Workout secrets for your best body ever

Plan your process and remember to have fun.

Story: Hollis Lance Liebman

Want the best results from your workouts? As a fitness trainer and author of “Complete Physique,” I recommend the following suggestions:

1. Have a plan—If you go into a store not knowing what you came for, you may leave with more than your budget allows. You want to increase your bench press. You want to decrease the circumference of your waist. These are definitive goals—and are keys to being programmed for success.
2. Understand your actions—Blindly lifting because someone said so may lead to results, but you will not know why something is working or is not working. Knowing that the function of your chest is to draw the arm across implies that an exercise replicating such movement, like a chest fly, should be a part of your workout.
3. Manage intensity—Excessive or very intense cardio can lead to food cravings. Resistance training should be performed intensely (in order to break down the muscle tissue so it grows back stronger) and cardio moderately (to increase your overall metabolism).
4. Breathe—Inhale on the stretched or lowering portion of an exercise and exhale on the positive. Proper breathing not only keeps one moving, it enhances performance, and that means more gains.
5. Plan food ahead—People with lean and fit bodies know to pack food with them. Sure, you can find a healthier solution in just about any eatery but packing ahead ensures that you know what you are eating.
6. Less is more and more equals less—While many are overdoing cardio and eating little in the way of calories, three to four 30-minute low-impact cardio sessions per week will do more to rev up your metabolism than hour-long sessions. These can often result in excessive eating. Additionally, do not hesitate to eat enough of the right calories in order to support your fat-loss program.
7. Take imperfect action—You get up, you stumble, you may even fall, but then you get up again. It’s the overall journey, not just one perfect day. Have fun, be in the moment, and enjoy the process.

About the writer:

Hollis Lance Liebman has been a fitness magazine editor, national bodybuilding champion, and published physique photographer. His previous books include “Peak Physique,” “From Slight to Might,” “Exercise in Action: Core,” and more. Visit holliswashere.com.