Why you SHOULD hire a personal trainer

by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Fitness

Why you SHOULD hire a personal trainer

Hiring a personal coach comes with a lot of benefits, and the truth is, you should definitely consider hiring one!

It doesn’t matter if you are an absolute beginner or preparing for a bodybuilding or powerlifting competition.

Having a coach means you will have a person who supports you in the most challenging moments of your training career.

Sure, having your loved ones nearby might be helpful, but if they are not into the sport, the chance they know what’s going on in your head is minimal.

That’s why having a person who has gone through all of this might be helpful.

In today’s article, you will learn why it is crucial to hire a personal coach.

Hiring a personal trainer as a beginner

Remember the first time you entered the gym.

How did you feel? Were you nervous?

Did you have someone with you?

You’ve probably gone with a friend who was more experienced than you.

He showed you some of the basic movements, and he directed you throughout your training.

Now, imagine that from the first day at the local gym, you had a coach.

The coach was a professional who took you from the door, explained the workout, and guided you through the session.

In fact, he was there for each one of those sessions.

He showed you the proper execution of the exercises, which is one of the essential things when entering the gym for the first time.

He created a plan for you and taught you how to stick to it and be as effective as possible to achieve your goals.

If you haven’t hired him and trained with your friend instead, you might still have gotten the same results.

However, if you don’t pay, you don’t pay attention and may easily lose focus from the task at hand.

Paying for a personal coach makes you more dedicated to succeeding because you’ve put some of your hard-earned money into this.

From our experience, people who favor personal trainers progress faster than others who train alone or with friends.

Hiring a personal trainer as an advanced lifter

You may ask yourself – “Why would I need a coach when I already know what I’m doing?”

Think for a moment for every professional athlete out there.

They have been training all their lives.

Do you think they don’t know how to train efficiently?

If you have decided to prepare for a powerlifting or bodybuilding competition having a personal trainer with you might be one of the best investments in the world.

When you are prepping for the stage, you are not only physically tired but also mentally.

If you have a person who takes care of your fitness plan and diet, then it is just one burden less on your shoulders.

Moreover, having a person who has been through all of this might play a role in your ranking.

Perhaps, he can make some change in your posing, play with the food in the final hours to minimize water retention, or just be there with you for moral support (which btw can also reduce water retention).

All of this would make a difference for you if you didn’t hire a coach.

Hiring a personal trainer out of boredom

“Boredom?” You’ve read that right.

Many busy individuals are tired of the same routine every workout.

A lot of these people quit because they just get bored.

A personal trainer will help mix up the training a bit. He can add some Tabata workouts, training outside, or even make you try new equipment.

He can get you out of the weight loss plateau with a combination of those mentioned above.

Getting through a plateau will motivate you even more to chase that dream physique of yours.

While some of us can stick to a program that works and has proven to bring results, some people seek variety.

Experimenting with different workouts every session might be the key to leveling up their performance in the gym after a long day at work.

Takeaway message

A personal coach can lead you throughout your training and shorten the path to your dream physique while teaching you the proper execution of every movement and healthy eating habits.

If you are competing, he can also be your biggest support during your preparation and the final and most vital hours before the stage.

A personal trainer can also switch up your boring routine and make you excited about your next session.

So, what are you waiting for? Reach out to a local professional!

Reasons for not losing weight

by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Fitness

Reasons why you are not losing weight

Let’s imagine this hypothetical scenario.

• You’ve just started a diet, but after two weeks, you no longer see any results… You have even started going to the gym.
• You’ve started wondering what it might be that you are doing wrong.
• You’ve been limiting yourself from certain foods and want to see some progress.
• Now you feel desperate and want to quit.
• Before that, you want to make a final check on the internet and find an answer to your “failure.”
• Lucky you, we might have it for you.
• Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes that you might be making that prevent you from losing weight:

Reasons for not losing weight

1. Overeating

• The most common reason for the scale to stay at the same place or even go up might be that you are overeating.
• “But I’ve been on a diet the last two weeks; that’s impossible.”
• This is a common trap that new beginners fall for.
• Even though you started eating “healthier,” it doesn’t mean that you will lose weight.
• The primary condition to lose weight is for you to be in a calorie deficit.
• What this means is that you have to burn MORE calories than you consume.
• Sure, you may have started making healthier food choices, but are you sure you are eating the right amount?
• If the answer is no, you might be consuming more calories than you burn, which means you are NOT GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT.

1. Drinking too much 

•  is not only famous for its delicate taste and scent. actually has hidden calories… Which are quite a lot, and EMPTY!
• You’ve read that right. One gram of ethanol has seven calories.
• Now, if you do the equation, if you drink two beers for the night, that’s around 450 calories extra for the day.
• 450 calories, out of which ZERO go towards constructive processes like the calories you get from other foods.

Need we say more?

1. High Stress

• Being overburdened by work, chores, meeting deadlines has a price.
• When your cortisol levels rise, you might experience difficulties in doing specific tasks such as focusing.
• What do you think happens with your body when it’s being put into an enormous amount of stress?
• Even if you are training and following a proper diet, your performance will suffer if you have a high amount of stress.
• You won’t lose any weight, and you may experience other problems such as headaches, tiredness, lack of concentration, muscle cramps.
• Most importantly, high levels of stress may lead to emotional eating which gets you even further from your weight loss goals.
• Fix your mind before you take care of your body!

1. Decreased Physical Activity

• Not enough physical activity can slow down the process of losing weight.
• In fact, it might even stop the whole process.
• Even if you are already hitting the gym a couple of times a week, your physical activity might still not be sufficient for your goals.
• If you are the type of person that goes by car to the office, then to the gym, and comes back home, then guess what, you lack physical activity!
• When was the last time you checked how many steps have you made during the day?
• If you are not even close to 8-10k, then you have something to work on!

Some valuable tips for making more steps:

• Park as far from the supermarket as possible
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Take a quick 10-minute walk after a meal
• Walk to the office if possible
• Implement some cardio in your program

1. Not Giving Your Program Enough Time

• Sometimes, getting obsessed with the scale might have the opposite effect.
• It’s an excellent thing to scale yourself every day; however, some people feel bad if they see the scale has gone up.
• Most of the time, that’s water retention. So, for example, that can happen if you’ve consumed more salt or carbs on the previous day.
• However, after seeing that, you may panic, and the chance you start binging on food because “everything is lost” is high.
• Give yourself enough time and strictly follow the plan that your coach has created for you.
• You will only see the benefit if you are dedicated enough.
• Don’t give up that easily, and don’t let a scale scare you from achieving your goals.

Takeaway message

• The most important factor for losing weight is for you to be in a calories deficit.
• Being put under pressure raises our stress levels, which may slow down the process of losing weight.
• Being physically active is vital for maintaining overall health and losing weight.
• Be patient, find something sustainable that feels seamless, and the results won’t be late!
• Don’t create mental resistance on your way to a better body composition.

New year resolutions for fitness

by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Fitness

New year resolutions for fitness

Hey, how are those fitness resolutions going?

It’s been quite some time since January 1st, and I’m sure that you’re feeling great about the new year and the opportunities it brought.

But how many of us have actually stuck to our fitness goals for more than a week or two?

How many managed to maximize our physical development results?

If the answer is “not me,” then this blog post is for you.

The new year is right around the corner so if you want to optimize your progress and smash your new year’s resolutions way before the new year even started, keep reading this as we give you our best tips to get you through to your goals.

#1 Plan Ahead

If you think about it, fitness is quite predictable, especially if you have a specific, well-thought-out plan of action.

So before you rush into doing the things you have to do to improve physically and mentally, you have to, well, know what you’re doing!

Think about the end results you want to achieve in the upcoming year and build your plan accordingly.

This would entail careful optimization of physical activity and nutrition so if you are a newbie in this regard, your best bet is to hire a professional trainer/coach/nutritionist, who can help you figure out what’s best for YOU.

#2 Find Quality Food Sources

In the fitness world, it’s all about quality over quantity so if you plan on achieving a great physique and fitness goals in the next year, your nutrition should be of top priority.

You have to know what foods are going to help you get there faster while minimizing any negative effects or sacrifices along the way.

There is a lot of theory regarding healthy nutrition, but if we had to get it down to a couple of bullet points, here’s how it would look like:

1. Derive sufficient essential nutrients (Proteins & fats) from quality sources (foods from well-raised animals)
2. Avoid processed foods, focus on whole foods
3. Drink plenty of water
4. Eat sequentially (first carbs & veggies, then proteins and fats)

#3 Get A Training Buddy

Odds are that at least one of your closest friends has also set fitness goals, meaning that, well you have someone like-minded close to you!

Share your resolutions with friends and get yourself a training buddy!

In doing so, you can open ground for accountability and exchange of information about training and nutrition.

Last but not least, sharing healthy habits with a close friend can create a strong bond that lasts a life time!

#4 Monitor & Adjust

Even if you do hire a professional to create tailored training and nutrition plans, you must keep in mind that nothing works forever.

Throughout your fitness journey, you must track your progress and adjust the plan as needed.

This is the exact reason why, in working with a professional, you should also consider regular check-ins and weekly consultations, besides the creation of specific fitness plans.

#5 Start A New Activity

Fitness training and good nutrition are just two fundamentals for your new year’s resolutions.

The next chapter of your fitness starts when you realize how much more than that you can do with your body and mind.

In the new year, choose a new, fun activity to engage in and stay consistent with!

Feel the joy of using your body for a variety of activities – Training isn’t just weights and cardio!

To Wrap It Up

The time has come to make a new year’s fitness resolution. The question is, what are you going to do for your health this year?

For many people, it’s easy because they already have an idea of where their challenges lie and the changes they need to make in order to get healthier.

But if that doesn’t apply to you then don’t worry!

If you’ve never set foot into a gym before or barely know anything about any kind of exercise routine, reach out to us and we’ll get you started on your resolutions!

How To Avoid Weight Gain

by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Fitness

Holiday Binging – How To Avoid Weight Gain

The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration. There are holiday parties, holiday dinners with family and overall, it’s holiday treats galore!

It’s practically inevitable that you will gain some weight during the holiday season – especially if you’re not careful!

In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to avoid weight gain during the holidays so that your hard-earned progress doesn’t go down the drain!

How Do You Gain Weight, Actually?

Alright, if we try and get down to the core of it all with fundamental analysis, we can conclude that there is a specific reason why you gain weight…

Okay, okay maybe that was a too complex way to say “overeating causes weight gain” … But the point is this – If you manage the amount of food, you can eat any food type you want.

So essentially, if you consistently go way above your daily needs for maintenance, you will gain weight.

And though that happens, one must remember that just a small percentage of the weight gained during the holidays is fat.

You also gain:

• Muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbs)
• Water
• Food weight

So here’s for a mental checkpoint – Don’t stress out for a couple of pounds gained.

Focus on long-term habits!

Let Your Soul Loose

There is a tendency for people to fall so seriously into diets and nutrition plans that their entire perspective on food is warped.

This is exactly when one may be worried about overeating for a couple of days during the holiday.

However, if you give your soul some more food than what your body needs and you are mentally okay with that and don’t feel guilt, you can, in fact…

Leverage The Binge!

Yes, that’s right – Binging on food doesn’t necessarily have to mean gaining a bunch of unhealthy weight.

Think of the binge as an abundance of energy, which can be used for physical activities that will stimulate the body in a good way.

In short – Stay active and train intensely during the holidays, when your food intake is higher.

Here Are 5 More Tips To Control Binging

If you have a really big problem with self-control, holiday binging can truly get out of hand…

And though that is true, there are ways to manage your cravings!

Check out these tips below

• Eat sequentially

The human stomach was made to digest almost anything and everything, but nevertheless, the different nutrients get chemically digested in different parts of the digestive system.

For this reason, eating your nutrients sequentially in each meal may improve the feeling of satiety, as well as overall digestion and gut health.

Simply – Whatever holiday food you are eating, eat first the carbs and veggies and then move on to protein and fat sources.

If the foods on the table mix all nutrients together, however, fear not! Just chew the food longer, as that will ease the work of your stomach.

• Eat plenty of protein and fats

If you want to avoid overeating, you NEED to be satiated and not think about food.

And well, that is only possible through quality proteins and fats, mainly from animal sources.

However, though animal sources do provide proteins and fats that are satiating… the most satiating food you can eat is…

• Potatoes!

Yes, you heard it here first – If the holiday dinner table has potatoes to offer, don’t be afraid to combine them with anything else you have on your plate.

In doing so, you will increase satiety and make it far less likely to overeat and gain excess weight as an end result.

To Wrap It Up

Managing your holiday eating habits doesn’t have to be difficult, nor do you have to gain excess weight.

Stay active, stay mindful, and if you happen to eat more food – Use that energy!

A successful personal fitness plan includes activities to develop

by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Fitness

A successful personal fitness plan includes activities to develop

There is one common thing among new trainees…

They all go over the different exercises in the gym because somebody else told them to do so.

However, they don’t know the logic behind it. They lack knowledge. As a matter of fact, most people DO NOT know what they are doing in the gym before they start doing it…

In order to be efficient with your time and progress in the gym, you have to understand why you are doing specific movements, resting for specific time frames, etc.

Have you ever wondered what the fundamentals behind a successful fitness plan are?

Why are the exercises ordered in a specific way?

What are the fundamentals in creating the perfect fitness plan, which fits your goals?

To learn the answer to all of these questions and more, continue reading.

What Does The Perfect Fitness Plan Consist Of?

It might surprise many of you, BUT a random training program from the internet and diet might not be enough to achieve your dream physique.

There are five components that you have to consider when following a fitness plan.

1. Strength Exercises

Compound movements such as Deadlift, Bench Press, Squat and Overhead press are essential exercises that each one of you should implement in your programs IF you don’t experience any pains or discomfort when performing them.

You can progress on these movements on almost every training session, in one way or another.

They are the core of every program. Becoming stronger on these movements goes hand in hand with hypertrophy (muscle growth)

In other words, you get stronger and bigger! Isn’t that the perfect scenario?

1. Accessories

Other movements such as biceps curls, triceps/leg extensions, lateral raises, lat pulldowns should also be in your program, but they shouldn’t be the main focus.

If you are a natural trainee, you should implement these exercises and try to linear progress them.

Still, as we mentioned above, your primary focus should be building your strength on the compound movements.

As the name suggests, accessories are just an “accessory” to your training program.

1. Conditioning/Endurance

Aerobic exercises should also be part of your routine if you want to maintain good health.

From our experience, there are many trainees out there who neglect to do any form of cardio.

Now, we don’t want to be misunderstood here.

Cardio isn’t necessary if you already have enough physical activity throughout the day. (i.e. you do 10k+ steps every day)

However, in the upcoming cold months, this can be a challenge for many of you.

That’s why, to maintain and improve your heart’s health, you may want to implement some aerobic work, as well.

And we don’t mean that you have to do long boring cardio on the treadmill.

You can try jumping rope, “Tabata” training, or any other sport out there, such as swimming, tennis, or even a martial art.

1. Sleep

You’ve probably heard this as a kid, but sleeping is of major importance for your overall health and performance at the gym.

Bad sleeping habits will affect how you look and feel. In fact, sleep deprivation will decrease your productivity throughout the day.

Getting 7-8 hours a night and going to bed around the same hour will adjust your circadian rhythms, and you will benefit from it massively.

Better recovery, better performance, feeling better overall.

1. Proper Nutrition

You can’t outperform a good training plan with a crappy diet!

We recommend tracking calories and macronutrients to every athlete out there at the beginning.

By doing this, you understand how nutrition works and what macros most foods consist of, as well as how much you actually need.

Now, if you don’t want to track every gram of your food, that’s alright.

Just keep in mind the following things:

• Try to consume a good source of protein such as fish, meat, eggs, whey protein on every meal.
• Stay away from processed foods, which are high in trans-fats and carbs.
• Keep  consumption at a minimum (2 glasses of wine per week)

1. Training Volume

One of the most crucial (if not the most) factors in your training plan is the TOTAL amount of work done for a given workout.

Volume is the primary driver of adaptations on a muscular and neurological level, and when paired with intensity (exertion), it can give great results.

In your training plan, aim to have 5-15+ working sets, per muscle group, per week.

You’d be on the lower end as a beginner and on the higher end as you advance.

Split this volume into separate training sessions to maximize performance from set to set and, thus, quality volume.

Try it and you will see amazing results for yourself!

Takeaway message

Focus on building your strength by progressing on the compound movements every session.

Implement aerobic exercises in your plan to maintain good cardiovascular health.

Get enough sleep per night to maximize your performance in and outside the gym.

Follow a “proper diet.”

Last but not least, ENJOY what you are doing.

Any questions? Shoot below!