Healthy Workout Tips
Sep 03, 2007 in Personal Training
Not sure where to start with your workout? Well that is one of the reasons I always suggest a few personal training sessions to anyone who is new to working out. If money is no object or you can afford the investment, then it makes the most sense to buy 6 weeks worth. Whether you come one, two or three times a week is up to you but 6 weeks is a good target for working out to become a fixed habit.
If you are not lucky enough to have unlimited resources, then go for 10 sessions and split them up over a 5-6 week period. This will be enough sessions for you to get working out as a habit as well as enough for you to learn the correct, safe way to lift weights and to get a firm grasp on the most effective ways to work out.
Do you like classes? Well good, then do those too. Fitness classes are NO SUBSTITUTE for weight training. They are plain and simple just aerobics classes so use them for cardio.
Since I have brought up cardio, do your cardio BEFORE your personal training session so you are warmed up and you do not waste a single second of time that you have your trainer.
Now how much cardio is a personal thing. As a general rule, I usually say 30-45 minutes and at least 3 times a week. For weight loss, I usually say 5-6 days a week. The reason for that is that most people respond better to working out every day and it becomes a firm habit when you just add it to your daily routine. It is too easy to say you will do it tomorrow.
Now with any “general” guideline, I caution you. Each person is an individual and needs to have a unique program designed for them to get the best results. That is one of the reasons I view fitness classes as simply a form of cardio. How can something made for anyone be the ideal thing for you? Well quite obviously it cannot. So if you do classes and you feel like something is “wrong” then it is so stop doing that. A personal training program lays out a unique custom workout built to your needs and your wishes as well as your limitations.
Check back often for more tips!! Until then, I will see you at the gym or out on the road here in Douglasville as I train for the Atlanta Marathon.