Are you tired of putting in the effort at the gym and not seeing results?
You’re not alone—many people show drive, determination, and consistent effort, but don’t reach their goals. If this sounds familiar, the next logical step is usually to find an educated personal trainer with proven experience.
But if you’re not ready to take that step—or if you’d prefer to go it alone—then you can do that, too.
To help you out, we spoke to some of the nation’s finest personal trainers. Check out their 10 insightful fitness tips and strategies specifically designed to help you build strength, gain muscle mass, lose fat, enhance your endurance, and maintain healthy eating habits.
Table of Contents.
-
Choose supplements intelligently.
-
Carefully consider cardio.
-
Don’t go too heavy.
-
Work your full range of motion.
-
Understand the basics of building muscle.
-
Eat with purpose.
-
Control your portion sizes.
-
Eat more clean food.
-
Prepare ahead.
-
Make sure you're eating healthy.
-
End.
Choose supplements intelligently.
Some trainers and lifters feel supplements can play a key role in boosting muscle gains. If you subscribe to that theory, then chances are, you’re already taking protein supplements—but what else? Creatine, for one, “seems to be about the most effective strength- and size-building supplement,” Trink says. To boost your performance, you may also want to try peppermint. Cardiello explains that the scent “alters the perception of how hard you’re working out,” making it seem “less strenuous, slower-paced, and easier to complete.”
Carefully consider cardio.
If getting huge is your goal, then throttle back on your cardio workouts, says LaCerte—chances are, you’ll be burning far too many calories. So what should you do if you still want to get in some cardio? LaCerte says “a light jog a few days per week for 20 minutes is adequate.” If you’re aiming to burn fat, of course, then focus on getting enough protein every day (usually one gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight), while still keeping your overall caloric intake low.
Don’t go too heavy.
Wondering how to get the most out of lifting weights? “Use a weight that will have you failing on the set between the 30- and 40-second mark,” Duffy says. Time under tension causes the muscle to grow. “If you’re failing at 20 seconds, you know that weight was too heavy.”
Work your full range of motion.
Don’t take any shortcuts. “Aim for the largest range of motion you can achieve in your exercises,” says Lee Boyce, CPT. “Your muscles will do more work per rep, and it will result in your breaking down more tissue by the end of the workout.”
Understand the basics of building muscle.
Talk to any personal trainer and they’ll tell you there are certain muscle-building basics. First, increase your caloric and complete protein intake, so your body has enough building blocks to get bigger. Then, when you enter the gym, focus on your form. Perform compound movements and train with weights on average around four times a week. Never underestimate the importance of rest. Remember, muscle tissue grows outside of the gym when you’re giving your body time to relax and recover following your workouts.
Eat with purpose.
Everything you consume should have substantial nutritional value. “You want the most nutritional bang for your buck,” says Dan Trink, CSCS, a strength coach and trainer. “Everything you eat should serve some sort of nutritional purpose in your body, fuel your workouts, and (be) geared toward optimizing your body.”
Control your portion sizes.
You’ll be eating more often, so paying attention to portions is extremely important. “Make sure chicken breasts, (and) meats, are no larger than your palm, and that pasta is no larger than your fists,” says Jay Cardiello, a personal trainer to countless celebrities and professional athletes. He also suggests using “smaller bowls, plates, and cups” because studies show people “serve themselves 20-40% more food when they’re using larger plates.” Here’s how to estimate portion sizes.
Eat more clean food.
Eating only three daily meals? Not a great idea. “Half the people I deal with aren’t losing weight because they don’t eat enough,” says veteran personal trainer Mike Duffy. Duffy advises his clients “to eat five times a day, about every three hours, to stimulate their metabolism” including two mini-meals between three basic meals. With activity levels decreasing throughout the day, he advises to “eat less as the day goes on.”
Prepare ahead.
Preparing meals in advance gives you the best chance to accomplish your nutrition goals, says Micah LaCerte, a personal trainer and fitness competition world champion. That way, he says, you won’t feel pressured to eat unhealthy foods or skip meals.
Make sure you're eating healthy.
Ask almost any personal trainer and they’ll tell you that regardless of your training goals, healthy eating is the backbone. Food is what fuels your body to reach your goals, and without proper nutrition through quality foods, you’re likely to stall. Maintain a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, complete proteins, and healthy fats like fish oils and flaxseeds.
End.
There are plenty of things to be noted before starting your fitness journey to reach your dream physique.
Make sure you learn and understand well about the process and stick to it without fail. Have a positive mind toward your goal as it’s said that a positive body comes from a positive mind.
Information about health and Fitness is easily available across the internet from many different sources which can be referred to and put to use; It can help you gain knowledge before you go for it. Make sure you choose the right resources and you are guided towards your goal without a shortcut.
Avoid anything that can bring harm to your body and health, like anabolic steroids, and go for healthy replacements like a good diet with a good workout plan based on your body type and your goals.
Let’s hope our generation and future generation become aware of the importance of fitness and health and make this world a healthy home.
You must be logged in to post a comment.