Hiring a personal trainer can be a huge benefit for some people. Particularly if you find that you need extra motivation to get yourself to exercise. Yet, finding a good trainer can be tough. You have to ask youself how much motivation do you want and how do you want it?
Tough Trainers
A tough trainer probably won't deal with your excuses. You will be pushed beyond what you think you can do and you may not like it at the time, but you get results. This type of trainer usually doesn't mess around and expects you to put in 100% effort every session.
Highly Motivated Trainers
A highly motivated trainer is good at keeping you going through a positive attitude. They may remind you how well you are doing, the type of progress you're making, and make you feel really happy about your efforts.
Personally, if I were to have a personal trainer, I'd want someone who would be tough on me. It's too easy to slack with someone who is too nice. Below is a good example of a tough trainer. He may not be your style but his methods seem to work for a lot of overweight individuals (primarily women.)
Hot Mess Fitness
What do you think? Over the top or effective?
This is a guest post by Rafi Bar-Lev, a former combat medic and founder of the community fitness site, Passionate Fitness.
You want to get fit and strong and you want to look good, but sometimes you just don't feel motivated to work out. Try these 5 things to keep motivated to work out, even on days when you feel like throwing in the towel:
1. Listen to music. Since the dawn of man, music has been a way to keep our spirits up and to keep us going. For that reason, I suggest you make a good play list on your MP3 player specifically to motivate you for your workouts. Music has a way of turning you from a demotivated blob into a motivated workout machine.
2. Workout with a buddy. Working out with a buddy is a great way to stay motivated to keep working out. If you know someone else is dependent on you to get in their workouts, you will feel responsible to make sure that the workout happens.
3. Mix up your routine. Sometimes doing the same thing over and over just gets too repetitive for even the best of athletes. Add some vigor to your workouts by mixing up your routine, like throwing in a kettlebell workout or adding swimming to one of your workout days.
4. Challenge yourself. If you're not feeling motivated to work out, chances are that you're not challenging yourself enough. Step back, re-evaluate the situation, check your weight, and set new goals to meet for the next month. This will help you get up and out and give a new sense of purpose to your workouts.
5. Join a forum. Joining a forum with like-minded individuals who can give you encouragement is a great way to keep you motivated and loving every step of your fitness journey. If you haven't done it yet, I highly recommend it!
You probably see and hear it all the time. The key to six pack abs is doing crunches. I've read and heard on several occasions that crunches are a waste of time. When trying to achieve a flat stomach, some say that doing other forms of exercise is much more effective. Many of the workouts I follow still have crunches as part of the program. I don't mind doing them but maybe those who dislike doing them feel they are a waste of time.
Below are some reasons for why crunches may be a waste of time:
- You can't spot reduce
- Crunches do not burn belly fat
- Crunches build endurance, not muscle
- Crunches strain your neck and back
I am just after more opinions about the topic. If you feel they are a waste of time, please share your thoughts in the comments.
