General Fitness Knowledge

These are 10 Items that can support you on your fitness journey, monitor your progress, and help you stay on the path! The more experience you have with fitness, the more you actually need to consider getting these.

You don’t need these. But these are essential to have when you are trying to make sure you have what you need to motivate yourself.

Training is hard. It can be more difficult when you don’t have the things that can support your journey. Even if you have a personal trainer.

Here is a list of essential items that can propel you towards your fitness goals.

1. Supplements

If you have been in the fitness game or even just starting out, you know you need to have supplements to accelerate your results. 

Now, I’m not saying you NEED this. As a personal trainer, I would rather have you eat highly nutritious food than buying all the supplements money can buy. Again, it’s a supplement. It is not something that you completely replace your whole food meals with.

For example, if I said that you need to eat 100g protein in a day, but you can only consume 75g, an average protein shake typically has 25g to help you get that last 25g in.

If you want some extra energy boost at the gym, get some a pre-workout that can really pack a punch in the gym!

Herbalife Meal Replacement Shakes – Packed with vitamins and minerals and high in protein. It has helped my dad lose 20lbs with proper diet and minimum exercise.

FNX Recharge- Preworkout 15% off – Excellent pump and great energy!

FNX Vegan Protein Shake 15% off – Great post-workout shake for accelerated muscle recovery!

2. Headset

When you are in the gym for 30minutes-90minutes, you would want to be listening to something that will keep you focused. Lifting weights without music can be pretty boring!

Whether that is music or motivation, make sure that it can sustain your energy and keep you hyped!

I personally love listening to my personal development/motivational videos. I want to always make sure I am feeding my mind with positivity. There is so much negativity in the world, I make sure I tune that out and build myself not just physically, but most importantly, mentally.

I use Beats Solo 3 because I love the look of it for working out.

The best quality headset I have used are Bose Quiet Comfort 3. 

If I don’t feel like having a headset on, I typically just use my Airpods.

3. Gym straps

Once you can start lifting heavier, gym straps would exponentially support you by getting in quality isolation workouts. 

The best time to use them is on back days. The purpose of the strap is for you to wrap the strap around the barbell or any bar and isolate the back by taking your forearm out of the equation. 

Even if your back can take the beating, your forearms get fatigued pretty fast. When you allow your back to take more of the weight than your forearms, you well see significant progress in your back!

Harbinger has great workout straps.

4. Water Bottle

For obvious reasons, having a water bottle will support you on your hydration and water intake needs. I cannot believe how there are so many people who don’t drink much water. As a trainer, I’ve had and still have a few clients who have a difficult time drinking even just 2 glasses!

Sometimes, people have a hard time losing weight because they lack water. Also, we sometimes mistake thirst for hunger which can lead to overeating.

HidrateSpark 3 is a fantastic water bottle that even has an app that reminds you to drink water by lighting up!

5. Gym shoes

I see many people workout in non-workout shoes. They workout in skater shoes, boots, hiking shoes, basketball shoes, and other types. Although some don’t feel the difference, the heavier you lift, the more you may need to invest in some quality gym shoes.

Without the proper shoes, you may injure yourself in the long run. Like if your weight is offset in your shoes, you can lose balance.

A few pairs you can get are:

Reebok Men’s Lifter PR Weightlifting and Gym Shoes

Nike Metcon 5

No Bull Training Shoes

York Athletics The Henry Mesh

If you run outside of workouts, I highly suggest having running shoes as well. There are different types of shoes for a reason. For example, basketball shoes usually have high-tops so that you won’t “break” your ankles.

6. Fitness Tracker

This is something that can support you in more areas than steps. If you choose the right fitness tracker for you, you can use it for sleep, heart rate, and distance.

The thing I personally love about my apple watch Series 5 is that I can leave my phone at home and still listen to my music with my Airpods.

The other ones you can use are Fitbit, Oura ring, or if you are more into running, Garmin.

7. Weight scale

Always nice to have one at home to check your progress. Just make sure you don’t obsess over your stats, that can be really unhealthy. 

I highly recommend Renpho. It is a scale that measures your body weight, muscle mass, body fat percentage, water weight, visceral fat, and many others.

Of course, it is not the most accurate measurements in the world, but it is great to have something that can measure close to what is accurate.

<<<Renpho Scale>>>

8. Meal prep bag with containers

Meal prepping is obviously one of the best ways to really get the results you want. Just like anything else in life, if you want things to work for you, create a system. A system of timely meals throughout the day. 

It will make sure you are eating the proper amount of food your body needs to get to where you want to be. It will prevent you from overeating or under eating. Which leads me to the next necessity.

A meal prep bag can support you by making sure you have your healthy meals with you at all times. Instead of going out to eat unhealthy food, you have your meals with you!

<<<Meal Prep Bag>>>

9. Food Scale

Measuring your food is great to ensure your daily caloric needs. If you measure your food intake and make sure you get an adequate amount of protein, carbs, and fat, you will see faster changes.

Digital Food Scale

10. Deadlift Belt

Eventually, when the straps can only take you so far in your deadlift game, you would want to get a deadlift belt.

Of course this is for people who are committed to getting stronger in their dead lifts. It is unnecessary

The deadlift belt may not seem like it makes much of a difference, but why do all the powerlifters, bodybuilders, and cross-fitters, use one? They must be on to something. 

On a serious note, deadlifting can be dangerous without proper guidance and equipment. I have seen people in the gym without the correct form. The sad thing is, too many people won’t lower their pride and aren’t open for some feedback or some guidance.

Regardless of what your views are, deadlift belts can help you significantly if you are one of those people who have a hard time keeping your spine neutral during a lift.

If you want a great deadlift belt, I recommend making sure that it can really keep your core stable. 

<<<Dead Lift Belt>>>

I believe that this is an important topic to discuss. Many people just “go through the motion” when they are training and most wonder why they are not making significant progress.

Form
Your form is if not, the most important thing to focus on when you are working out.

The first obvious reason is to prevent injury. If your form is even slightly off, that means you are much more prone to injury.

It is almost humorous that many people don’t even think to focus on form first. As a trainer, I have seen people pick up heavy weights and they try to do something they see another person do and do it dangerously!

I am sometimes torn between helping someone when I see them doing it wrong, or let them be. I know, before you judge me for letting them be, understand the society we live in today. There are a lot of egotistic people who are not open to being corrected. Don’t worry, I always offer to help.

If you ever see someone doing something the wrong way, the best way you ask them is, “Are you open for some feedback about your form?” Most people like to think they are open-minded, so they will almost always say yes.

If you are not sure about your form, you can always search on YouTube the correct form and technique of each workout. If you are still not sure, hire a personal trainer for a few sessions and ask him or her to show you. They will be more than willing to help!

Blood Flow

Blood flow is another very important aspect when it comes to weight training. A way of noticing blood flow is through the “pump” of your working muscle. This is why your form is very important. When your form is correct and you do a specific movement repetitively, you will inevitably feel the tight sensation on your working muscle.

I bet you’re thinking, “But Gerald, if I move in a repetitive motion, there will always be blood flow right?” Right. That is correct, but I am talking about the blood flow to the working muscle. You want your body to drive the oxygen to that muscle so that it can start the process of muscle growth.

Sometimes people will just go through the motion and not maximize the movement.

Mind muscle connection

Many people have the hardest time to achieve mind and muscle connection.

The reason why is because they don’t know or they have never felt that muscle being worked before.

The dangerous part is that people tend to “swing” up there weights or they rush through the motion.

I have trained many clients just bulldozing through a set even if I tell them to slow down.

From my experience, the reason why is because when my clients slow down, it is much more painful. I get it. That is okay. But I always make sure I educate them on the importance of slowing down on their motion.

In a few weeks, they end up becoming aware of muscles they never knew they had!

Breathe

Breathing is absolutely one of the most important aspects of weight training. I get it, sometimes you want to hold your breath through a heavy set, but unless you are powerlifting, there is a much deeper explanation to that.

Whenever I train my clients, I make sure that that I intentionally tell them to breathe even if they already are. Sometimes they actually forget to take breaths during a set.

I am sure you’ve heard of the stories of people who pass out during a set. That is because their brain lacks the blood flow and oxygen it needs to function normally.

Focus on breathing when you “exerting” energy. So if you are bench pressing, exhale one the push. When you are doing rows, exhale on the pull.

Allowing yourself to breathe during sets will also get you to push harder and last a bit longer.

Next time you are in the gym, take it one at a time. The first day, focus on form. The next day focuses on blood flow etc. You will eventually be able to focus on all 5 once you do it multiple times.

Let me know below what you always focus on during your workouts!

These are Do’s and Don’t to keep in mind when you are considering hiring a personal trainer.

Do’s.

Come in with a goal in mind.

Personal trainers will create a plan for you based on what your goals are. If you have a clear goal, it will help us create a much more realistic expectation of when we can help you achieve that.

If you come in and just say you want to lose weight, then losing 1 pound is already “losing weight.”

Be precise and be realistic about your goals.

Be receptive to feedback.

If you’re given feedback on your goals, then keep an open mind about it. 

For example, if you are a female and you come in saying you want to be 100lbs and your height is 5’10, we will let you know if that goal is healthy or not.

If it makes sense, we will proceed, if not, we will come up with a new plan.

We will teach you everything you need to know when it comes to training. Your form, your posture, and where your body placement should be when performing exercises.

If we correct you, be open to it so you won’t get injured.

Be optimistic.

Know that whatever plan we have for you, it will work. If you come in thinking that it’s the last resort, your progress will be slow.

Negative thinking doesn’t help with anything, what more in the gym?

Be willing.

Many people come in because they thing that the trainer will hold them accountable no matter what.

If you come in and your trainer is putting in 100% for you but you are unwilling to do the work, then you cannot blame the trainer for the lack of progress.

Try your best.

One thing that we really appreciate is that you are always trying your best. If we ask you to do a weight or work out (that we know won’t injure you) and you try it regardless it’s “too much” or “too tough”, we really appreciate you trying. Trust me, it will not be neglected!

Don’t.

Put yourself down.

As a trainer, it is honestly really difficult training a client who says “I suck.”

“I’m weak.”

“I’m so fat.”

“I’ll never get skinny.”

“I’ll never be fit.”

That never serves anyone and it sure won’t contribute to your growth physically or mentally.

Expect a miracle.

It took you YEARS  to get you to where you are today. You cannot expect your trainer to reverse all of the ineffective habits that you created in your life.

If you have been going trainer to trainer, nutritionist to nutritionist, and still not seeing results, who is the common denominator?

I understand that there are trainers there who really don’t know what they’re doing. But that doesn’t mean they can’t help you. Remember, the only person who can truly help you, is you!

Give up on yourself.

If you get the right guidance from a personal trainer, you can get results. If you don’t get results that you are looking for, it just means you need to find another approach. Keep going. Just because one way didn’t work, doesn’t mean that you get to give up!