Many bodybuilders love to brag about the time they spend in the gym. They are happy to talk about their marathon 2 hour workouts where they hit every body part known to man and saw just about every club member come through the door. The fact is, these long workouts are often much less productive than short, intense ones are.

Your best bet is to get in and out of the gym as quickly as possible while still having completed a strenuous muscle building workout. Below are some tips to help you make your workout much shorter BUT more effective.

1. Quit the Chit Chat-Hey, everyone loves to talk about their favorite TV show they saw last night, but gabbing about it while standing in front of the leg press machine doesn’t do ANYBODY any good. If you want to talk, call or email your buddy…the gym should be about exercise and that’s it. Saying hello and goodbye is fine, but 15 minutes of talking is a waste.

2. Plan your workout before you get to the gym-When you get to the gym is NOT the time to start planning your workout. Decide which bodyparts you are going to work BEFORE you get to the gym and your workout will go much more quickly and be more effective as well. Grab a notebook and start splitting up your week with your different workouts as well as the required rest days in between. This can knock off as much as 10 minutes off your time in the gym.

3. Shorten your rest between sets-If you are truly BODYBUILDING, the less rest between sets the better. You don’t need to do a set, then rest for 5 minutes. So many gym goers rest a ridiculous amount of time between sets that it is like their bodies get fully recovered for the next set. You need to tax your muscles and keep working them at full intensity CONSISTENTLY. In addition, DO NOT SIT AT THE EQUIPMENT THAT YOU ARE WORKING ON BETWEEN SETS! People take up residence on pieces of equipment as if they are moving in. Other people should be allowed to work in sets while you are resting.

4. Don’t go during peak hours-It makes common sense that if there are tons of people in the gym when you usually go, you will be waiting for equipment and your workout will be longer as a result. It may take some scheduling, but try to work on scheduling your workouts so that you hit the gym when it is not busy. The alone time will be good for your focus and allow you to move from exercise to exercise unfettered and greatly cut down on the time you are in the gym.

Remember, bodybuilding and spending time at the gym should be about results, NOT socializing with friends. Get in, get out, and get your work done to get the bodybuilding muscle building results you are after.