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Personal Fitness Tips from a Renegade Trainer
Article contributed by Positively Fit Personal Trainer

Being a personal fitness trainer I've seen it all when it comes to people trying to get in shape. With all the information out there where do you start? In this article I've boiled it down to a few of the basics.

It's easy to get stuck in a fitness rut, or worse......get injured. Whether you are a hard-trainer type gym veteran that needs a refresher course or a rookie that needs to learn the basics, this article can help.

How to Get Started

If you have been out of the fitness game for a while for any reason, talk with your doctor first. You hear it and see it everywhere "speak to your physician before beginning any workout program", and the reason you hear it all over the place is because it is true. The last thing you want to do is start a new workout regime, only to get hurt and finish before you even get started. If you have had surgery, been sedentary for any reason, are obese or have any existing conditions, get a full physical and get your doctors approval before hitting the gym.

Record your personal calorie intake. You will be surprised (and possibly disgusted) at how many empty calories you consume. Now that you know what you have been eating, you have the tools to make the changes. Get a personal notebook and keep it handy, and write down each thing you consume, even that can of soda, even that bite of a cookie, no matter what it was, it counts! Even better, record your calories on-line. There are several free programs on different websites that you can use. You can also purchase software to do this on your PC. There are a multitude of websites that can give you the calorie information for certain foods in the case that you can't find the information on the site you are using for recording calorie intake (most sites that have a calorie recording program also have a "dictionary" of foods and their nutritional information). For restaurant foods, first check the website of the restaurant; look for a "nutritional information" page. Email restaurants and ask them to publish their nutritional information. If you screw up and have French toast for breakfast, have some grilled veggies and lean protein for lunch…you control what you eat. Take control.

Start basing your diet on protein. Lean cuts of beef, free range free chicken, Omega-3 fish, paired with low sugar/high fiber fruits vegetables, grains and nuts. You know what is good for you, start eating that way. If you have a dietician or personal trainer, ask for suggestions and guidance. In addition to eating well, eat often! Shoot for 6 smaller meals a day, rather than 3 larger ones. This will keep the fires in your metabolism stoked, keep you burning fat rather than storing it. Create an personal eating plan, and stick to it.

When Training Warm Up

Many a fitness enthusiast and weight trainer has injured themselves because they plain and simply didn't take the time to warm up properly.

No, you don't HAVE to warm up. But you should. There is no good reason that you can't get to they gym 10 minutes early to get your muscles warmed up. Cold muscles are susceptible to tears and strains, and since you have committed yourself to working out, you do not want to start out by injuring yourself, like we have already covered. In addition to the likelihood of injury, you will not perform as well during the actual workout. Your body will be in "warm up mode", not ready for the heavy lifting, intense cardio, etc. You will under-perform or hurt yourself.

A good rule of thumb for warming up for your cardio work out is to do whichever cardio exercise you will be doing for the actual workout at a lighter intensity for about 10 minutes. You should be able to hold regular conversation with out any trouble, and break a light sweat, if any.

Warming up for a weight training session can be accomplished by looking at the circuit you are planning on doing that day, and lift about ¼ to 1/3 of the weight that you will be lifting in the actual workout, with very low reps. For instance, do chest presses with the bar only, for 2-3 reps. Or use 10 pound weights for bicep curls, 2-3 reps. Find a warm up exercise for each muscle group that you will be lifting with that day.

Stretching

Again, you don't HAVE to stretch, but you should. Do your stretching before you get to the gym and after you are done with your workout, don't cut into your actual workout time with pre-workout stretching. The old school way of stretching will do you no good, wither, you have to learn some new tricks. With the old way of stretching, called "static stretching", you would need to hold the stretches for 15-20 minutes to make any long-term progress with your flexibility. Who has time to do each pose for 20 minutes? Not only that, but that type of stretching can open you up to joint and muscle injuries. A better way of getting increased flexibility is to do moves that have a stretch to them, but are done in a repetitive fashion, such as lunges and squats, upward/downward dogs, and "character builders". In addition to this, a great way to add to your good stretches while adding strength training at the same time is to take some yoga classes to combat your weight and cardio training.

Weight Levels

Use a weight that you can manage, while being able to complete all reps and remain in control during the entire circuit. If you are letting the weights slam down at the end, you are not in control. If you are wobbling and shaking during the last half of the reps, you are not in control. You will need to experiment and take notes while starting your workouts and you will get the answers at what weight is correct for you…for now. You will increase your strength over time, and will need to bump up the weight. If you complete all reps and feel as if you could have done 2 or 3x as many, you are at a level that is too light for you. The magic number will change over time, your body will tell you if it is too light or too heavy, pay attention.

Exercise Form

You should always be lifting safely. Many weight trainers and fitness enthusiasts have incurred all kinds of injuries from not properly warming up. If you feel pain, stop, readjust and try again. You are working out to get stronger and healthier, not to get hurt. What may seem to be a minor adjustment in your posture will keep you from hurting yourself? Eventually you will know where your body needs to be, but even gym veterans make position and posture mistakes. Do it right!

Fitness Programs

There are a million ways to tackle your specific goals, and setting a program will help you get there. The most important part of a training program is the consistency, having a program at all is the key. Keeping yourself personally accountable and on track is the most important part of your program, because your workout program will evolve with your changing physique.

Cardio v. Weights

If you want to get in shape, there are no "sides" here. You have to do both to get results. Weight training has benefits for the body that cardio training does not. And vice versa. These go hand in hand. Your cardio workouts will get better and longer if you have weight training under your belt. You will have more stamina and energy for your weight training workouts if you are doing cardio. If you skip one or the other, you are doing yourself a disservice.

Supplements

You should get most of your nutrients from real food. But with your new workout program, your body will need more than you have been giving it in the past, and the most convenient way to do that is to supplement. The world of supplements can be a confusing one, with advertisements and testimonials all over the place. If you have a personal trainer ask them for recommendations that will work for you. Keep in mind that fitness does not come from a bottle or pill. Your diet and training are the best ways to reach your goals, supplements are just helpers.

On Your Way

Constantly educate yourself, and be willing to learn what works for you and what doesn't. Remember, what works for one weight trainer or fitness enthusiast might not work for you. Learn how to exercise correctly, see what works for you and doesn't, and then do what works!

With these fitness tips, you should be well on your way to reaching your own personal fitness goals.

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