Fitness is hard. Really, properly hard. And unlike most things in life, the better you get, the tougher it gets. Those first few January sessions being yelled at by your new fitness app can feel like torture, but when you realise that to make progress you need to add more weight to your lifts, more miles to your runs, and more minutes to each gym session, they start to seem like a brisk walk through a dewy meadow.
That's why even the best-laid exercise plans can quickly fall apart, as your progress plateaus and your willpower ebbs away. Why keep doing things that hurt if you're not seeing any results? Well, we're not here to hammer home the links between pain and gain – frankly, if you're spending that much time and money on something you don't enjoy you're wasting your life. Instead, we tapped leading experts from some of London's best gyms for their advice on how to hit your goals and actually enjoy training in 2020.
Build muscle
Channel the power of the pull-up
"While you need physical power to do a pull-up, it also takes mental power and discipline to master this power move. I advise every gym-goer to have a list of exercises to accomplish, and the pull-up is one of them, alongside a strong deadlift, a kettlebell swing and a Turkish get-up. Being able to pull up your own body weight is no easy feat. You may be lifting significant kilograms on the gym floor, but a pull-up is a sign of true strength." – Rob Allen, personal trainer at E by Equinox, St James's
Track your workouts
"Keep a log of what weights you are lifting. Seeing your progression will give you that boost to stay on track." – Kate Maxey, strength and conditioning master trainer at Third Space London
Fail to succeed
"There are three types of muscle contraction when you're lifting in the gym: concentric, which is shortening; isometric, where it holds a fixed length; and eccentric, where it lengthens under tension. If you're looking for a serious pump in a hurry, hit all three to failure, back-to-back, to fully exhaust the target muscle. For example, when doing a bicep curl, max out 'normal' reps by lifting and lowering under control until you physically can't do another. Immediately hold the weight out at 90 degrees until you fail again. Finally, lift the weight by cheat curling (or get a partner to lift it for you) then lower it slowly over three to five seconds, until you can't control it anymore and it just drops. You'll hit concentric, isometric and eccentric in order, to work your arms from all angles. Just pick a weight where doing eight normal reps is hard, or you might be there all day." – Ashley Grossman, personal trainer at Gymbox
Remember, it's not just about what you see in the mirror
"Get excited about all of the physical and emotional changes you’ll see if you train hard, and challenge yourself on a regular basis. Showing up to complain and hold yourself back will never work. Lose the ego and any concern about how much you weigh, or what you look like when you’re training, and just go for it. Testing yourself in your workouts builds a resilient mind and strong body." – Ryan Baronet, head of strength at Psycle London
Burn fat
Get off the treadmill
"Don’t neglect your strength work. Even if your goal is to lose weight, strength training should be the cornerstone of everything you do. Think of strength training as your main course and cardio as the sides. They both have a place, but in terms of relative importance, strength comes first." – Luke Worthington, Nike trainer, sports scientist, and personal trainer
Train smarter and harder
"Add more weight. Heavy resistance training will boost metabolism for up to two hours afterwards. That means you burn calories even after you stop exercising." – Kate Maxey
Don't negotiate with yourself
"A lot of people see fitness as a chore, but health is not about sacrifice; it’s about making adjustments. To be consistent with your fitness journey you have to make it non-negotiable. It’s just something you do, like brushing your teeth. When you adjust your perspective it will never leave you. It suddenly becomes part of your lifestyle. That’s what you are ultimately striving for." – Nik Naidoo, trainer at Barry's Bootcamp
Keep your body guessing
"People seem to get stuck in a rut, or pigeon-hole themselves: 'I don't do that' or 'I do this'. But I love feeling like a beginner. It's terrifying starting something new, but also exciting to embark on a new skillset or a new kind of fitness training. If you only lift heavy weights, get into a cycle class. If you only cycle, try out Brazilian jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai. And if you spend all our time hitting bags with wraps and gloves on your hands, get to yoga and stretch out." – Hester Campbell, aerial master trainer at Gymbox
Don't overthink it
"If you’re looking to lose weight, stop worrying about ultra-specific things like whether you should do fasted cardio or not. Just do faster cardio. Dragging your heels on a treadmill for 20 minutes does very little, whether you’re fasted or not." – Oliver Black, master instructor for Ride at Psycle London
Baby steps lead to big results
"Want to get fitter but hate running? Pick a sequence of 6-8 exercises and see how many times you can complete the circuit in 30mins to set a benchmark. Each week, try to beat the number." – Rob McCabe, Tier X coach at Equinox Bishopsgate
Make better habits
Start slow
"If you're heading to a new class or trying something for the first time, then let the instructor know. It’s so easy to think everybody’s got it together in the gym, especially within a group that’s quite established. But as clichéd as it sounds, everyone is a beginner once and it really is beneficial to let the instructor know that you’re new – they can help you set up, explain anything that might be second nature to the more seasoned members, and keep an eye on you in class, giving you progressions or regressions as necessary." – Jenny Lawford, Cycle Club master trainer at Gymbox
See the bigger picture
"When starting any new plan, paint with broad brush strokes. You should focus on the underlying principles first. Want to build muscle? Lift weights. If you want to lose body fat? Create a calorie deficit. Want to feel better? Get more sleep. Then work out the finer details once you can see the bigger picture." – Jonathan Dick, Tier X manager at Equinox Kensington
Learn when less is more
"An endless volume of unstructured training is a sure fire way to get run down, bored and fed up with your plan. Or, worse still, get injured. Training mindfully, with a structure that fits your lifestyle, improves your consistency. Working at 80 per cent three times a week all year will get you better results than working at 100 per cent every day for six weeks, then giving up." – Luke Worthington
Get out of your lane
"We all know the guy who looks like a beast in the gym, but pulls his hamstring as soon as he steps on the 5-a-side pitch. Why? Conventional gym training doesn't carry over that well into field sports. The impacts and changes of direction pose a very different demand on the body, so you should prep for it to be a beast in and out of the gym. Start with multidirectional lunges: forwards, sideways, rotating. Then, once you're comfortable, you can start to make these into bounding drills and jumps, to get even closer to the demands of sport." – Ashley Grossman
Work hard, rest hard
"There is no such thing as overtraining, only under-recovering. So prioritise sleep. Plus, your recovery strategy should be as aggressive as your training strategy. Consistency trumps everything else, so instead of having periods of really intense training followed by a fall-off period, stick to consistent training for results. If you set an achievable goal every week, that's when you start to see results." – Justin Jacobs, Tier X manager at E by Equinox, St James's
Be happy
Be more grateful
"Researcher Brené Brown has found that the people who feel the most joy practice gratitude. Links have also been made to better sleep, fewer symptoms of illness and a general increase in happiness, in those who practice gratitude in some way. The easiest way to do this is to write a gratitude diary. Once or twice a week, write down a handful of things you’re currently grateful for. Be as specific as you can, try to focus on people rather things, and don’t worry about making it sound overly eloquent." – Clare Walters, mind and body master trainer at Third Space London
Track smiles, not calories
"I recently gave up wearing my Apple Watch after three years and I am loving it. I no longer get distracted by having to start it, stop it, check it or compare my calorie burn and heart rate to anyone else. Activity trackers don’t measure enjoyment, happiness, release, self care or biochemical changes. I get more smiles into my workout without it." – Zoë Aston, mental health consultant at Barry's Boot Camp
Think drink
"When in doubt, drink water. One per cent dehydration leads to a 10 per cent decrease in concentration. If I'm tired, hungry, grumpy, angry, frustrated, or simply don't know what I need but know I need something, then I grab a long drink of water." – Hester Campbell
Inhale...and...exhale
"Breathe. It sounds simple, as its something we all do every day. But did you know your respiratory system directly affects how your body moves, your ability to rest and sleep, and even your mood? Taking five minutes a day to consider breathing mechanics can make a huge change to your wellbeing." – Luke Worthington
Learn to like yourself more
"The mind is very malleable during anaerobic exercise, which makes it the perfect time to become open to psychological change. My suggestion to get you started on this is to notice how amazing your body is. Exercise is a luxury and not everyone is able to include it in their lives. Notice the small ways your body rotates and twists, lifts and pushes. Remind yourself that although your body is not the whole of you, it is an amazingly capable vessel that your souls resides in." – Zoë Aston
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