Tricks Of The Trade From The Fitness Professional

Here are 15 tips to remember when weight training.

1. If you aren’t pushing yourself then you won’t change.
2. While lifting weights, repetitions should be slow and controlled. Fast repetitions are all wrong and don’t allow your body to work with the resistance for maximum benefit.
3. Focus on your form. Breaking your form means that you are no longer targeting the muscle groups.  This also leads to strained muscles and injury.  Take the time, and do the exercise right.
4. Socializing during your workouts for long periods of time breaks your focus. The gym is for working out, leave the socializing at the door and the cell phone in your locker.
5. Don’t forget your water.  You should be consuming at least 1-2  24 oz bottles of water during your exercise.
6. Don’t hold your breath! Holding your breath cuts off the oxygen supply to your muscle, which means you can’t do as many repetitions of the exercise.
7. Focus on the muscle you are working.  This allows the brain to reconnect to the muscle which allows for better muscle definition.
8. Timing is everything.  Holding the contraction for 1-2 seconds can mean big results for fat loss and muscle definition.
9. If you don’t use it you lose it! This means skipping routines and avoiding certain muscles (such as legs for men) can lead to muscle loss.
10. Don’t slack on your rest period.  Watch the clock and time your rest period.  For fat loss the rest period should not exceed 30 seconds.  For muscle gain try to keep it to 45 seconds – 1 minute.
11. Instability is the best policy. Do routines on a stability ball, discs, or bosu ball to rev up you fat burning furnace.
12. Mix up your routine.  Don’t always stick to one type of exercise whether it be weights, cables, or machines.  Mixing up your routine on a weekly basis means continuous results on the scale and in the mirror.
13. You Are what you eat! If you think you can go to the gym and burn off everything you ate, fat, carbs and all, then think again!  Most gym goers overestimate how many calories they are burning.  Your body is not a miracle worker, it is a fine tuned machine.  Putting excess, fat, alcohol, and preservatives in it is like never changing the oil in your car.  Eat clean food with small doses of fat, moderate carbs, and a healthy portion of protein.
14. Don’t Forget Your Supplements.  Foods today are so over processes that NO ONE gets their recommended daily dose of vitamins.  Take your multi vitamin and any other necessary supplements such as protein if you are lacking it in your diet.
15. Stay Consistent.  You can’t expect to get results if you don’t put in the time and effort.  Set specific times and days that you are going to work out and don’t break your routine.

Adria Ali