Practical, effective fitness and workout tips for the gym or at home

May 26, 2:42 PMFitness ExaminerStefan Pinto

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“Clench your stomach when you walk,” is a useful and practical tip I received from my first trainer. It helped correct my posture and undeniably contributed to those elusive abs that most guys work so hard to achieve. Incidentally, the elusiveness of “getting abs” comes from eating the wrong diet. If excess fat exists, then the abdominals simply will not picture “pop,” no matter how many crunches you do in a day.

“Daily nutrition is also extremely dependent on the appearance of your midsection,” said Suyumi Quiroz, trainer and group fitness class instructor at Equinox Fitness Clubs. “Abdominal exercises can indeed strengthen and tone the muscles, but those muscles are underneath the “subcutaneous” layer of fat.” Incidentally, did you know that a stronger core will directly contribute to better posture? "Strengthening your core will improve your posture and could make you more confident and happy," Kathy Van Patten owner of The Movement Center of Boston happily confirmed for this article.

Tyron Piteau, owner of The Maker's Body Personal Training and Resurrect Your Body Boot Camp, agrees, “for maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively pulling your navel to your spine, engaging your glutes, and maintaining a straight line from the heels through the shoulders.” His workout mantras are testament, “'suck in your gut;' 'tuck your butt under;' 'round your lower back;' 'give yourself a wedgie;' and 'be flat like a diving board.'"

The whole clenching and contracting method can be applied to almost all muscle-heavy workouts. Mike Arnone of Tiger Fitness Los Angeles suggests that “the contraction is the first step in the stimulation of growth.” He advises that “at the top of each movement, contract the muscles that you are using. For example, when you perform a biceps curl, contract your biceps as hard as you can at the top of the movement, when your elbow is flexed, before lowering the weight.”

Here are some more of my favorite tips, submitted by readers

Libby Pratt - Camp Biche (France): “Instead of having breakfast, lunch or dinner meetings, insist on walking meetings. People are more honest and willing to divulge more when they're walking.” (Aside from this also being a clever “sales tool,” I like it as it avoids the dreaded, “who’s buying?” question).

Aliesa George - Centerworks: “Do a friend a favor and meet for a walk or a workout. Be held accountable to be sure you get your daily and weekly workouts in.”

Staci Bender - Slice Communications: “Always remember to breathe as you are exercising. And stretch afterwards.” (So simple, yet so many people just don't do it)

Clarita - Mambo Mania: “The benefits of stretching (increased range of motion, reduced stress, relaxation and muscle function) are most clearly felt AFTER your warm-up and again AFTER your entire workout session.” (Anyone who doesn’t stretch after working out, has never worked legs. Stretching is essential).

Lauren Goldberg - personal trainer: “Use the stairs as a workout. Run up a flight, using only every other step. Sprint up the whole flight. Use them as part of a circuit” (Just don’t trip).

Tim Wilkins - ACE Certified Fitness Trainer: “For a quick and killer cardio, hit 20 minutes of sprints and walks. Run for 30 seconds and walk for one minute. The sprint/walk yields a lean, muscular physique and can enhance your endurance overall for distance events.”

Tracy Effinger - www.SqueezeByTracy.com: "A sneaky way to burn an extra 250 (or 100) calories a day is on your weight training leg days, follow each weight set with three minutes of high paced cardio" (three minutes, Tracy? Give me at least 15 for that 250 extra calorie burn).

Wendy Chant - author, Conquer the Fat-Loss Code: "The law of adaptation states that if you do the same thing, at the same pace, at the same time, for the same length of time every single day, even if it's something absolutely great for you like walking around the block six times or riding your bike for 35-minutes, your body WILL adapt and the exercise won't be as effective."

Kelly Stallings - author, Life is Mental: Think Thin to Live Thin: “Create a clear and vivid visualization of your goal body image. Bring this visualization to mind before and during a workout to motivate through an effective physical training.” (You might shrug this off, but as Earl Nightingale, author of The Strangest Secret professes, “we become what we think about”).

Jon-Erik Kawamoto - JKConditioning: “Keep a fitness log to track your weights/sets/reps/progress.  it's a great tool for motivation and for looking back” (Indeed, I’ve done this and if you are ever in doubt about making progress, just look back on where you were five months ago).

Ryan Rizor -  FOCUS Human Performance: “Too many people expect big results from isolation exercises (biceps curl, tricep extension, crunches, etc.) By training movements your body is challenged on an intense metabolic level - the level that yields fat loss and strength gains. Multi-joint movements (thrusters, berpies, squats) require posture, stability, and strength. Not to mention higher heart rates and lots of sweat! This doesn't happen with isolation movements.” (Speaking of sweating, I really must comment that when I trained at Equinox, it simply amazed me how many people hate to sweat. Sweating burns calories and besides, Equinox has lovely, clean showers, too).

@AngelinaDeAsis - "Get a yearly membership to [a gym] with a trainer. Mine scares me a little but he does keep me in shape."

Lindsay Sears - LaloFitness: “When doing a squat try to freeze for one second at the bottom of the squat. This will help you connect your mind with the muscles you want to work, in this case your glutes.”

Kama Linden - Body Friendly Yoga: “Even when you are busy or tired, stretch or do five to ten minutes of something” (especially when you are tired!)

Jackie Camborde - www.jackiecamborde.com: "Include balance exercises. We begin to lose balance at around age 30. Stand on one foot when lifting light weights; add balance poses to a yoga practice and add a prop like a balance board or stability ball to help engage core muscles (curious people will invariably ask what you're doing, hopefully you won't fall over while you're answering).

@usciences - "If you aren’t struggling at the end of a set, the weight is too light for you. Increase it and you’ll increase your results."

@mastrofitness - "Maximize your time. Do 30 sec bursts of cardio in-between weight sets. Spin. Stairs. Jump rope. Make it intense."

Sadie Nardini - www.SadieNardini.com: "If you stretch a muscle you've just worked, you gain more muscle density than if you just work it and go. To get more muscle mass, a higher metabolism and a lean, muscular look instead of bulk, counter-stretch after you lift."

Mark Federico - Boost Fitness: "Think of your workout as a permanent lifestyle change and make it a personal priority. You may miss an occasional workout, but if you want to stick with it, you’ll need to make exercising a habit."

Dr. Hema Murty -  Shanti Consulting: “Rather than standard forward lunges, include a session with lunges "around the clock" in which the lunging leg goes around a clock rather than just straight forward, back or to the side. Light weights and fast reps make a light cardio workout as well.”

Rona Lewis - author, Does this Cookbook Make Me Look Fat?: “Beginners should start with a 30 second sprint, then take a 2 minute jog in between to get one’s heart rate up” (and an increased heart rate helps to burn those calories).

Brett Hoebel - HoebeL Fitnes: “Cut back on alcohol: alcohol has empty calories and is usually consumed later in the evening when the metabolism is slower – the chances of those calories turning into fat are higher.” (Health benefits of drinking wine is negated if you drink the whole bottle. Most of the benefits are from Resveratrol).

Nikki Kimball - North Face Endurance Team Athlete: “If you often confuse discomfort with injury, consider working with an experienced coach until you learn to read your body well” (extremely useful tip for beginners!).

Robert Belley - Maximum Fitness: ”Fill your laundry basket or duffel bag with books, detergent bottles or anything heavy to perform dead-lifts, squats, presses” (helpful, especially if you can no longer afford a gym).

Greg Mumm - How to Enjoy Exercise: “Set goals. Ask anyone who has achieved anything significant and they'll tell you goals played a part in their success. Write them down, don't just think about them. Use feelings when you write, this isn't a science experiment, really mean it. How will you look? Why? What will others think?” (I agree; without a goal, then it’s really just a dream).

James Hahn II - Wellness Coach: “Trick your mind: discover what it takes for you to feel motivated. As soon as I put on my shorts, gym shoes, and heart rate monitor, I’m immediately ready to work. Even if I woke up completely lethargic.” (Our minds are powerful and can easily sabotage us. Read more about this topic in "You Alone Hold the Key").

@ChrisPolarUSA - "Define your goals for each workout. If you have allotted 30 -45 minutes or more, plan your warm-up, cool-down and the intensity in-between" (again, goals and this is especially sensible if you hire a trainer. Get your warm up cardio and stretching done BEFORE the session begins).

Dr. Eric Plasker - author, The 100 Year Lifestyle: “Strength training. Important for healthy aging if you want to keep your muscles strong. For weight training, try increasing your weight by 10 to 20 percent each time. Work out with a partner and challenge each other.”

Shannon Rowbury - Olympic athlete: “Find a running partner. On a gross day, getting out the door can be a challenge.  Misery loves company, and if you are out there getting wet and muddy with a friend, something uncomfortable can quickly become fun.”

@janitapavelka - "Have a routine and stick to it daily. Don't overplan your day so you are stressed out by to-do lists."

Molly Kimball - nutrition columnist: Include a source of protein with every meal and snack. Protein takes longer to break down, helping to keep you feeling fuller, longer. Protein also helps to increase your alertness and ability to focus. (Read “Protein Powder Primer” for more information and recommendation on protein powders).