6 Workout Tips from San Francisco’s Top Trainers
When it comes to working out, rocking inspiring, adorable workout gear is helpful, but reaching your fitness goals also requires motivation and hard work. We know you want to make the most of the time you’re working up a sweat, so we chatted with three of the hottest trainers in San Francisco to get their best advice for reaching your fitness goals. Read on for the secrets they really follow to keep their killer bods super strong. Prepare for a mega dose of fitspiration, and get ready to see super-charged results.
Alexis Benson, pilates instructor at Mercury Fitness and founder of Lexi Miller Cycling Apparel, says, “Form is everything,” and tells us that when you use the wrong form, it can knock you out of alignment and take the integrity and efficiency out of the movement. Alexis says, “We all use different cues and analogies,” so she encourages readers to always ask for help if your trainer’s tips for improving your form don’t make sense to you.
2. Fight Fatigue With Form
Alexis says that form is especially helpful when fatigue sets in. She tells us, “We tend to give in to gravity, overly flexing our spines, hanging on our shoulders and placing a lot of weight in our hands.” To fight that gravity, she uses planking cues and focuses on lengthening her spine from her tailbone to the crown of her head. She said that when she was on a particularly tough bike ride, “Creating this little bit of extra space in my spine made a world of difference. My low back stopped barking at me, and I was able to focus on my legs doing the work.” If you don’t have training as a fitness guru, seek out the instructors of your favorite classes for tips on how to improve your form.
3. Engage your Core
Katie Panas, a trainer at BodyRok and nominee for Racked’s “Hottest Trainer in SF” contest, tells readers that they should use their core in every exercise. She says that you should engage your core before you start the exercise, and then engage it during the exercise to power through your workout. She tells us, “Core engagement enhances stability, balance, alignment and posture.” That sounds great to us!
4. It’s Okay To Fail
If you’re nervous about starting a new gym class or adding a new level of difficulty to your current gym routine, Katie says, “We believe failure is success! By this, we mean muscle failure — muscle failure is when the magic happens!” She says that discomfort, aka when you notice your body is having difficulty performing, is a sign that your body is changing, and that’s a good thing. She tells us, “If you want to build long, lean muscles, enjoy the burn and let muscle failure happen.”
5. Eat Clean
Katie is also a huge fan of clean eating. She says that if you want to see fast results in your workouts, try clean eating. “Changing your body will require a bit more than just a workout routine. Make the foundation of your diet come from clean, unprocessed foods — think chicken, fatty fish, lots of greens and small snacks in between meals to keep you fueled.” If you’re looking for some extra clean-eating inspo, we’ve got the perfect Insta for you.
6. Bring Your Best Attitude
Erica Stenz, trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp and winner of Racked’s “Hottest Trainer in SF,” says that to be really successful in your classes, “you have to bring your best attitude.” She encourages readers to set fitness goals, telling us, “Grab heavier weights that will challenge you and turn up the treadmill speeds each time. Know that when you reach failure point, it’s working, so don’t forget to smile.” So the next time you find yourself hitting a slump in your training, try a smile. It might just give you the energy to push through to meet your goals!
What are your go-to fitness tips? Let us know in the comments below!
(photos via Lexi Miller Cycling Apparel and Racked SF)