The Best Personal Training Advice You’re Not Taking

A fitness journey can be long and tedious. Often people give up before reaching their fitness goals. This could be because of many reasons, but top in the list is the downright refusal to follow the many tips and advice laid out by expert personal trainers in the field. 

And so to jog your memory, here are nine pieces of advice to help you make your 2021 fitness goals a success. 

Consistency Trumps 

Often you’ll find yourself giving excuses when it’s workout time. A little shift in the weather, a few minutes late in the office, or an impromptu meet up with a friend could all be the reason for skipping a workout session. British researchers found out that missing a training session once increases the chances of missing another session by 61%.

And so, before you come up with a million more excuses, how many times have you heard about consistency in fitness? I bet many times.

Consistency allows you to hit your goals. It helps you create a fitness habit that will serve you throughout your lifetime. Make it a habit to do your workout even when you are short of time. You don’t have to always go to the gym. You can decide to take the stairs and sweat to your apartment or from the office. This is better than nothing.

So, every time you think of missing an exercise session, remember you are doing your body a disservice. 

Set Fitness Goals

Staying consistent is great. However, if you don’t know what you are working towards, you might lose the motivation to keep pushing. A successful fitness program starts with setting fitness goals. 

Are you hoping to tone your arms? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to lose tummy fat? Are you hoping to gain muscles or you want to recover from a knee injury? Find your why and work towards it. 

As you set your goals, remember they must be SMART; Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. The key is starting small, then progressing gradually to the next level. Also, ensure you start at a low intensity and advance with time.

Learn to Walk Before you Sprint

As a fitness enthusiast, the desire to dive deep into your training is usually overwhelming, especially when you start seeing progress. That’s the spirit! However, you must learn to walk before you run. According to the American council on exercise, becoming a personal trainer starts with signing up for a personal trainer course. It’s the same logic. 

Do not let the excitement overtake you. Before you jump into advanced exercises, master the beginners’ exercises first. From there, you can get into the complicated workouts after you’ve performed the regressions flawlessly. Otherwise, you might join the disabled list in your journey to physical fitness. 

Make Fitness a Habit

January is the month when we are all pumped up with new year’s resolutions. You’ll find yourself so determined to live a healthy lifestyle only for those dreams to die before Valentines in February. 

Many of us treat fitness like a vacation. We do it once in a while and then spend the rest of the year planning. Contrary to this common practice, fitness should be part of our daily life. Summer shouldn’t be the trigger factor. 

When you begin your fitness journey, you’ll find it difficult to show up every day without fail. Eating healthy will sometimes feel like punishment. The workout will be more of a chore. And if you are not careful, you’ll barely hit the 21 days of forming a habit. However, with hard work, you will reach your goals.

Strength Comes First

The first goal in your exercises should be to increase your strength. With strength, you can work out longer, lift heavier weights, and increase your endurance. But how often do you focus on strength training? 

Take a holistic approach and make your workout sessions count. A personal trainer can guide you. This way, you’ll have a customized program that works for you. 

What You Are Doing Today Prepares You for Tomorrow

They say your today determines your tomorrow. This adage is true even in fitness. Instead of going hard one-day and missing sessions for weeks, how about taking it at a reasonable pace every day?

Plan out your exercises with precision. Be productive at the gym. Exercises like deadlifts, lunges, or squats can sometimes be boring, but they are the building blocks to more cool exercises. 

The more you do them, the more you’ll get better and advance your training. This is the foundation for a faster, better, and stronger session tomorrow.

Target All Muscles in Your Exercises

Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the best training focuses on all your muscles. With your SMART goals, come up with a watertight strategy that will help you have a comprehensive workout session throughout the week. Include a variety of workouts that work every muscle. 

Healthy Diet is the Backbone of Fitness

A healthy diet is at the core of fitness. Your workout sessions will be in vain if you don’t incorporate a healthy meal plan. So, take what you eat seriously. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but it must be healthy. This means you’ll do away with junk food and mostly focus on homemade dishes.

The best way to get started is to settle for a meal plan that works for you. Ensure you include the healthy versions of the foods you enjoy eating. Otherwise, you risk quitting that diet no sooner than you start. 

Ensure you shop in advance so that you are not tempted to order pizza. Also, have a meal plan laid out as the week starts to make the process efficient and easy.

You Don’t Have to Do Alone

Finally, you don’t have to take the fitness journey alone. Get the help of a personal trainer, join a group exercise session, or find an accountability partner. Having these people around you will help you stay motivated and committed. 

And there you have it, the best personal trainer advice you can get this year. These nine pieces of advice will help you stay persistent in your fitness journey and get the most out of every session. 

I hope you’ll bookmark this page and refer to it when the going gets tough. Hopefully, your fitness goals will be a huge success this year.