I have been involved in the field of fitness for 40 years, first as a bodybuilding competitor and in recent years as a personal trainer.
In this article I will pass on my observations and tips that will help you lose weight and gain muscle buy avoiding some of the pitfalls that gets people discouraged and to give up their fitness program.
Although there are a number of actions that will hinder progress I will list the top three and the ways to correct them.
Lack of consistency is a very common thing that will put the brakes on any fitness program.
The one thing you have to do is make your fitness program a part of your daily life and routine. Don’t try to adapt a program that is too involved or time consuming. Try to keep your routine basic and fun with constant change to keep you inspired and challenged to improve.
Keep a workout journal and really use it. This is great for feedback and a great way to follow your progress.
It won’t help to have a 2 hour workout that you will follow for a few months and then give because of time constraints .It is better to do a 30 minute 3 times a week than to have a 2 hour routine that you don’t do.
The next thing that hinder you from reaching your goals is the lack of progress in a routine. If we continue to do the same thing are bodies are accustomed to doing. Why should we improve.
This is a common error that many people fall prey to.
If a person is content with their level of fitness, this is a good way to maintain what they have.
On the other hand if you are interested in losing unwanted pounds or gaining muscle, you have to keep your body improving.
The key to gaining muscle is to always safely try to push a little past the point that your body is accustomed to.
This can be done in a couple of different ways such as increasing the exercise poundage, decreasing rest times or changing your hand or foot spacing slightly .You should try to challenge your body slightly on a workout to workout time line to keep improving
One last thing I would like discuss and is often overlooked is lack of proper rest.
Resistance training ,by its very nature is a extremely intense form of training and our body only has a limited amount of reserves to compensate.
If you are following a resistance training program to increase muscle size and strength ,try to allow 48-72 hours of rest before training the same body part again. Don’t fall prey to over training. Keep your routines to 30-45 minutes on a three or four day a week schedule. A good rule of thumb is the following.
If you start your routine and your strength level or endurance level are not there, pack your bag and go home and get the extra rest. Always listen to your body.
In closing I hope some of these tips help you on your quest for a better body and always follow a healthy plan to make it a reality.
p.s. And also, you can use some additional help for your routine – I suggest use protein and testosterone supplements at the beginning of muscle building.