Start slow. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will you. Everyone wants to jumpstart a workout after a little break (especially around New Years). Being the ambitious, driven people that we are, we like to push ourselves to the limit when we workout. However, Jimmy tells us to always start at the level we are comfortable at. Do not overdo it because you will likely feel miserable afterwards leading to a loss of motivation to workout again. Start slow. Start with a mile a day or by lifting a little less weight and then gradually increase weight and time as you progress.
Time when you workout alone. Next time you’re at the gym, cut your workout session to about 45 minutes and be out the door in one hour. Short and sweet. At X-FIT, clients train total body twice a week using moderate to heavy weights, 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps max. There are eight basic exercises in the system and most of them can be done with dumbbells. Keep in mind, if you are looking to lose weight you must lift weights because building muscle will burn fat. Lifting weights requires your metabolism to continue burning calories up to 40 hours POST workout, whereas cardio will give you just a few minutes of extra calories burned. However, do not completely ditch the treadmill. Just give it a break from time to time.
Balanced training. Add balancing drills to your workouts. Generally, you can’t tell which muscles are weaker by just weight training and cardio. Balancing drills will show you which side of the body is over-compensating and where you need to correct the imbalances. For most women, their workouts should include more upper body work with heavier weights, and men should add more legs exercises. Leg workouts help the body increase testosterone which will lead to bigger and better performance, fat loss and strength.
Get off the rollercoaster and throw away the scale. Burn fat. Ladies, if the scale went up 3lbs and your dress size went down 2 sizes, wouldn’t that be acceptable? The scale is the biggest confusion for someone trying to get in shape. We always tend to forget that when we are getting physically active and starting to build muscle, we lose fat and gain muscle and muscle is more dense than fat. If you would like to keep track of your physical appearance, try throwing on a pair of pants in the beginning of your training, and continue throughout to really measure the inches!
Celebrity trainer or jack-of-all-trades. Who do you want to train you? If you can afford the celebrity trainer, then go for it. You most likely would have gotten the same results with a normal priced trainer. Use these clues to determine whether a trainer is the right choice for you: Their focus- they are always focused on you and their eyes do not work the room while training you. Their ability to listen- they hear what you are saying especially your goals and concerns. Lastly, routine planning- they keep the workouts fresh, keeping you challenged, but driven.
Most importantly, make it FUN. Repetitive workout routines can be redundant and boring. Try to switch it up to keep yourself motivated by combining different workouts you haven’t tried yet. For example, any combination of boxing, balance, cardio, kickboxing, strength training, and flexibility will surely keep you eager for each and every upcoming workout.
Call or e-mail Jimmy anytime with your questions at xfittraining@verizon.net or call him at 212-725-7991. You can also stop by X-Fit at 28 W 27th St. 12th Floor. New York, NY
-Irene Bogdan
-Photography: Courtesy of X-Fit
