If anyone can offer advice on what it takes to stick to January’s fitness resolutions, it’s Emilio Roman. Not only is he a certified personal trainer, author and coach, he served eight years with the United States Marine Corps and trained some of the military’s top leaders. He’s also trained professional athletes from the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros and was the former fitness coordinator for the city of Philadelphia.
He says although the average person doesn’t have to meet the military’s stringent fitness requirements, it’s that military mindset and training like a solider that will help anyone stick to and succeed on their 2022 fitness goals.
5 Biggest Mistakes When Going To The Gym
#1 Stop Going During Peak-Hours: Avoid going to the gym from 6am-8am and again from 6pm-8pm. This is when most people go and therefore there are more distractions, longer lines to use the equipment and most important, for beginners, they become easily overwhelmed and embarrassed when others around them are extremely fit. Go during off peak hours when you can.
#2 Stop Exercising and Start Training Smart! The average person who sets a fitness New Year’s resolution will run from machine to machine, try to get through the gym session as quickly as possible and won’t have a proper understanding of the right mechanics involved in each exercise. Slow down, get focused, and learn what it takes to achieve the greatest results while minimizing any potential injury. Read up or ask the staff for advice because when you are more educated you will be safer and see better results.
#3 Failing to Understand The ‘80/20 Rule of Fitness’: In short, 80% of your results (body tone, stronger bones, posture and happiness) will come from 20% of where you focus your time/energy. It’s about achieving more with less effort.
For example:
If one all-out fitness session seems too overwhelming, break your workouts up into smaller 5-minute sessions and make it fun. You can do 5 minutes in the morning, 5 in the afternoon and 5 in the evening dancing to your favorite music.
Perform one great set vs. the traditional 3: As a trainer, I’d rather see you complete one great set compared to the traditional three we’ve been brainwashed to believe we have to do. One great set that focuses on posture & proper breathing goes a longer way in creating a ‘Fitness Habit’ while inching closer to your fitness goals.
#4 Not using the less popular but highly effective Fitness Ball and Foam Rollers stationed in the corner. These fitness tools are your BEST Friends when it comes to warm-up and post-exercise recovery from session to session, which equals better and best results in the shortest amount of time. In short, they help flush out lactic acid out of the body quicker.
#5 The Biggest Culprit that Wastes Your Time and Energy…Ignorance. You don’t know what you don’t know. Just like anything else when you would hire a professional, you should also leverage a professional trainer’s years of experience to your benefit. Even if for just one or two sessions so you can learn to do the exercises correctly and prevent injuries, which would be counterproductive to getting in shape in the first place. The question isn’t can you afford a trainer, but can you afford not to work with one?