Top 10 Exercise Tips

Being a personal trainer exercise is one of the most important parts of my life. I experience the massive benefits of an active lifestyle which is the reason why I turned it into a career so others can experience the same benefits as me. Every so often people fall out of their exercise routine or maybe just need that little kick to start exercising regularly again!

This week’s short and hopefully valuable post will give you ten TOP exercise tips for those of you who want to start going again or just need a bit of new advice:

Goal Setting: I believe goal setting to be one of the most important factors in adhering to an exercise program or not. Failing to set goals or setting unrealistic goals will have a negative effect. You need to set a goal which is achievable as well as challenging, use this as your motivation to work hard. You should write your goals down and put a time frame on it, if your goal is to lose 1stone but haven’t put a time on it you could easily take a couple of weeks off and say ‘I’ll just start in two weeks’.

Avoid the Terrible Toos: Many exercisers especially beginners who are desperate to get exercising as soon as possible when their motivation is greatest will suffer from the terrible toos. Too much, too fast and too soon make up these terrible toos. If you fail to build up your base fitness then going full pelt into training will probably only lead to one thing, injury. We’ve all heard of no pain no gain, this can be true to some extent but you should only be pushing your body to the limits when your body is equipped to do so. Take it slow build it up and you’ll be fine.

Listen to your body and when you are beginning an exercise program r just getting back into the swing of things allow enough time for your body to recover and gradually build it up as your body gets stronger.

Go for Quality not Quantity: I see many people in the gym who will lift heavy weights without actually being able to lift heavy weights, since when did we bicep curl with our back? It is important not to sacrifice the technique which works the muscle more effectively for extra weight or reps. If you find yourself struggling then just drop the weight (not actually drop it, use a smaller weight) to something more comfortable so you can finish the set.

Women Don’t be Scared of Weights: I know that the back room in the gym can be quite daunting with us men working out but it really is okay. Just start off by using the fixed machines then if comfortable move onto free weight training. Weight training for women will strengthen and tone muscle, burn fat and increase metabolism, not build mass. The good thing is to ease your worries is that women do not produce enough testosterone to enable you to build muscle mass the way that men do.

Test Yourself: If you find that you have a strong upper body, don’t just stick to this and ignore your weaker lower body. You should make that extra effort to train your lower body to attempt to achieve an all round balance.

Enjoy it: If you seriously hate going to the gym, don’t go. Find something you do like. There are literally 100s of ways to exercise you just need to find the one you enjoy and that you can stick to. There are so many classes you can find around your local area to help you exercise or you can just go it alone, everyone is different.

Plan Effectively: If you come up with a plan on paper of exactly when you are going to exercise in the week you are much more likely to do it. Mark it down on your calendar as if it is a dentist appointment and go! We are all seriously busy but it is important to find the time for something which is proven to help us greatly.

Don’t use the Excuse ‘Too Tired’: Exercise is proven to give you energy! After a hard session you will feel great, yes it will take it out of you physically but it can also give you a psychological feel good boost which can last the day. Also a great stress reliever on those tough days.

Buddy Up: It may not be for some people but I would say most people like to exercise together. It brings a social aspect to exercise which will make you look forward to it even more. Plus you are much more likely to stick to exercising when you know someone is relying on you to do so. Get yourself signed up for classes, or meet a few people and go for a run, you can really do anything.

Don’t Let Yourself Go Stale: Sadly many people can do this. They exercise up to a certain level until it becomes easy, this is the time for change. Some people don’t make that change and they just stick to the same often boring routine and stop improving. Don’t get stuck in a rut and constantly re-evaluate your exercise program and mix it up! Variety is the spice of life.

Maybe a bit longer than I planned, sorry guys. I really do hope this helps though and will give you something a bit extra to think about.

Thanks for reading.