedule based on your needs and demands. Hence, this article will primarily answer the question, “How many exercises per workout must you do?” Apart from that, you will also learn about various factors that influence the number of exercises.
How Many Exercises Per Workout You Must Do?
When you ask, “How many exercises per workout must you do?” - the direct answer is three to five exercises for a group of muscles. For instance, if you are working out your leg muscles, you must not do more than three to five exercises in a day.
Although it is the general guidance for most people, it is important to learn why this is the case. This is because the number of exercises in your case depends on your needs and demands. When you target a muscle group, you can be effective with your exercises. Also, you will not end up overwhelming or overtraining yourself.
Basically, when you have a better idea of how many workouts you must do while you exercise, you can plan your fitness goals easily. Also, a low but effective number of exercises in a workout will help you track your results better.
However, if you are a beginner, you can start with two exercises for each muscle group. For example, to hit your chest muscles, you can start with bench presses and push-ups. On the other hand, you can start training your triceps with diamond push-ups and tricep push-downs.
Factors Influencing the Number of Exercises
There are many factors that influence the number of exercises you need to do in a workout. Generally, these include a combination of personal preferences and how you design your training program:
1. Fitness Goals
As a beginner, you can start with simpler and fewer exercises. However, for advanced individuals, fitness goals fall into one of these categories: Strength vs. endurance vs. hypertrophy (muscle growth).
a. Strength Training (Rep range: 2-6)
Here, your focus is on lifting heavy weights, and your repetitions are low. This helps you to activate your muscle growth and helps to force production. Basically, this technique is common among powerlifters.
b. Endurance Training (Rep range: 6-12)
Endurance is your muscle’s ability to perform activities for long periods of time. To increase your muscle endurance, you must do lighter weights with high repetitions. This is a good idea for someone who wants to be more athletic.
c. Hypertrophy Training (Rep range: 15+)
Here, your goal is to increase the size of your muscles. Hence, you train with moderate weights with moderate repetitions. Generally, this is common among bodybuilders.
2. Experience Level
In fact, when you have a good experience with weights, you can perform a higher number of exercises per session. This is because individuals with more experience have the ability to handle higher-intensity workouts.
Also, they can handle higher volume because their muscles are developed. Apart from that, they have enough knowledge about technique, and they have higher endurance. Hence, they can incorporate more exercises into their workout routine.
As you gain more experience, your muscles become strong and resilient. Hence, it can handle a higher repetition count with each set. On the other hand, if you do regular exercises, you have better aerobic capacity, which is a higher level of fitness. Hence, you can perform more exercises with less fatigue.
3. Time Constraints
With more time constraints, you can significantly decrease the number of exercises you do in a session. This is because when you have a time limit, it will restrict the amount of time you dedicate to exercise. Hence, many individuals choose to dedicate less time to workouts when they have busy schedules.
Basically, time constraints are a major barrier for many when it comes to regular exercise. This prevents you from engaging in physical activities that you might like. Moreover, this also influences the type of exercise that you choose to perform. Hence, you select those activities that you can do in shorter timeframes. For example, high-intensity interval training.
4. Workout Split
With workout splits, you can focus on fewer muscle groups in a single day. This enables you to perform higher-volume exercises to target specific muscles of your body. In fact, with a split routine, you can do a higher number of exercises for each muscle group in one week. Apart from that, a workout split will also help you in faster recovery.
Moreover, with a split outline, you can also perform a higher number of sets and reps for every muscle group that you target. This is because you are using more exercises to target a muscle group.
Also, workout splits allow for more number of rest days between your training sessions. Hence, there is a better chance for recovery, and you can also prevent overtraining.
Guidelines for Number of Exercises Based on Goals
No matter what exercise you choose to do, it is important to focus on proper form. Apart from that, you must also ensure adequate recovery time. The following are a few guidelines you can consider if you want to consider how many exercises per workout you must follow:
1. For Strength Training
If you want to gain strength with your workouts, you must focus on compound lifts (e.g., squats, deadlifts, bench presses). Basically, you have to lift heavy weights with low repetitions. This will increase your maximal strength.
Here, the rep range is 2-6 reps per set. Also, you must stick to 3–5 exercises per workout. Additionally, you must ensure longer rest periods between your sets. This will help you to recover faster.
2. For Hypertrophy (Muscle Growth)
In hypertrophy, the focus is to lift moderate weights with higher repetitions. This will help you to maximize muscle growth. Here, the rep range is 8-12 reps per set. Also, you must stick to 5–7 exercises per workout.
Some examples of hypertrophy include bicep curls, shoulder lateral raises, leg extensions, chest flies, etc.
3. For Endurance and Conditioning
Here, the emphasis is on functional movements and higher repetitions. Basically, you have to perform exercises for longer time periods and also at a moderate intensity. This will increase your cardiovascular health and stamina.
Here, the rep range is high, and there are fewer rest periods between sets. Also, you have to perform 4–6 exercises per workout. In fact, the rest periods are fewer to ensure your heart rate stays at a higher level.
Some examples of endurance and conditioning training include running, cycling, swimming, jumping jacks, burpees, etc.
Factors to Consider While Structuring a Workout
Here are a few factors you must consider while you structure your workout routine:
Your workout routine depends on your lifestyle, schedule, and physical activities. Apart from that, it also depends on your current strength and size.
Without specific goals, you cannot structure your workout routine. Basically, you have to find the best ways to chalk out your goals.
Make sure that there are enough rest and recovery periods between two training sessions. This will help in muscle growth, and will not overstrain your muscles.
Structure Your Workout Now
How many exercises per workout? - Now you know that it is better to have 3 to 5 workouts in a single training session. Apart from that, you also need enough rest and recovery time between two consecutive training sessions. However, if you are performing endurance and conditioning, the recovery periods will be fewer.
Do you have more suggestions on how to structure your workout routine? Please share your ideas and opinions in the comments section below.
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Vapes have been around for over a decade now, being supplied by various companies such as VIP. There has been much debate of late about vaping, and where it should be allowed. Currently, many workplaces and businesses treat vaping the same as smoking and thus do not allow it indoors at all.
Given that vaping is said to be far less harmful than tobacco smoke, it is seen as an effective way of helping smokers to quit, and almost as a medical tool for doing so. As such, there have been developments in the political sphere regarding vaping indoors, so here are some of the legal considerations around vaping in the workplace.
Government Policy
The government has recently issued a set of guidelines for employers and organizations regarding vaping in the workplace. In these, they state that vaping should be treated completely differently to smoking, given that it is far less dangerous and could even be beneficial to those trying to quit.
They acknowledge that different workplaces will have different policies in place given that there are different operational risks (between a factory and a school, for example) and that each workplace should put an informed policy in place which is based on the risks posed to the likes of bystanders, staff, and children.
Which Considerations Must Govern Policy?
As such, it is currently legal to smoke in the workplace, so long as the employer allows it in their policy. The onus is now on employers, rather than the law, to decide whether it is safe to vape, but this means that each employer should still make essential considerations before allowing it.
They must, for instance, consider the safety of each employee, and ensure that any smoke emitted from a vape does not hamper this. In a place that requires excellent visibility at all times (a plane cockpit, for instance), allowing vaping would most likely be a bad idea, whereas in a wide-open space like a factory vaping would most likely be harmless.
Customers/Clients
Whilst it may not be a legal consideration as such, companies and organizations should also think about the effect vaping may have on the customers/clients which they deal with on a daily basis, and whether vaping may be harmful to their health or overall experience of the business organization.
It is likely that, if employers allow vaping, it will be in areas in which customers do not go, or in which vape smoke will have minimal impact on their experience. In the highly unlikely event of a customer having an asthma attack, because of vape smoke (for example), it is possible that legal action could be taken against the employer, which would not only damage their profits but also their reputation.
So, although employers should carefully consider the use of vapes in the workplace, attitudes towards vapes themselves are changing, and it is likely that they will be much more widely accepted in the years to come. With laws having been relaxed, it could well be the case that the majority of workplaces will allow vaping in the near future.
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Did you know that every day your body is sending complex chemical messengers called hormones to regulate its systems?
Often times, we think our hormones negatively, but these natural compounds are essential to the health of both men and women.
The most common types of hormones include cortisol, melatonin, progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, adrenaline, and insulin. Without any of these, our bodies wouldn't be able to function properly.
Hormones can impact everything from digestive health to mental health, and they are intimately involved in the reproductive cycle.
As important as they are, dysfunction can easily occur at different points in the production and circulation of hormones. It is vital to understand how to combat these issues in a natural way.
Read on to learn more about the endocrine system's inner workings, as well as natural ways to balance hormones.
How the Endocrine System Works:
The endocrine system is essentially made up of several glands that produce the different types of hormones found in your body.
To name the major ones, these are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands and pancreas. The testes and ovaries are also involved, depending on your sex.
Understanding the basis of this system can help you understand what can go wrong, and how to promote better hormone health.
Firstly, there are key ingredients that are needed to produce hormones. These include fats, proteins, and various nutrients.
As well, toxins can disrupt hormones by either mimicking them or suppressing their production in some form.
All and all, the entire endocrine system works in unison to promote the normal functioning of your body. Even the slightest imbalance can lead to symptoms.
Signs of Hormone Imbalance:
There are a few keys signs of hormone imbalance to be aware of, as both a male and female.
In women, problems around the menstrual cycle are often the most obvious sign of an imbalance.
Infertility, irregular periods, skin issues, and premenstrual syndrome can all signify issues with the endocrine system.
Additional symptoms that can manifest in both sexes include fatigue, anxiety, depression, low libido, insomnia, digestive issues, hair loss, and weight problems.
Natural Ways to Balance Hormones:
With the impact that hormones can have on the body, promoting their balance in your daily routine is essential.
Natural options are much more favorable than synthetic ones such as birth control or other artificial hormone medications.
These do not get to the root of your health issues. They merely cover them up, and symptoms can get worse or more can occur in the meantime.
As an alternative to treatments that do not get to the bottom of your problems, here are eight natural ways to balance hormones.
1. Avoid Endocrine Disruptors:
Endocrine disruptors are abundant in our industrialized world. These are chemicals and compounds that interfere with hormonal processes in the endocrine system.
A few well-known endocrine disruptors include BPA, dioxin, phthalates, and certain pesticides.
The items we use in our homes can often contribute to our overall toxin load, and switching over to healthier alternatives can be greatly beneficial.
Choose non-toxic cleaning products whenever possible, and try to avoid using plastics in the kitchen as much as possible.
As well, our beauty products can also be a potential source of exposure. Use the environmental working groups website to help you pick better products for your hormones.
Lastly, eating organic produce whenever possible will reduce your consumption of pesticide residue.
2. Limit Caffeine:
Caffeine is a big part of most of our lives, and it is difficult to part with. But, in truth, it can have detrimental effects on our hormones.
Highly-caffeinated beverages, namely coffee, can put our bodies into a permanent state of fight-or-flight by stimulating the production of stress hormones.
While this may be beneficial in the short term, it can stress your entire body out in the long-term.
Consider cutting back on your caffeine intake, or swapping it out entirely for drinks with lower levels of caffeine.
3. Eat Healthy Fats:
Many hormones are cholesterol-based, meaning that fat is the basis of their make-up.
Therefore, eating plenty of healthy fats will help your body produce enough of these hormones.
Ensure that you focus on saturated fats and omega-3's especially, as our diets tend to be too high in omega-6's.
4. Sleep is Key:
Sleep is the time when our bodies produce hormones and detoxify harmful substances from our body.
Moreover, sleep can disrupt your mood and your blood sugars levels, both of which can contribute negatively to hormones.
Try to optimize your sleeping environment by making the room as dark as possible and creating a nighttime routine.
5. Exercise Properly:
While exercise is always important, extended periods of exertion can actually have negative consequences.
Therefore, opt for less strenuous workouts such as weight lifting or gentle yoga when you first begin your healing journey.
6. Try Mindfulness:
Stress is often at the root of our hormone problems. In the least, it can make your moods and physical symptoms much worse.
To complicate things, stress is not an easy problem to 'fix'. Often times, it is anything but easy to reduce our stress levels.
One option to try, however, is to implement mindfulness into your approach. It will not only help you become more aware of your body and its struggles but also to how you deal with adversity.
Over time, you can begin to shift your mindset around the stresses of life with mindfulness and develop a better relationship with it altogether.
7. Consider Herbs or Supplements:
Another potential way to heal your endocrine system is with different herbs and supplements.
These are not a quick fix by any means, but they can provide additional support alongside other treatments.
Some good options for supplementation could include red raspberry leaf, evening primrose oil, vitex, maca, fish oil, magnesium, and zinc, depending on your specific imbalance.
8. Try Bio-Identical Hormones:
There are times when no amount of natural treatment through sleep, diet, and exercise help.
In this case, an option could be bio-identical hormone therapy, which involves using chemically identical hormones to heal your imbalance.
BodyLogicMD has an abundance of information on this topic and can help provide you the support you need.
Hormone Health Reflects Overall Health:
All in all, the health of our endocrine system is reflective of our lived environment.
While it can be influenced partly by genetics and other factors out of our control, much of it is impacted by the way we choose to live.
Therefore, by consciously choosing to implement natural ways to balance hormones, we can reap the benefits of our system working in our favor.
For more information about how hormones can impact reproductive health, check out our post of the causes of female and male infertility.
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