NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! 10 Trainers give their tips for dominating the new year

1. Sharon Johnson, B.S., Ace-Certified CES, is a mother of 2, a trainer and blogger who is constantly pitting her passion for health and fitness against her natural tendency to be lazy and take the easy road. She uses her blog to help herself and others “Overcome Lazy” by sharing triumphs, failures, tips and tricks on her quest for living the happiest, healthiest life possible. http://lazytrainer.blogspot.com/

• Adjust your mental description of yourself. We often define ourselves to others as being an “engineer” or an “avid White Sox fan.” Well, start describing yourself as a “healthy eater,” or a “regular exerciser.” Say it, do it, then you’ll BE it.

• Create a healthy “bucket list,” which includes some biggies, like maybe doing a triathlon and/or a body-building competition – as well as some smaller goals like trying a new recipe or a different exercise class each month.

• Plan for your success. Not a new concept, but, this time, actually do it! Schedule your workouts and pencil them into your calendar. Write down your meal plan (including snacks!) at the same time you make your grocery list. Optimum health and fitness doesn’t just happen because you want it to – you have to deliberately plan to be successful.

• Always have a home back-up plan for when time, weather or other circumstances don’t allow for your gym or outdoor workout. This also goes for avoiding the convenience food trap. Have a trainer show you a kick-butt home routine and some quick, healthy recipes you can always fall back on.

2. Gabi Regino,BA Health Promotion & Wellness/Athletic Training,MS Exercise Physiology,USAW Sports Performance certified,FMS certified.Worked at Nellis AFB for 5 years as Strength & Cond. Coach and has been teaching Personal Training certification for 5 years at UNLV

• I have a huge pet-peeve with the “losing weight” goal. If this is your goal, make this your last time…..please. There is nothing more boring than this goal. You go to the gym and every day you step on the scale, and see 1/16 of a pound that you have lost. Booorrring and add depressing to this! So let the tips below enhance and liberate your life.

PICK A STRENGTH GOAL INSTEAD BECAUSE:

• You will NEVER need to step on the scale again……unless, of course, you have to make weight for a competition. Otherwise, toss it or give it to your dogs to play with it.

• You can hit the gym and try to beat your own personal record (PR) from the previous week. It could your squat, deadlift, chin-up, push-up, shoulder press, bench press, lat pulldown, or something else that involves weight. It could be the amount of reps, or the amount of weight for your PR.

• You can say you TRAIN versus ‘workout’. The word ‘train’ infers commitment; it refers to what athletes do. If you want to look like one, then act like one and start saying “I’m going to train”. It will give you a different frame of mind.

• It is liberating! No more food phobias, no more “I burned 12 calories so I can eat one raisin”! You can actually go to the gym and TOUCH your goal, manipulate your weights and see the progress almost EVERY DAY! (As opposed to NOT feeling the fat being burned, which then equates to not being sure if you did enough, which then equates to doing more, which then equates to feeling like crap, which then equates to feeling like you won’t succeed, which then equates to analysis paralysis, which then equates to why-do-it-since-I-don’t-see-the-results-anyway…..you get the picture).

• You don’t have to look the same year after year. All those people that want to “lose weight” are always on the cardio machines and always look the same. Booorrring…go play with the weights, it is a lot more fun.

3.Bret Contreras-is a National Strength and Conditioning Association – Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Functional Movement Screen Expert. He has over 13 years of experience working as a certified personal trainer. http://bretcontreras.com/

Contreras earned his Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with his Master’s degree from Arizona State University. He is currently attaining his PhD at the Auckland University of Technology, where he is also scheduled to teach Biomechanics courses.

• Get rid of all junk food from your house. If it's around then chances are you'll eat it. The only way to ensure that you eat healthy foods is to not have any bad foods around to tempt you.

• Make fitness a priority. You most likely take a shower every day. You probably check your email ever day. And you should exercise every day too. An hour per day of exercise is ideal in my opinion, but thirty minutes will suffice if you're extra busy. Some days you can lift weights, some days you can do high-intensity interval training, some days you can go for a walk, and some days you can shoot some hoops or do some calisthenics at home. Just make sure to do something every single day.

• If you seek a muscular appearance/firm appearance, then you'll need to perform resistance training. There are many different options, but squats and lunges will work the quads and glutes, deadlifts and hip thrusts will work the hamstrings and glutes, bench press and incline press will work the pecs and triceps, chin ups and rows will work the back and biceps, military press and rear delt raises will work the shoulders, and hanging leg raises and side planks will work the abs and obliques. For your best physique, you should be performing these exercises on a regular basis.

4. Justin Thomas-Co-Owner of Instinct Fitness,IKFF/WKC/IYCA Kettlebell Certified,FMS/TRX Certified

• The hardest muscle to train is between the ears. Nothing happens instantly or easily and it takes time. Pick a program or diet and stick with it for the duration. There are many paths to success pick one and stick with it. One of my favorite quotes "Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."- Winston Churchill

A simple workout I like to call "Walk in the Park"

3-5 rounds

Work/Rest for time based on ability

A. Inch worms or walkouts (Power Wheel crawls work too)

B. Walking Swings (or standard swings)

C. Walking Press (press as you step forward)

D. Sled push or walking lunge

E. Rope pull or horizontal row. (I attach a weight to a battling rope and pull in various positions athletic stance, seated, kneeling, and plank for advanced)

5. Nick Tumminello- is the owner of Performance University – Hybrid Strength Training & Conditioning in Fort Lauderdale Florida. He trains the trainers, and athletes internationally. Check out Coach Nick’s Products, Seminar Schedule, Mentorship Programs and very popular Fitness Blog at http://www.nicktumminello.com/

• Find a way to exercise that you actually enjoy. You're much more likely to stick with something that you actually like. And, we all know that the biggest issue we have that leads to fitness failure is a lack of consistency.

• Do some bi-lateral exercise AND some uni-lateral exercises in your workouts. Both types of training have unique benefits. So do both and focus your energy on that instead of arguing which is better because that'll get you no where!

• Make some one happy and mind your own business! Just like we want people to live and let US live. As fitness professionals and exercise enthusiasts, we can also "train and let train." Be more about making your like constructive and less about being destructive to what other are doing.

• Do something fast everyday!

• Find a hill and sprint up it a bunch of times. That beats the Prowler or Weighted sled any day. Plus, it's FREE!

6.Paul Lundkvist- Swedish American, personal trainer for the past 10 yrs, former national level powerlifter, one of the busiest PTs in Sweden and formerly one of the busiest in the States. Currently speaking publicly about lifestyle sustainability and training clients full time in downtown Stockholm.

http://plunkan.blogspot.com/

• Follow the one and only stone set rule to resistance training: overload-do more than you did last time.

• Keep track of your numbers: if you know you have to achieve overload, you know you have to know how much you did last time.

• Look for results. Measure and use multi-textured devices to give you feedback-tape measure, scale, BC caliper, weights and reps, times...

• Understand that the people in great shape like to live the life.

• Eat clean the vast majority of the time and make bulges little. Oftentimes, the difference between people who get there and people who don't is beating this "well, now I've already cheated, I might as well go all in" feeling. Make the best out of mistakes even.

• Ask yourself why you are eating.

• Find substitute foods for cheat days-achieve the cheat feeling with better foods.

• Be intensely active on most, if not all, days of the week.

• Go all in, with regard to health and fitness, until you achieve your goals-100% focus on this goal, forget other goals right now. Get this done.

• Make sure you take in what you need to take in-achieving goals is giving yourself what you need and not giving yourself what you don't.

7. Justin Russ, ACE certified personal trainer, Combine360 certified, TRX course instructor. BS exercise science.

• Favorite quote: "we are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit."-Aristotle

• Eat real, whole, non-processed foods. increase your intake of fish and whole grains.

• Go to the gym with a purpose. make your workout your "me" time--leave the cell phone in a locker, put on the ipod and get after it.

• While at the gym, always stay moving. don't fall into the trap of socialization or extended rest periods between sets. superset your exercises or perform active recovery movements.

• Do not underestimate the importance of flexibility and joint mobility. especially the hips, shoulder girdle, and thoracic spine.

• Rather than spending time specifically on "ab" work and focusing mostly on lumbar flexion, practice "core integration" and incorporate components such as rotation, balance and instability into your strength training routine.

8. Jon Goodman-is the creator of the Personal Trainer Development Center and maintains a personal blog at http://www.jonathangoodman.ca/.You can also connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.

• Get in and get out - Don’t mess around in the gym. Tabata protocol works wonders (8 sets of 20s on, 10s off). Choose a large movement that’s safe so when you fatigue and form starts to fail you aren’t put in a vulnerable position. Thrusters work well either with dumbbells or kettlebells. (video of the exercise or you can make one yourself. This isn’t me and I don’t really care whether you use it or not http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFnkJNQc5qU)

• Eat your veggies - Twice a week cut up 3 large portions of veggies and make sure you finish one of them each day. It doesn’t matter what they are just make sure a lot of colors are represented.

• Pick a plan and stick to it – The specifics of a workout make a lot less difference than you think. It’s most important to be consistent with your workouts and avoid the all-to-common trap of program hopping.

9. Nicole Kupish-NASM-PT certified; Kettle bell certified; Pre-Post Natal certified.Total fitness enthusiast & current Tier 3 personal trainer at Equinox Fitness in Chicago’s Loop. http://nicoleraefitness.wordpress.com/

• Spend AT LEAST 30 minutes contemplating what your fitness goals for the year are going to be & WRITE THEM DOWN. These goals can't be vague like "I will lose weight, " or "I'm going to start eating healther." Setting these vague goals NEVER works. If you want to lose weight, specificy how much. In terms of eating healthier, say you will substitute vegetables for the potatoes you usually have for dinner. Write these goals down & carry them with you wherever you go. The goals should constantly be present so you are reminded of them until December 31st, 2012.

10. Andy McCloy-Andy McCloy is the owner and head trainer of Body Creations, Inc (BCI) which specializes in athletic based training for athletes of all levels. Driven by a passion to help athletes become their best BCI and Andy McCloy have trained over 50 Division 1 athletes and multiple athletes on NFL rosters. http://www.bodycreationsinc.com/

• The fact is if you want to improve your body and make lasting change you have to focus on learning how to eat! Use resources like precision nutrition to help guide you throughout the process. You can't out train a crappy diet no matter how hard you try!

• This tip isn't very sexy but I feel everyone needs to do some type of self myo-facial release work before their training session. Foam roll, LAX ball work, stick work. It all works! Find the pain and sit there for awhile and let it dissipate. Then move a bit further. Keep with this slow process once or twice over the entire area, giving special attention to the ITB, VMO, and glutes. I personally have my athletes and clients do 7min.

• Develop great relative strength. Movements like push ups, air squats, pull ups are great for developing your physique. More advanced exercises like ring dips, ring chin ups , muscle ups, hand stand push ups, will challenge even the strongest athletes.

Bonus#11 with some of my tips and strategies

• Put as much effort into your eating as you do your workouts in order to get the best results possible. Eating right will be what makes the dramatic changes for yourself.

• It is easy to give up early on when you dont start seeing results, but instead stay the course and see what happens. Everyone sees results differently and sometimes it might take a little more time than expected. You didnt get fat overnight, therefore your not going to get fit in a week.

• Have a plan. Where will you workout? How? What are you going to eat? Answer these questions to ensure success.
  

• Hire a trainer. Even if it might be tough to afford one, do yourself a favor and hire a trainer for at least a couple of sessions to learn quality form and technique. The key is hire a good trainer. Look for certifications through ACSM, NASM and NSCA to name some of the most well respected. Interview the trainer and see if their personality fits with you and to hear what they bring to them table.

Bonus #12-Becca Marino- N.S.C.A. is a Certified Personal Trainer with more than seven years experience. She received her B.S. in Exercise Science at George Mason University. Becca is the owner of Fitness Inspiration and BWV INSIDEOut Inc. http://www.believeitbringitachieveit.com/

• VISUALIZE.There is POWER in visualization.Become even more connected, more intimate with the level of health, fitness and wellness you want to achieve for yourself and your family through scheduling time everyday to see YOURself living the vision you have defined...to FEEL what you’ll be feeling...to DO what you’ll be doing...

• Believe it. Bring it.Achieve it!I’d like to close with this, remember that 1% WINS!!... Small, consistent, daily improvements lead to stunning results!
  

-1% improvement today
-7% improvement at the end of the week
-30% healthier at the end of the month
-365% HEALTHIER at the end of the year!

“Those who don’t make time for exercise must
eventually make time for illness.”
-Robin Sharma