Burn the Fat... Know the Facts: Top 3 Workout Mistakes / Save $100 on Personal Training

The greatest value of a PPT fitness program isn't counting reps or keeping you accountable.

It's not even bringing our wide variety of changing equipment or giving you the "pep talks" needed to make each session count.

More than any other benefit, PPT keeps your program's evolution appropriate - introducing the right components in the right way at the right times.

We've interviewed 10 of our top fitness coaches and asked them where people without a PPT program tend to go wrong the most. Their collaborative answers provided tremendous insight that we think can help everybody reading this:

#3. Nutrition and recovery methods:

Recovery is one of the most critical and overlooked parts of any fitness and wellness program.

Left to their own decision-making, most people will finish an intense workout and miss the necessary opportunities to aid the body's recovery. This not only minimizes the benefit of a workout, but it actually impedes the next one from being more beneficial.

Have you ever had an injury but were not quite sure of the cause? This is often due to failing to effectively stretch muscles that need it after a vigorous workout, or failing to properly foam roll or "release" muscles and connective tissue from stresses.

Post-workout fat burning, joint recovery, and muscle growth also all depend on treating your muscles right after exercise, and those rely on getting the right selection of nutrients, hydration, and sleep factors as well. Most people who don't engage with an in-depth, science-minded program miss huge opportunities to avoid injury and prepare readily for their next workout.

#2. Intensity selection:

All ten PPT providers that we spoke with named this as a key problem for exercisers everywhere. The muscles, heart, lungs, bones and joints all require just the right amount of intensity to better themselves. Too little is a waste of time, and too much can damage them.

The understanding of how much intensity is just enough and how much is overkill literally takes years of schooling to deeply comprehend.

Gyms and boot camps are full of people using less-than-ideal weights or moving at the wrong speeds for ultimate success. Think about what makes a top athlete versus a moderate one. Is it luck? Genetics? Or, is it the science behind the ever-changing decisions? The resistance placed on the energy systems and musculoskeletal system is key to avoiding injury while maximizing success.

#1. Last-minute adjustments:

A very common theme from all of our trainers is that they never follow their written plan 100% or even 50%, because so much changes in the heat of a fitness session.

Client's sleep, nutrition, frame of mind, and many other factors all play into their abilities and capacities, and only a well-trained professional can interpret the clues and capitalize optimally to get the biggest results in the shortest amount of time.

PPT fitness leaders are experts in those last-minute tweaks that make a stretch, cardiovascular exercise or strength protocol find just the right modification to be maximally safe and beneficial.