Have you hit the plateau? Do you feel like your days at the gym are getting you nowhere? One of the top reasons people opt for Portland personal training is to achieve tangible results. There are many reasons why you may be unable to reach your fitness goals on your own. You may not have a deep love for exercising and the motivation to be consistent. You may be distracted or focusing on too much of the same to shock the body into letting go of reserve fat. You may not be using the machines or weights properly to achieve maximum results. Or maybe you haven’t been eating properly, which sabotages any progress you should’ve made at the gym.

TIP #1: GO HARD OR GO HOME.

If you want to achieve real results, choose three exercises to use in a circuit training routine. For example, you might choose bench press, push press and squats. Do one set of each exercise back-to-back. Before starting the circuit again, engage in a high-intensity exercise like tuck jumps, jumping jacks, running in place, or jump lunges for one minute to get your heart rate elevated. Take a minute to rehydrate, stretch and rest. Repeat this whole routine three more times. Limit your session to 45 minutes to prevent burning out, mentally and physically.

TIP #2: DON’T FORGET TO FUEL UP.

Any Portland personal training expert will tell you that rest and recovery are just as important as the workouts themselves. When you’re not at the gym, be sure to get plenty of sleep. Workout every other day and leave yourself one day to recoup in between. Also pay attention to what fuel sources you’re choosing. Just like you wouldn’t fill your car with a 95% water / 5% gasoline mixture, you shouldn’t fill your body with junk. This means no processed foods, additives, sugar, fried foods or alcohol. Remember to never workout on an empty stomach or you risk burning muscle tissue.

TIP #3: FINISH STRONG.

Four minutes before the conclusion of your workout, you should be prepared to give it your all with a rapid-fire finisher. Spend 20 seconds at high intensity, followed by 10 seconds of rest. This exercise can be running or jumping, as long as it’s something that will get your metabolic rate up. This type of conditioning is a valuable fitness technique that will allow you to burn more calories when you are resting.

TIP #4: ADD VARIETY & AVOID THE RUT.

It’s easy to get hooked on one thing. Some people take zumba or spin class every day. Other people only run on the treadmill. One would think the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose. However, we know this is not true. Many exercisers “plateau” (meaning that they suddenly stop losing weight) because they do not build enough muscle to enable them to burn more calories. The best Portland personal training involves changing the exercise, the intensity and the length of exercises every couple weeks to keep the body well-tuned.