When I became a member of Phoenix Fitness West Hamilton, I hired a Hamilton Personal Trainer to teach me how to properly use gym equipment, acquire new programs to use on my own and hopefully reach my goals faster than I would alone.

“Is it what you expected?”  Yes and more, Now I feel very comfortable using the free weights and other equipment on my own.

“Are you happy with the results?’  Very Happy!!!!!  I don’t think, no, I now know, I wouldn’t have improved nearly as much without a Hamilton Personal Trainer.

“What would you tell someone who is sitting on the fence?”  Get off and get on with it !!!!!  Having a Personal Trainer is a great way to jump start your fitness program.  Why ease into it??   I lost fat, gained lean muscle and got a stronger upper body, not to mention I learned a lot of different workouts.

Eddie was a great Hamilton Personal Trainer for me.  He had new ideas each and every workout.  I learned from him how to do exercises safely as well as how much harder I can push myself than I ever thought.  He’s a great teacher and  Personal Trainer (with a sense of humor).  I will work with him again in the future when I need an extra little butt kicking !!!!

Melinda Sealy, Happy Hamilton Personal Training Client

Workout  six days a week… Hit each muscle group individually…  Go beyond failure, tearing apart every last quivering muscle fiber…  Down the latest Nitric Oxide supplement…  If you thought any of these ideas were good, you NEED to keep on reading!

Here are some simple guidelines to follow.  Leave the machines alone!  Machines create imbalances and weaknesses.  Free weights require more muscle recruitment, meaning more muscle growth (size) and more calories expended (definition). Machines build REAL strength, applicable to the real world, strength that can be used and appreciated.  No need to wait around to use a popular machine, just set yourself up at a rack and you’re good to go!

Work on getting stronger, not bigger.  More strength will always equal more muscle, however more muscle does not always equal more strength.  For athlete’s, strength is your foundation, with good strength all other physical skills can easily be increased (speed, agility, endurance, power, etc.)

You call those legs???  Working your legs with free weights using your entire body, you can actually gain  mass in your chest and back from heavy Squats and Dead lifts.  The muscles stimulate more growth hormone and testosterone, which leads to more muscle and less fat.

ISOLATE NOTHING AND INCORPORATE EVERYTHING!!!  This make you work those legs EVERY day your work out (lots more growth hormone and testosterone).  Using more muscles means you burn more calories, which in turn gives you a better body composition (more muscles, less fat).  You no longer have to spend 3 hours in the gym!  You get in, lift heavy, and get out.  You should never exceed 60 minutes of working out, that’s when your testosterone levels start to drop (and we don’t want that!).  Less time in the gym means more time to recover.  Your body grows OUTSIDE the gym, not inside.  You need to give your body as much time as possible to repair that muscle, and let you CNS (Central Nervous System) recover from the stress of exercise.

STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO… Q. & A.

Simon Marini, Hamilton Personal Trainer at Phoenix Fitness West Hamilton.