top 10 training tips

Doucette Uncensored – Top 10 Training Tips

The “Doucette Personal Training and Consulting” Tip of The Day. Numerous factors go into determining if one will ultimately achieve their specific fitness goals. Here are my top 10 training tips.

1. Training Frequency: The biggest mistake people make is only training each body part once a week. Studies have shown that more frequent training results in greater muscle growth. Aim to train each body part every 3-5 days depending or exercise volume, intensity and recovery.

2. Rest Between Sets: Rest to Work ratio must fall in the 3:1 to 5:1 range in order to maximize recovery. If you don’t rest long enough you won’t have full ATP stores which means you will not be able to lift as heavy or as hard thus impeding muscle growth.

3. Rep Range: Many people make the mistake of doing low reps with heavy weights hoping to maximizing muscle gains. What this does is build strength more than size. If you want maximum muscle growth get the reps up around the 10-12 rep range.

4. Time Under Tension (TUT): Sets should take close to 40 seconds or more in order to fully tax the muscle and cause maximum muscle hypertrophy.

5. Volume: More does not equal better!!! If you’re training hard there is no reason to do dozens of sets and be in the gym for 2+ hours. I usually do 8-10 hard sets for each specific muscle (not counting warm up sets). If you’re not pushing your limits you may have to do more sets to make up for your lack of intensity.

6. Form: Improper exercise form will not only diminish your gains but may also cause injury.

7. Exercise Selection: Be sure to choose the exercises that best stimulate the muscle you want to improve. All too often people do exercises that barely stimulate the area they want to improve. Skipping squats and deadlifts in exchange for hip thrusts for example is not going to do you any favors.

8. Effort: Training hard gets results!!! Even the best training program will not work If you don’t do the work. When your doing a set think to yourself “Could I have done another set for $1000”. If the answer is yes, you had more to give.

9. Environmental Conditions: If it’s hot in the gym and muggy it’s going to be hard to train effectively. Dress appropriately for your training conditions. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the more you sweat the better. A light sweat is good but wearing 3 layers of clothing to increase sweating is only going to reduce your ability to push as hard.

10. Intra-workout Nutrition/Hydration: Depending on your pre-workout meal you may or may not need an intra-workout supplement. I personally prefer to use “Battle Juice” by AG while training. If I’m low on energy it gives me the fuel I need to finish my workout and prevent going catabolic. If your workouts are brief you may only need some water to stay hydrated.

Follow these top 10 training tips and you will save yourself months, even years, of guess work.

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