Today I thought I would share some secrets from top personal trainers that I have also been applying to my exercise regimes lately.
If you’ve ever worked out with a personal trainer or used any good exercise videos, you’d have heard the personal trainer yell that technique matters – that doing the wrong technique may not only mean you lose less calories but could also cause injury.
According to top fitness experts, you can get a trim and toned body in no time with the right motivation and moves. I’ve put some of them to the test and can confirm that they actually do work. Following their tips on how to achieve a better work out in less time and still burn a lot of calories plus trim and tone the body can really give great results.
Top 7 Tips & Tricks to Getting a Trim & Toned Body Faster
Get Even More Toned Up on the Treadmill
When at the gym, you can save time and burn more calories by heating up your workout on the treadmill. You can achieve a good workout in a 10-minutes cardio/sculpt session by holding a 3-5 pound dumbbell in each of your hands and choosing a brisk walk mode on your threadmill.
As you do so, perform a one-minute set each of shoulder presses, biceps curls, triceps extensions, side laterals, front laterals and standing triceps kickbacks one after another as you walk. Fitness experts suggest we do this at least 2-3 times a week and as we gain more strength, work our way up to doing four-minute sets.
Don’t Just Run, Power It Up
To power up your runs, add wall sits to the end of every run to strengthen your quads, hamstrings and glutes. This is said to improve your speed and endurance.
The way to do this is by leaning against a wall with your feet shoulder-width apart, next, squat until your knees are bent at 45 degrees then try to hold for 30 to 60 seconds. Aim at improving working your way up to doing around 10 sets for best results. And if you feel up to greater challenge you can include heel raises. A heel raise consists of lifting your left heel, then the right, then lift both together twice.
Keep A Record Of Your Progress
As we all know, there’s no better way than to put our plan and progress in writing. To stay highly motivated throughout your fitness plan, consider keeping a track record with a fitness report card or make a note of these subjects: Cardio, Muscle Conditioning, Flexibility and Attitude. Set goals for yourself, and grade yourself A through F at least four times a year. Seeing how much you’ve improved overtime will surely motivate you to determine to stay in good shape.
An All-in-One Toner That Everyone Should Try
David Kirsch, trainer and author of The Ultimate New York Body Plan (McGraw-Hill, 2004) said that by doing just a side-step squat with wood chop can work your arms, torso, abs, back, legs, inner thighs and bottom.
To do the side-step squat with wood chop, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding a three- to four-pound medicine ball in your hands. Then bend your arms up so that the ball is at eye level over your right shoulder… ”As you bring the ball toward your left knee, step out with your left leg and bend it no further than 90 degrees, keeping your right leg straight. Return to the starting position…” He advised that a 10 to 15 rep on each leg will help you achieve great results.
Don’t Let Your Workdays Be An Excuse To bail Out Of A Good Workout
How many times have we all made excuses that we can’t find time to exercise because we’re too busy with work and too tired by the end of the day to think about doing a workout. We’ve all been there. But personal trainer Gregory Florez, personal trainer and CEO of Salt Lake City based FitAdvisor.com said that by sitting on stability ball you can strengthen your core, and keep dumbbells or exercise tubing at your desk. Try to do 12 to 15 reps of exercises like dumbbell curls, overhead presses and ab crunches, and aim to do about two or three sets of each.
Don’t Avoid Carbs Totally
I like to put it this way, the bad carbs give the good carbs a bad name. The fitness experts advise us not to cut out the carbs entirely, our bodies need them to fuel our workouts. Each a fruit or high-fiber crackers or even oatmeal an hour beforehand. And if you’re working out for 90 minutes or more, make some protein is required too, so that the carbs break down more slowly, giving you longer-lasting energy.
Don’t Give Yourself s Hard Time, Take A Break
Fitness experts tell us to follow the 80/20 plan. This simply means that eighty percent of the year, you’ll exercise regularly and eat well and allow yourself a 20 percent slip due to holidays, social engagements and other things. When you understand that you’re not looking for perfection but balance, you’ll find that staying healthy and in good shape is easier and will be more likely to stick with it in the long term.
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