6 Fitness Secrets from Personal Trainers

Who needs a personal trainer? Not you, once you learn their top techniques for whipping clients into shape. Read on as experts explain all the right moves for workout success…

When celebrities want to tone up, they hire personal trainers. That’s how they stay motivated, learn to exercise correctly and work out at top intensity.

“A trainer pushes you beyond what you’d do on your own,” says Natalie Digate Muth, M.D., R.D., a spokesperson for the nonprofit American Council on Exercise (ACE).

But if you can’t afford one, it doesn’t mean you can’t work out like Halle Berry or Jane Fonda.

By adopting trainers’ top moves, you can become your own workout coach. You’ll get a firmer physique, better weight control and improved health without the hefty price tag.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Learn proper form.
Trainer tip: Exercising correctly means you’re working the right muscles and reducing the risk of injury.

How to do it yourself: Buy an exercise DVD or book (or borrow one from your local library) featuring a certified fitness instructor demonstrating routines that fit your fitness goals and skill level.

“Even if you don’t like to exercise with videos, use them to check your form and get ideas for moves to try,” says Tom Holland, M.S., CSCS, a Connecticut-based running coach and author of Beat the Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets – Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag (William Morrow, April 2011).

Practice each move in front of a mirror without weights until you get the hang of it, or ask a friend who knows the routines to watch and correct your form.

You can also get information and instructional photos on proper form from the ACE Exercise Library. Search exercises by body part, muscle group or equipment used.

ACE also offers complete workouts showcasing proper form. Each includes step-by-step exercise demonstrations, including warm-ups and cool-downs, as well as guidance on how often and how intensely to do the moves.

2. Stick to a workout schedule.
Trainer tip: You’re more likely to follow an exercise regimen when there’s a financial penalty – like a wasted gym membership or trainer fee – for not showing up. But with a little creativity, you can find other ways to hold yourself accountable.

How to do it yourself: “Make a standing date with a friend for at least one workout per week,” Muth says. “Put it on your calendar as you would any meeting.”

Then make a list of rewards for completing each workout, and repercussions for canceling.

What you use as treats and punishments depends on what motivates you. But avoid using exercise as a penalty (as in, Drop and give me 20!) or diet-breaking foods as rewards. Both make workouts counterproductive, Muth says.

Instead, try these ideas: As a reward, place $5 in a jar every time you work out, suggests Oregon therapist Kay Porter, Ph.D., author of The Mental Athlete (Human Kinetics). “It’s fun seeing the money add up – it’s like tipping yourself.”

Once you have enough, buy yourself a new fitness outfit.

Need a punishment? Promise your exercise partner a favor – like running an errand for her, or buying her lunch – each time you skip a workout.

3. Push beyond your comfort zone.
Trainer tip: To see results, you have to make your muscles work harder than they’re used to. That’s what creates muscle tone.

How to do it yourself: Before raising the intensity of your weight or cardio workout, you need to develop a base, Muth says. Your body needs time to adapt to new demands on the muscle.

That means about 2 weeks of regular workouts if you’re already physically active. But “it may take as long as 6 weeks for a sedentary woman,” Muth says.

For cardio workouts, start by walking or doing intervals of jogging or running, depending on your current fitness level. For resistance training, start with weights light enough that you can comfortably do 12-15 repetitions.

You’re ready to push harder when you can keep perfect form throughout a move. You no longer feel unstable or shaky, and can easily complete the exercise.

When lifting weights, use the 2-for-2 rule designated by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA): If you can do two more repetitions than planned (such as 12 repetitions instead of 10 on the last set) for two consecutive workouts, increase weight on your next workout.

The NSCA recommends increasing weights by 2.5-5 pounds for upper-body exercises, and 10 pounds for the larger muscles of your lower body. But stick to gradual increases if you’re new to resistance training.
For cardio workouts, invest in a heart rate monitor (from a company such as Polar) – or a GPS watch (from a company such as Garmin) that lets you race against an electronic “competitor” and wirelessly upload data to your computer to track workouts. (Keep reading for more ways to monitor your progress.)

4. Track results.
Trainer tip: A personal trainer records your workouts so she can see how quickly you’re improving. It also lets her check in with you about how you feel about your progress: Are you seeing the results you’d like? Why or why not? What should you change to get back on track?

How to do it yourself: Buy a workout journal (you can find one online or in a bookstore for about $10) or just a plain notebook and bring it to all of your workouts, Muth says. “It helps to know how far you’ve come.”

For each activity, write down your workout details: the type of exercise, length of workout, difficulty level and time spent.

Or use an online tool from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPyramid Tracker or sites such as Lose It! or Training Peaks. These free programs help you keep track of how hard you’re working and how well your health and fitness plan is progressing.

5. Monitor your diet.
Trainer tip: Your chances of weight-loss success increase when you keep track of what you eat.

In fact, women who recorded food intake as part of a weight loss program shed more pounds and stayed with the program longer than those who didn’t, according to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

One key reason: Many of us eat significantly more than we think we do, according to Cornell University research. A 2006 study showed that overweight people underestimate calorie intake by an average of 40%; normal-weight people underestimate by an average of 20%.

How to do it yourself: A nutritionist can help you determine how many calories you need each day. The ACE website also offers a calculator to estimate daily caloric needs.

Then record what you’re eating with an online, food-journal, tracking program, such as the one on the MyPyramid Tracker website.

“It’s also helpful if, say, you’re a soda addict and want to drink more water. You can track how much you’re drinking each day. Same for eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains,” Muth says.

6. Stay motivated.
Trainer tip: New exercisers tend to quit within 3-6 months after starting a new program, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

A trainer can cheer you on to get you through those moments when you want to give up or don’t feel like you’re making progress.

How to do it yourself: Set clear goals for yourself, Muth says. “Make them SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.”

In other words, instead of saying “I plan to lose weight,” tell yourself, “I want to lose X pounds over the next Y months by doing Z.”

But make those milestones attainable. “Reality show weight-loss results are not reasonable or healthy goals,” Muth says. Strive for no more than 1-2 pounds a week, and check with your doctor to find out the most appropriate rate for you.

One way to stay on track is by making workouts more fun. Download energizing music to your iPod, or add new toys: a pedometer, jump rope, exercise tubing or GPS movement tracker. All can renew your motivation, says San Diego fitness instructor Jessica Matthews, ACE’s certification director.

If you find yourself struggling, join a local exercise group for people with similar goals, Porter suggests.

Members can encourage each other by sending out notes or e-mails that say things like: “I just signed up for a 5K. How about you?”

Finally, focus on the positive feelings and successes you’ve experienced from exercising regularly, Matthews says.

Compare benefits associated with maintaining a regular exercise program – such as improving your health and losing excess weight – against the costs of leading a non-active lifestyle.

Linda Melone, CSCS, is an ACSM- and ACE-certified personal trainer who writes about health and fitness.

Want more advice on sticking to your fitness plan? Read 14 Best Fitness Apps for Women and 11 Ways to Get Fit in 2011 .

What’s Your Fitness Style?
Some people find it easy to wake up at 4:30 a.m. and go for a 5-mile run, while others simply hit the snooze button. Aspects of your personality determine the kind of exerciser you are, so if you’re in a fitness rut, it’s time to put your unique interests back into the workout equation.