It’s common for people to show determination, drive, and consistent effort but fail to achieve their goals. This is a common scenario. Find a qualified personal trainer who has proven experience.
If you aren’t ready to make that leap, or if it’s more comfortable for you to do it on your own, you can still do it.
We spoke with some of the best personal trainers in America to help us out. These 25 tips and strategies are designed to help you gain strength, lose fat, improve your endurance, and maintain healthy eating habits.
Healthy eating habits are important
Any personal trainer will tell you that healthy eating is essential to your success. You can’t reach your goals if you don’t eat healthy food. A balanced diet should include fruits, vegetables, complex carbs, complete protein, and healthy oils such as flaxseeds and fish oils.
Be prepared
Micah LaCerte is a personal trainer and a world champion in fitness competitions. He recommends that you prepare your meals ahead of time to maximize your chances of reaching your nutritional goals. He says that this will ensure you don’t feel compelled to eat unhealthy food or skip meals. 10 of the best meal-prep recipes.
More clean food
Do you eat only three meals a day? This is a bad idea. Mike Duffy, a veteran personal trainer, says that half of the people he works with don’t lose weight because they don’t eat enough. Duffy recommends to his clients that they eat five times per day, approximately every three hours, in order to increase their metabolism. This includes two small meals between the three main meals. Duffy advises that activity levels decrease throughout the day and that you eat less each day.
Be careful with your portion sizes
Because you’ll eat more frequently, it is important to pay attention to portion sizes. Jay Cardiello, a professional trainer who has trained many celebrities and athletes, says that chicken breasts (and) meats should not be larger than your palm, and pasta should not exceed your fists. He recommends using smaller bowls, plates, and cups because studies have shown that people “serve themselves 20%-40% more food when they use larger plates and cups.”
Eat with purpose
You should get a lot of nutrition from everything you eat. Dan Trink, C.S.C.S.S.A, a strength coach, and trainer, says, “You want to get the most nutritional bang for your buck.” Every food you eat should have a nutritional purpose, fuel your workouts and (be) geared towards optimizing your body.
Learn the basics of building muscle
Ask any personal trainer to share some muscle-building tips. To build muscle, you need to increase your caloric intake and your complete protein intake. Next, pay attention to your form when you go to the gym. Compound movements are recommended and you should train with weights at least four times per week. Rest is essential. When you give your body the time it needs to rest and recover from your workouts, muscle tissue will grow outside of the gym.
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 be able to break down more tissue at the end of your workout.
Do not go too heavy
Are you looking for ways to make the most of lifting weights? Duffy advises, “Use a weight which will cause you to fail on the set between 30 and 40 seconds.” Muscle growth is caused by time under tension “If you fail at 20 seconds, it’s likely that your weight is too heavy.”
Cardiovascular health is important
LaCerte suggests that if you are looking to get big, you should cut back on your cardio. Otherwise, chances are, your body will be burning too many calories. What should you do if cardio is still important to you? LaCerte suggests that a light jog for 20 minutes a few times per week is sufficient. If your goal is to lose fat, you should focus on getting enough protein each day. This usually means one gram per pound of ideal body weight. However, it’s important to keep your caloric intake low.
Make smart choices about supplements
Many trainers and lifters believe supplements can help increase muscle growth. If that’s the case, chances are you already take protein supplements. But what about other supplements? Trink states that creatine is one of the best strength- and bulk-building supplements. Peppermint may be a good option to boost your performance. Cardiello says that peppermint “alters your perception of how hard it is to work out,” making it appear “less strenuous, slower-paced, and easier.”
Training for endurance is possible
You must stay hydrated when you train for endurance. Also, make sure to eat right. This type of training can be very taxing on your body. A good mix of cardio exercise and weight training is recommended. You should also incorporate high-intensity interval training (or HIIT) to increase your aerobic ability. It’s likely that you will sweat buckets and burn calories a lot, so be ready.
Monitor heart rate
This is the best time to use your fitness tracker or heart rate monitor. You can either buy one or learn how to use it yourself if you don’t already own one. Duffy advises that you don’t exercise for a specific time or stop. You need to be intense about it. A fitness tracker can help you gauge how hard your heart beats.
For endurance, exhaust yourself
You must put in a lot of effort to improve your endurance training. Boyce states, “You are going for muscle exhaustion. So remember to exhaust all the muscles.” How do you achieve that? Boyce recommends that you become proficient at the bodyweight staples–pullups and chin-ups as well as pushups and inverted rows. These movements can be done for high repetitions and will improve your muscle condition.
Consider reducing rest time
Although it’s tempting to take a break while training, LaCerte recommends that you “remain with rest times between sets of 30 to 45 seconds to increase your endurance.” For strength training, lift medium to heavy weights, and do 8-15 reps. Mix steady-state cardio and low-intensity running to get the most out of your running.
