Have Fun With Your Weekly Personal Training Sessions
Sometimes it can feel nearly impossible to get yourself in shape, which is why personal trainers are so helpful. Not only do they give you that extra push, but you also get the benefits of their expert knowledge and experience. Even with their guidance, however, your efforts will be in vain if you aren’t following the right diet and fitness regimen for you. To find out exactly how you can improve your fitness routine, WD spoke with top-notch personal trainers for their secrets to getting the most out of your workout and living an overall healthier life.
Set realistic goals and be confident. Before starting your path to a healthier lifestyle, it’s important to be realistic about how much time you have for the results you want, and how you can achieve them. Colleen Faltus, private trainer at The Sports Club/LA in Boston, suggests compiling “a list of both short- and long-term goals. This will keep you motivated to accomplish and surpass them; it will give you focus and add some variety to your workout.” Another trick to staying focused? Be confident! Trainer Bill Trimble, founder of the workout program Extreme Bill Trimble, says, “if you’re not confident and determined you can achieve your goals, you won’t. Make sure you try to stay positive and keep your head up, even on those rough days.”
Get specific about what you want to achieve. Although you may think your trainer will automatically know what you want, that isn’t the case. Trimble says telling your trainer exactly what your goals are is the key to success. A weight-loss plan, for instance, will be different from a plan for someone trying to build muscle. Your trainer will design a routine based on your individual needs and lifestyle, so letting him or her know exactly what you want up front will help you get the most out of the experience.
Have fun! “Working out should be enjoyable. Your personal trainer is there to push you a little bit, but not intimidate,” says Trimble. During your initial consultation, talk with your trainer about activities, your schedule, and exercises you don’t particularly like. This way, he or she can devise a routine you’ll love. Another key factor to having fun is variation. It’s always best to trained with a certified Personal Trainer Tampa to ensure proper form and safety. “Incorporating other elements of fitness besides cardio will increase the likelihood of faster and more efficient weight loss,” explains Faltus. Another plus is you are less likely to become bored if you try new things.
Loading up muscles with heavy weights is about as old-school as it gets. But it’s lasted for a reason: Weight resistance, both a high enough amount and a progressive, consistent increase of it, burns fat and builds muscle. Though that may sound primitive, the science speaks for itself, while Gyrotonic-this or power-vinyasa-that have had to rely on flashier forms of advertising, such as Hollywood devotees, who may, incidentally, be full of it (pardon my French). “Some of these trends in fitness are related to marketing, which is unfortunate,” says William Ebben, PhD, assistant professor of exercise science at Marquette University in Milwaukee. “If you’re interested in toning or getting strength, you need overload: That means resistance training with loads, and loads that are challenging. And you’re not going to get overload very well from Pilates and yoga.”
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