25 EXERCISE TIPS AND STRATEGIES OF PROFESSIONALS
Are you tired of working hard at the gym? Not seeing results ?
Don't worry because you are not alone, there are many people who have motivation, determination, and constant effort , but fail to achieve their goals.
To help you, we have researched and talked to many professional Coaches to hear them share their experiences.
See how their 25 training tips and strategies are specifically designed to help you build strength, gain muscle, lose fat, increase endurance and maintain healthy eating habits.
1. Eat Healthy Regularly
Almost every personal trainer says that no matter what your fitness goals are, eating healthy is the key to success .
Food is the source of energy for the body to achieve training goals, and without the proper nutrition from quality foods, your body can stagnate.
Maintain a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates , proteins and good fat like fish oil.
2. Plan Meals
"Preparing your meals gives you the best chance of reaching your nutrition goals," says Micah LaCerte, personal trainer and world champion in bodybuilding.
That way, he says, you won't feel pressured to eat unhealthy foods or skip meals.
3. Eat Lots of Clean Food
Eating only three meals a day? Not a great idea.
"Half of the people I coach don't lose weight because they don't eat enough," says veteran personal trainer Mike Duffy.
Duffy advises her clients to " eat five times a day, about every three hours, to stimulate metabolism " including two small meals between three basic meals.
With activity levels decreasing throughout the day, he recommends “ eating less at the end of the day ”.
4. Control Your Portions
You'll be eating more often, so it's important to pay attention to portion sizes.
“ Make sure the chicken breast and meat are no bigger than the palm of your hand and the pasta is no bigger than your fist ,” says Jay Cardiello, a personal trainer for many celebrities and professional athletes. your hand ".
He also suggests using “ smaller bowls, plates, and cups ” because studies show that people “take 20-40% more food for themselves when they use larger plates.”
5. Eat With Purpose
Everything you eat must have substantial nutritional value .
Dan Trink, a fitness trainer, says: “ Everything you eat must serve some nutritional purpose in your body , fueling your workouts and gearing toward optimizing your body.”
6. Understanding the Basics of Building Muscle
Talk to any Personal Trainer and they'll tell you there are some basics to building muscle.
First, increase your calorie and protein intake so that your body has enough substance for muscle mass.
Then when you walk into the gym, focus on your form. Perform combined movements and exercise with weights about four times a week on average.
Never underestimate the importance of rest . Remember, muscle tissue will also need to relax after every intense workout.
7. Workout with Full Range of Muscle Movement
Lee Boyce said: "Let's aim Largest range of motion that you can achieve in your exercises".
Your muscles will work harder each set, and it will lead to you breaking down more tissue by the end of the workout.
8. Don't Exercise Too Hard
Wondering how to get the most out of lifting weights? “Use a weight that makes it difficult for you to lift for 30-40 seconds.”
Duffy said: " Time is strained cause muscle growth. If you fail at 20 seconds, you know the weight is too heavy."
9. Be Careful When Choosing Cardio
LaCerte says: If your goal is to build muscle, then cut back on cardio.
Because most likely, you will burn more calories than allowed which can also affect muscle gain.
Of course, if you're aiming to burn fat, then focus on getting enough protein each day (usually one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight), while keeping your overall calorie intake. yours is low.
10. Choose Supplements Smartly
Some trainers and practitioners feel supplements can play an important role in promoting muscle gain.
If you follow that theory, chances are, you're taking a protein supplement.
For a performance boost, you may also want to try mints. Cardiello explains that the scent " changes the perception of how hard you're training ," making it seem " less strenuous, slower-paced, and easier to accomplish ."
11. Mentally Prepare For Endurance Training
When it comes to strength training, you'll need to drink enough water and make sure you're eating right .
You should have a good mix of cardio and weight training. And you should combine High-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT .
You will probably sweat a lot and burn a lot of calories, so be prepared.
12. Heart Rate Monitor
If you already own a heart rate monitor or fitness monitor , this is a good time to start using it.
If not, you should buy one or learn how to do it yourself. "Don't just exercise for a certain amount of time and give up," says Duffy. “You need to stick to an intensity of exercise and have a fitness tracker that lets you know exactly how active your heart is.”
13. Complete Muscle Groups Workout
To continue to train for endurance, you need to work all muscle groups. "You're exhausting your muscles," says Boyce, "so remember to give your muscles all the energy they need."
How can you do that? Boyce suggests that you “do good exercises like push-ups, flips, and squats.
If you can master these moves with a high number of repetitions, your muscles will be well conditioned.
14. Consider Reducing Rest Time
We often get frustrated and take a lot of rest when we work out, but LaCerte recommends that you “stick to 30 to 45 seconds of rest between sets , because this will help increase your overall endurance.” ".
If you're building muscle, lift moderate weights and keep your rep range for 8–15 reps before resting.
15. Learn To Fight Fatigue
Fatigue can be your biggest enemy when it comes to endurance training, but there are a few ways to combat it.
First, drink beetroot juice , which is rich in healthy nitrates Improve your cardiovascular function .
"Beets can actually increase endurance by up to 16 percent, and it helps your muscles produce more energy, more efficiently, making workouts less tiring," says Boyce.
Another way to boost your performance is to choose music that you love . According to a study, Boyce said, "When people listen to good music, their blood vessels expand by 26%."
16. Understanding Strength Training Basics
If you want to build strength, you have to set goals and be patient.
When you're starting out, it's important to be consistent and Stick to your plan .
When you're in the gym, don't get distracted. Focus on the task at hand.
When you leave the gym, make sure you get proper rest and track your progress. If you stay determined, your goals can be accomplished.
17. Find Your Motivation
Motivation is key . Some good ways to stay motivated while you're working out: "Look at your dominant hand when you're pushing up."
Cardiello explains – it “ automatically includes a positive reinforcement ” because the dominant hand moves the weight more easily and quickly.
18. Be Careful With Your Body
When it comes to endurance training, you'll be putting your body through very strenuous activities, so it's important to maintain the correct form .
By maintaining the right form, " you're guaranteed to activate the muscle groups you're trying to work, and most importantly, you'll stay healthy and injury-free ".
Trink says: "The person who can stay in the best health can exercise the most, and in the long run, make the most progress."
19. Pay Attention to the Little Things
Have you ever noticed how a bunch of seemingly insignificant things can make a difference?
When you're strength training, you have to " pay attention to the little things, because you're only as strong as your weakest link improves ".
“If you notice a deficiency, address it with your exercise program,” says Boyce.
20. Change When Needed
If you want to progress, sometimes you have to change things. “Make sure your body never adapts to what’s coming,” explains LaCerte.
Once that happens, you may notice a waning of the resulting buffs. To avoid this possibility, “change how much weight you are lifting, the tempo of an exercise, the number of reps/sets, or the time of day you lift”.
21. Understanding the Basics of Fat Loss
Forget about counting calories and start thinking of food as fuel for your body.
Getting six pack abs often requires understanding excess fat and burning fat .
That means you have to understand how much you consume versus how much you burn during your workout.
22. Take Pictures To See The Change
Weekly photo shoot — all front, back, side photos from the same angle, same light, same clothes.
That way, you'll see a change over time, although it may not be so different when looking at it every day.
23. Understanding Carbs
Unless you're making a extreme nutrition plans like the keto diet, carbs are your body's essential source of energy.
That said, you need to be mindful of how you consume those carbs, because eating too many carbs — or eating carbs at the wrong time, can cause your body to store excess energy as fat.
24. Attack Your Bottom To Burn Fat
To flatten your belly, "go below your navel," says Cardiello.
In a Syracuse University study, people burned more calories the day after they did a lower body resistance training exercise than when they worked their upper body, simply because of their legs. have more muscle mass.
25. Drink Enough Water
One factor that is often overlooked and highlighted by Trink is “making sure your digestive tract is healthy, because that’s how you absorb all your nutrients.”
Cardiello recommends drinking “a lot of water in the morning” and “you will naturally boost your metabolism by up to 24% in 90 minutes.”
LaCerte recommends “drinking as much water as your body weight x with 0.04.”
