Personal Training by Lou Renda

Good afternoon, I hope everyone is having a great week so far. I would like start this week off with a full body stability workout that is sure to be challenging and effective. Stability is an important attribute for everyone, whether you are an athlete or someone just looking to improve overall fitness. A stable body will lead to improved, squats, deadlifts, bench press, bent over rows etc.. Lets not forget that the more stable you are the less likely you are to sustain ...Continue reading

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. ~Dale Carnegie~

Life can be very busy so between vacations, injuries, work, and family obligations, it can be difficult to get to the gym consistently . You miss one week and that suddenly becomes one month or even one year. But getting back into the swing of things doesn't have to be difficult. I have four simple steps for you to follow so you can get back into your workout routine. 1. Set small goals- Instead of telling yourself, " I want to loose 30 or 50 lbs", try telling yourself, "I wa...nt to loose 2 lbs by the end of the first week". Or "I want to squat 5% more weight in the next couple of weeks". You'll feel successful when you hit your objective, motivating you to keep going to the gym and increasing your goals. 2. Make proper form a priority- Lighten up the weight for the first couple of weeks and concentrate on performing the the exercises properly with higher repetitions (15-20). If you use semi-heavy to heavy weight when you first get back into the gym, you run the risk of becoming very sore for a few days to a week, deterring you from the gym once again. I consider the first 2-4 weeks " the conditioning period", where you are allowing your supporting structures (joints, tendons, ligaments) to get used to the increased load. 3. Be consistent- Even if you don't feel like going to the gym on a certain day, go anyway! Once you get there and complete your workout you will experience a sense of accomplishment. On the other hand if you get there and you've been working out for 15 minutes and you still cant get into the workout, allow yourself to leave as long as you promise yourself to get back in the next day. Those 15 minutes may not seem like a lot, but they will contribute greatly to your consistency in the gym. Research shows that skipping 1 workout makes you 61% more likely to skip the next workout. 4. Partner up- arrange to go to the gym with some friends. First of all it is easier to get to the gym knowing someone is waiting for you. Second, workouts tend to be more intense when working with someone you know; not to mention the added benefit of spotting each other during exercises. Hopefully these tips will help inspire you to get back into the gym.

Hello everyone, my name is Lou Renda and I am a fitness trainer /coach at Equinox in Woodbury, New York; and this is my Facebook page. On a weekly basis I will be posting various articles, thoughts, videos along with other interesting tips, in order to help you achieve your personal fitness and health goals. Enjoy.