Are you tired of working hard at the gym without seeing any results? These fitness tips are from some of the best personal trainers in the country.
You are tired of working hard at the gym without seeing any results.
Many people have the same drive, determination, and consistency but fail to reach their goals. If this sounds like you, your next step should be hiring a personal trainer with experience.
You can also go it alone if that’s what you prefer.
We spoke with some of the best personal trainers in the country to help you. You can learn 25 fitness strategies and tips to help you build strength, increase muscle mass, burn fat, improve your endurance, and maintain healthy eating practices.
Eat healthily
Healthy eating is essential for any fitness goal. You’ll likely achieve your goals with proper nutrition from quality food. Maintain a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, complex carbs, proteins complete, and healthy fats such as flaxseeds and fish oils.
Prepare in advance
Micah LaCerte is a world champion in fitness competitions and a personal trainer. He says that preparing meals ahead of time will give you the best chance to achieve your nutrition goals. He says you will not feel pressured into eating unhealthy or skipping meals. Here are 10 of our favorite easy meal-prep recipes.
Clean up your diet
Eat only three meals a day? It could be a better idea. Mike Duffy, a personal trainer with over 30 years of experience, says that half the people he works with don’t lose weight because they need to eat more. Duffy recommends that his clients “eat five meals a day approximately every three hours to stimulate metabolism,” including two mini-meals between the three main meals. He advises that as activity levels decrease throughout the day, “eat less.”
Portion control
Paying attention to the portions will be vital because you’ll eat more. Jay Cardiello is a celebrity and professional athlete, and personal trainer. He says that meats and chicken breasts should not be larger than the palm of your hand, and pasta shouldn’t be more significant than fist-sized. Cardiello also recommends using “smaller plates, bowls, and cups” because studies have shown that people “serve 20-40% more when using larger plates.”
Enjoy your food with a purpose
All food you eat should be of high nutritional value. Dan Trink, C.S.C.S., a strength trainer and coach, says you want to get the best nutritional value for your money. “Everything that you eat must serve a nutritional purpose for your body. It should fuel your workouts and be geared towards optimizing your body.”
Understanding the basics of muscle building
Any personal trainer will tell you that there are some basic principles to building muscle. Increase your intake of complete proteins and calories to ensure your body has the building blocks to grow. When you are in the gym, concentrate on your form. Do compound movement and weight training around four times per week. Pay attention to the value of rest. You can grow muscle outside the gym if you give your body enough time to recover and relax after workouts.
Use your entire range of motion
Do not take shortcuts. Lee Boyce, C.P.T. says: “Aim to achieve the greatest range of motion in your exercises.” Your muscles will work harder per rep, and you will break down more tissue at the end of your workout.
Avoid going too heavy
Want to make the most of your weightlifting? Duffy advises using a weight that will cause you to fail the set between 30 and 40 seconds. Time Under Tension Causes Muscle Growth If you can’t do it for 20 seconds, the weight is too heavy.
Consider your cardiology options carefully
LaCerte says you should reduce your cardio if you want to get big. You’ll burn too many calories. What should you do to still get some cardio in? LaCerte recommends jogging for 20 minutes a few times a week.
Select supplements with care
Some trainers believe supplements are a vital part of gaining muscle. You probably already take protein supplements if you believe in this theory. But what else can you do? Trink says that creatine is “the most effective supplement for building strength and size.” Peppermint can also be used to boost performance. Cardiello says that the scent can “alter the perception of the intensity” when working out, making it appear “less strenuous and slower-paced.”
Prepare yourself for endurance exercise
You’ll want to stay hydrated when you train for endurance. Also, make sure to eat well because this type of training is demanding. A good mixture of weight and cardio training is recommended. To increase your aerobic capacity, you can also incorporate high-intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.). Be prepared to sweat buckets and burn calories in abundance.
Heart rate monitor
It’s a great time to use your fitness tracker or heart rate monitor if you have one. You can either buy one or learn to make it yourself if you don’t have one. Duffy advises that you should not exercise for only a certain amount of time before stopping. You must be intense; a fitness monitor can show you how hard your heart works.
Exhaust for endurance
You must put your best effort forward to improve your endurance training. Boyce advises, “You want to exhaust your muscles, so ensure you exhaust them fully.” How do you achieve this? Boyce recommends that you “get good at the staples — pull-ups (and) chin-ups. You will condition your muscles if you master these movements with high repetitions.
Consider reducing rest time
LaCerte says that it’s tempting to take breaks during training. However, he recommends “sticking with rest periods of 30 to 45 seconds between sets because this will increase your endurance.” Strength training involves lifting moderate to heavy weights and keeping your rep range between eight and fifteen. “If you are running, combine low-intensity steady-state cardio and sprinting.”
How to combat fatigue
There are ways to fight fatigue when you’re doing endurance training. Drink beet juice to improve your cardiovascular function. Boyce says that beets increase endurance by as much as 16% and help your muscles to produce energy more efficiently. This makes exercise easier. You can also boost your performance by selecting the right music. Boyce says a study found that when people listen to music they like, their blood vessels expand by 26%.